Tresayes Quarry is a nature reserve near Roche in Cornwall. It is also a geological nature reserve of Cornwall Wildlife Trust and is designated as a (non-statutory) County Geology Site.[1] The entrance to the reserve has a small car park with a gate at ///leader.tango.speakers
Tresayes Quarry | |
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Location | near Roche |
Nearest city | Truro |
OS grid | SW 995585 |
Coordinates | 50°23′32″N 4°49′20″W / 50.39211°N 4.82215°W |
Area | 1 hectare (2.5 acres) |
Operated by | Cornwall Wildlife Trust |
Website | www |
Geology
editPegmatites can be found here. They are formed by the action of molten magma rising from deep within the Earth's crust. Associated with the pegmatites, rare elements, such as niobium, cerium and beryllium also occur.[2]
History
editWhen the quarry was first opened in the late 19th century, it was a source of pure feldspar, which was used in the glass making industry. The site was known locally as the Glass Mine or Polpuff.[3] It closed for several years but reopened in 1917, during the First World War, to provide feldspar for electrical porcelain with at least 50 bal maidens separating the feldspar.[4]
Since 2011 the quarry has been an EarthCache, visited by the geocaching community.[5]
References
edit- ^ "County Geology Sites". Cornwall Wildlife Trust. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
- ^ "Tresayes". Cornwall Wildlife Trust. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
- ^ "Tresayes Quarry (Polpuff Quarry)". mindat.org. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
- ^ Mayers, Lynne (2008). Bal Maidens: Women and Girls of the Cornwall and Devon Mines (2nd ed.). Cinderford: Blaize Bailey Books. pp. 126–129. ISBN 978-0-9556896-1-1. OCLC 663435621.
- ^ "Tresayes Quarry - Roche Glass Mine". Retrieved 7 April 2023.