Anyone know why there is a general lack of chambering in the Oakeley new vein between chambers 20/21 and the Oakeley/Cwmorthin boundary collapse in chamber 29?

Would there be a geological reason why this area wasn't worked to any extent, or was it simply a matter of they never got round to developing it.

Also to what extent does the distance between the back, old and new veins differ across the entire Cwmorthin/Oakeley slate formation. I'm aware that the stripy and narrow veins between back and old vein in Cwmorthin complicate matters.

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The New Vein chambers do run through to Ch31 - but only below Floor G.

If I recall correctly, the New Vein wanders off above that level (which is around the drop fault?) and there are a few cross-cuts trying to find it in Oakeley and Cwmorthin.

In the lower levels, there's a bit of break between Ch21 and Ch22 which suggests bad rock?

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Many thanks for your reply, Vanoord

Don't think Iv'e seen a plan which shows this area on G in Oakeley new vien, unless I'm missing something. I was going mainly on what I know of the main DE transit level. I am familiar with that long side level which leads to chamber 22 (labelled as 25? on the colour coded plan I have) Some way past this the Oakeley miners seem to give up, as they do on floor C as well. As I suspected, probably a geological reason.

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I think I've said before - which rock was worked and to what extent depended very much on the perceived "quality." As far as Oakeley was concerned, the very long trial level on floor DE in chamber 32, and earlier trials on C and DE around chamber 22 proved there was no workable New Vein under Cwmorthin.

In some places the GlanyPwll Trap rock is so close to the bottom of the Old Vein that the New Vein is either unworkably thin, or non-existent. In others the clay slant/blue hard above the Old Vein bulges down, so that the Old vein is very thin, while in the same place the New Vein was thick and worked.

In places the quality varied considerably between the veins, so that, for instance, the North and Back Veins near the surface in the old Middle Quarry were very good, there were enormously wide chambers in the old Upper Quarry - while in the depths of Q and R, there was almost no work in the Old Vein, but chambers were developed in the New Vein.

Also, of course, the presence of faulting/pefels, posts etc. could also affect the "shape" of the workings. From C downwards, I think around chamber 12 or 14, a lot of rock was left unworked to try to "lock" in place a large bevel which passed through the veins. Similar things happened in Votty, Maenofferen and Llechwedd.

Yes, it's geology and could be very frustrating for the mine development.

Cheers

Grahami

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