Boulby is home
to the second deepest mine in Europe – its 1,400m (4,600ft) depths being a mere
40-odd metres short of those of the Pyhäsalmi Mine in Finland. Construction began there in 1969, and it
began giving up its treasure – potash – in 1973. It supplies more than half of the UK ’s requirements
of the stuff (which is used in agricultural fertiliser), with rock salt being
harvested, too, as a by-product.
The mine is,
however, perhaps more famously known for its underground laboratory. Due entirely to the depth of its workings,
boffins run two very expensive-sounding items of equipment near the foot of the
mine, namely, the ZEPLIN-III and DRIFT-II dark matter detectors.
If you’re expecting a layman’s explanation of the nature and importance
of this strange-sounding and invisible material, then I’m sorry to disappoint. Try Wikipedia or the BBCwebsite instead – where, at the latter, you will find a TV report from Boulby.
But it’s clearly
important work. And this remote outpost
on the Cleveland coast is pretty privileged to be host to such a barrage of
expensive equipment – for the DRIFT-II is one of only two such gadgets in
operation worldwide. And why a mine
shaft, you may wonder? Well, at more
than a kilometre below ground and surrounded by solid rock, the delicate
equipment is safely shielded from interfering radiation from outer space.
It’s all been
running for several years now, though I don’t think they’ve found much.
More information
here.
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