SUMMARY

Intensive metal mining considerably altered many British upland landscapes between the 18th and 20th centuries, modifying both subterranean and surface environments and fundamentally changing the character of local settlements, infrastructure and society. However, our understanding of the landscape-scale patterns of development through time in mining districts is still limited. In this study, we take an interdisciplinary approach to understand the historical development of the mining industry within a nearly 200 km² area of the North Pennines, UK. Our approach combines documentary and cartographic records, archaeological mapping, and geomorphological analysis of changes to the physical environment. We demonstrate pronounced spatio-temporal variability in the intensity of mining and the nature of associated landscape impacts. Production time series data indicate a widespread intensification of operations during the 18th century, with archaeological evidence suggesting that the environmentally destructive practice of hushing, a hydraulic mining technique, was also widespread during this period. The scale of ore production from subterranean mines increased considerably throughout the mid-19th century, before a rapid decline from the late 1800s onwards. The influence of large mining corporations reached into all aspects of the local economy and society; altering the settlement patterns, infrastructure and demographics of the area and shaping the finances, health and wellbeing of the miners and their families. The environmental and societal changes that accompanied the mining industry were profound, resulting in mining districts with a distinctive landscape character and legacy that persist to the present day.

概括

密集的金属开采极大地改变了 18 世纪和 20 世纪之间的许多英国高地景观，改变了地下和地表环境，并从根本上改变了当地定居点、基础设施和社会的特征。然而，我们对矿区随时间推移的景观尺度发展模式的理解仍然有限。在这项研究中，我们采用跨学科的方法来了解近 200 km ^{2范围内采矿业的历史发展}英国北奔宁山脉地区。我们的方法结合了文献和制图记录、考古测绘以及对物理环境变化的地貌分析。我们展示了采矿强度和相关景观影响性质的明显时空变化。生产时间序列数据表明，在 18 世纪，作业普遍集约化，考古证据表明，在这一时期，水力采矿技术对环境的破坏性做法也很普遍。地下矿山的矿石生产规模在整个 19 世纪中叶显着增加，然后从 1800 年代后期开始迅速下降。大型矿业公司的影响深入到当地经济社会的方方面面；改变该地区的定居模式、基础设施和人口结构，并塑造矿工及其家人的财务、健康和福祉。伴随采矿业而来的环境和社会变化是深刻的，导致矿区具有独特的景观特征和遗产，一直持续到今天。