LiDAR derived view of the Parys Copper Mines on Parys Mountain, Anglesey. The hillside was mined initially in the Early Bronze Age period c. 3500 BC. Copper ingots and evidence of smelting activity from the Roman period have been found on the northern side of the hill.
The main period of extraction took place from 1768 when a near surface body of copper ore was located in what came to be known as The Great Lode. Shallow surface workings developed downward into the huge opencast pits visible now including The Great Opencast and the Mona opencast. Later shafts explored much deeper veins until the mine ceased production in 1904. Anglesey Mining plc are currently considering re-starting mining operations if extraction becomes financially viable. This was the largest copper mine in Europe during the 1780’s and the ore was smelted in Lancashire & South Wales.
LiDAR data from Natural Resources Wales Model created with Planlauf TERRAIN
CC AttributionCreative Commons Attribution
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