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Boulby Mine is a site located just south-east of the village of Boulby, on the north-east coast of the North York Moors in Redcar and Cleveland, England. It is run by Cleveland Potash Limited, which is now a subsidiary of Israel Chemicals Ltd. It produces half of the UK's output of potash, an agricultural fertiliser. The mined ore consists of 35–45% sylvite ("potash", specifically potassium chloride) and 45–55% halite (rock salt, or sodium chloride).〔("Boulby, United Kingdom" ), Mining-technology.com, Progressive Digital Media Group PLC. Retrieved 11 November 2014〕 The rock salt is extracted as a by-product and used across the region as a de-icing agent on roads in winter conditions. The mine has 1,001 employees〔source "news article" http://www.insidermedia.com/insider/north-east/125367-cleveland-potash-continues-investment-after-turnover-growth 13 October 2013 retrieved 18 November 2013〕 and can produce up to one million tonnes of potash each year. At deep, it is the second deepest mine of any kind in Europe, and has a network of underground roads extending under the North Sea, totalling in length.〔(Inside the potash mine one mile under the North Sea ), BBC News, 24 April 2013.〕 Cleveland Potash Limited had a reported turnover of £194 million in 2013, up from £162 million the year before. However despite the increased turnover, the company suffered a total pre-tax loss of £194 million. This was the result of a huge £200 million impairment charge arising from a significant fall in potash prices.〔“news article” http://www.insidermedia.com/insider/north-east/125367-cleveland-potash-continues-investment-after-turnover-growth 13 October 2013 retrieved 18 November 2013〕 ==History== In 1939, potash was discovered in the area at Aislaby when drilling to look for oil. The reserves were investigated in the 1950s but appeared too deep to exploit economically. Solution mining was considered from 1962, but not pursued. Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) began construction on the mine in 1969, and started producing potash in 1973. The mine was the source of all of the UK's home-produced potash – around 55 percent of the total UK market. It occurs between and below ground and has an average seam thickness of . It took until 1984 for the mine to achieve profitability.〔 ICI formed Cleveland Potash Limited jointly with Anglo American, and later sold it to them, who in turn divested it to Israel Chemicals Ltd in 2002. In April 2011, the mine began the world’s first commercial production of polyhalite, a rare mineral that has been found in large quantities in a seam out to sea from the mine, total resources estimated at over a billion tonnes lying more than 1.5 kilometres offshore. The mineral has a commercial potential as an inorganic fertiliser. In April 2014, Cleveland Potash was awarded a £4.9 million government grant to support the mining of polyhalite at the Boulby site〔“news article” BBC News http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tees-26960911 10 April 2014 Retrieved 18 November 2014〕 and parent company Israel Chemicals Ltd (ICL) has pledged to invest £300 million in the area before 2018. Plans include extending the mine to the east and upgrading facilities to increase production capacity. Environmental groups have raised concerns that the development could have an intrusive effect on the local area.〔“news article” BBC News http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tees-22152699 16 April 2013 Retrieved 18 November 2014.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Boulby Mine」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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