Anyone walking around the Nantymoch mines is advised to take care at Brynyrafr where the No 2 shaft has opened up to surface. It was probably originally covered over by timber which has now rotted. This shaft is outside of the fence and just below the track.

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The hole is about 50ft south east of the main shaft. It is well-nigh invisible until you're within a few yards of it. The edges of the hole are very crumbly and there are subsidence cracks in the turf for a few yards around the hole suggesting that further superficial deposits will in due course tumble in, forming a crater. Standing water level in the hole is around 40ft down - i.e. at the level of the reservoir. The hole and the main shaft both lie on the lode and stopes can be seen extending off to the south east from the main shaft, beneath the new hole.

An even more difficult to spot hole has opened up 100 yds northwest of the Davey Shaft at Glog Fawr. Its about 4ft diameter and also drops immediately into a deep stope. It lies about 15 yds east of the vaguely north-south fence that extends northwards from the Davey Shaft development rock tips.

Have a care!

First apologies, it’s the No 1 Shaft that has reopened, No 2 is Engine Shaft.

A while ago there was a run in the Engine Shaft which enabled access into the main stope, now daylight streams in from above. Great care is needed due to the risk of falling material, and also due to fact that the rubble slope one descends is certainly resting on timbers below. The main stope goes down for 400 feet in that area.

The surrounding ground has certainly slumped, but I think that this is due to rain run off over the years into the shaft. I could be wrong, this weekend I shall be visiting the site with my friend Prof of geology David J, so we should get an expert opinion.
The shaft itself is not a shaft in the normal sense, but a way down through the main stope, which is only a few degrees off the vertical, a good thing.

Elsewhere in the area things are far different. Glogfach underground is a disturbing sight where support timbers have rotted and fallen leaving stope cheeks totally unsupported on veins that have a high degree of hade. This has resulted in huge blocks falling from the hanging wall, with more blocks as big as motor cars becoming detached.

At Cwmbrwyno a huge section of the hanging has fallen leaving an underground void big enough to fly a helicopter through. The result of this is that a large roof section is now totally unsupported and could lead to the stope running to surface.

Robert. I shall be at Henfwlch this Saturday about 11.00 hrs to meet David. We shall first go across to Brynyrafr, and later an underground trip into Henfwlch to the far reaches through the newly completed ‘Fellows Concrete Subway’
You are welcome to come along.

On Sunday we shall be dropping the winze in Leri Valley and have to pass the Brynyrafr landowners house which will possibly give us a chance to talk to him and advise.

🔗Bryn-yr-Afr-Mixed-Mine-User-Album-Image-69365[linkphoto]Bryn-yr-Afr-Mixed-Mine-User-Album-Image-69365[/linkphoto][/link]

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That sounds interesting Roy - if I'm free I'll pop up to have a look myself. Is any of the lode structure visible in the main stope?

Cheers - John

That sounds interesting Roy - if I'm free I'll pop up to have a look myself. Is any of the lode structure visible in the main stope?

Cheers - John

Not really John, everthing has been taken out. There are photographs on here under that mine, you will probably see all there is.
I will see what David J says on Saturday, I am not the geologist.
Feel free to come along if you want.

EDIT
I am going to drop the wet one in Henfwlch and take a ladder down. Its been 25 years since i last did it and could not climb a bank of deads at the time. There may be something to see.

If a few people turn up there will be more there to direct the ambulance.
:lol:

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Can't make it tomorrow Roy/David, but will be interested in feedback.

Cheers - John

While talking to David on site it occurred that a little digging on the other side of the engine shaft would very easily give access to the stope above adit, west of the No2 (Engine) shaft, so watch this space.

Off thread, but am I correct in thinking that you dropped the winze in Leri Valley (Pendinas) a few years ago?
If so, what can you tell us?

I did a partial on Sunday but had the willies about 50 feet down and came back up. This was explained by a quick estimate of depth to deep adit revealing that my rope would be too short. Also, I would want a gas detector to go all the way.
There is a complete lack of any sign of mineralization which is puzzling

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Roy,

Re - Leri Valley: it is not a well-defined lode but a zone of shattered mudstone - the walled-up bits of the dump are made up of it. The fractures are less than a centimetre wide but there are plenty of them. They carry minor quartz and carbonate with predominant galena plus some chalcopyrite, tetrahedrite and bournonite. I've got a nice polished chunk here at HQ. Image attached. The block's getting on for a foot across. The galena has tarnished.



I've not dropped the winze, and can't recall anyone else having done so....

Ta for the Brynyrafr update!

Cheers - John[img][/img][img][/img]