Florence Mine (SSSI)
Location and Access Information
Grid Reference: NY 018103
This underground iron mine is located just to the east of Egremont, off the A595. There is a Heritage Centre open to the public and underground tours of the mine. Contact the mine (01946 820 683) for details.
View the site map on Nature on the Map
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Geological Interest
Florence Mine provides excellent three-dimensional exposures through the largest ‘flat-type’ iron ore replacement body in the West Cumbria iron orefield, with the main types of ore; massive, kidney, specular and soft all visible in situ. These ore deposits are within the Carboniferous Limestone which surrounds the Lake District area, and are related spatially to faulting that resulted from the mountain-building phase at the end of the Carboniferous (the Variscan Orogeny), some 300 million years ago. The ores, of Permian-Triassic age (290-205 million years ago), are believed to have formed by replacement of the limestones by the precipitation of iron oxides from iron-bearing oxidising brines, which rose up through the rocks from a source to the west.
