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Old Moss Lead Vein

Coordinates: 54°47′5″N 2°16′50″W / 54.78472°N 2.28056°W / 54.78472; -2.28056
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Old Moss Lead Vein
Map showing the location of Old Moss Lead Vein
Map showing the location of Old Moss Lead Vein
Site of Special Scientific Interest
LocationMAGiC MaP
Nearest townAlston, Cumbria
Coordinates54°47′5″N 2°16′50″W / 54.78472°N 2.28056°W / 54.78472; -2.28056
Area0.6 ha (1.5 acres)
Established1961
Governing bodyNatural England
WebsiteOld Moss Lead Vein SSSI

Old Moss Lead Vein, also known as Killhope Head, is a Site of Special Scientific Interest in the Wear Valley district of County Durham, England. It consists of an exposure of a mineral vein in the valley of the Killhope Burn, just upstream from the North of England Lead Mining Museum.

The vein is visible as a 5-metre thick intrusion trending northeast–southwest through the Great Limestone. Mineralisation in the vein typifies the inner fluorite zone of the North Pennines Orefield,[1] with galena and sphalerite in the centre of the vein giving way to fluorite and siderite toward the periphery. The site, under the name Killhope Head, has been designated of national importance in the Geological Conservation Review. [2]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Dunham, Kingsley C (1990). Geology of the North Pennine Orefield, vol 1, Tyne to Stainmore. HMSO. ISBN 0-11-884471-7.
  2. ^ "Old Moss Lead Vein : Reasons for SSSI status" (PDF). Natural England. Retrieved 1 April 2022.