Definition of Minerals, Including Scheduled Minerals
Minerals, as defined in the Minerals Development Acts, include all substances in, on, or under land except:
- the agricultural surface of the ground
- turf or peat
- petroleum
- stone, sand, gravel or clay except for substances included in the schedule to the 1940 Act.
In practice this means that most quarries producing aggregates for the construction industry, agricultural lime or dimension stone, e.g. for buildings or grave stones are not working minerals and do not require any permits under the Minerals Development Acts.
The Schedule to the Minerals Development Act 1940, reproduced below, sets out a list of substances which are included in the definition of minerals but this list is not exhaustive.
LIST of SCHEDULED MINERALS in the MINERALS DEVELOPMENT ACT 1940
|
Alum Shales |
Dolomite |
Mica |
|
Anhydrite |
Dolomitic Limestone |
Mineral Pigments |
|
Antimony, Ores of |
Felspar |
Minerals Oils |
|
Apatite |
Fireclay |
Molybdenite |
|
Arsenic, Ores of |
Flint and Chert |
Monazite |
|
Asbestos minerals |
Fluorspar |
Natural Gas |
|
Ball Clay |
Ganister |
Quartz Rock |
|
Barytes |
Gem minerals |
Radioactive minerals |
|
Bauxite |
Gold, Ores of |
Refractory Clays |
|
Beryl |
Graphite |
Rock Phosphates |
|
Bismuth, Ores of |
Gypsum |
Rock Salt |
|
Bitumens |
Lead, Ores of |
Roofing Slate |
|
Calcite |
Lignite |
Serpentinous Marble |
|
Chalk |
Lithomarge |
Silica Sand |
|
China Clay |
Magnesite |
Silver, Ores of |
|
Copper, Ores of |
Magnesium, Ores of |
Strontium, Ores of |
|
Corundum |
Manganese, Ores of |
Sulphur, Ores of |
|
Cryolite |
Marble |
Talc and Steatite or Soapstone |
|
Diatomaceous Earth |
Mercury, Ores of |
Tin, Ores of |