Minerals of Scotland
STRONTIAN

Strontian Gallery - The Mines
General Location - Maps - Whitesmith Mine

STRONTIAN - The village store.

Loch Sunart - Strontian village is located on the northern shore of this sea loch.

The village of Strontian is located in the Highland Region of Scotland and in the former county of Argyll. It is situated on the northern banks of the picturesque Loch Sunart - a sea loch.

The main summit in the area is the nearby is Beinn Resipol, with an altitude of just over 3000 feet (c.1000 metres). The mines lie a few kilometres to the north of the village and to the east of Beinn Resipol..

STRONTIAN - Mines & Locations

Strontian has a history of mining spanning almost 300 years. This has endowed it with some interesting historical chapters...

When work became scarce at the mines or when the mines were ianctive, many workers were forced to uproot themselves and move to the southern part of Scotland - to Leadhills and Wanlockhead - Scotland's main historic ore-mining centre - to employ their skills there.

Another colourful episode of the mines at Strontian relates how captured forces from Napoleon's Imperial army were employed as part of the workforce in the early years of the 19th century.

Mining has focused on several sites over this period. Some of these are more of historical interest, while others have a pertinence to the mining at the locality in more recent times.

The most recent episode of mineral extraction concerns the North Sea oil industry, off Scotland's east coast. Barite was extracted from Strontian for use there during the 1980s.

As a result, the area can and has produced some interesting mineral specimens for collectors.

Strontian opencast operations, encompassing some of the Whitesmith Mine area.

Whitesmith Mine

Renowned for many fine specimens of all the main minerals found at Strontian, the Whitesmith Mine lies in the central area of the mining activity of the location.

In recent times, the renewed mining activity to extract barite for the North Sea oil industry has caused the mine to be partially overrun by the Clashgorm Mine Section or Barite Opencast Section. The Whitesmith Mine itself had for the most part done the same to the Middleshop Mine...

The boundaries of all three mines are now partly blurred and has created some doubts as to specimen labelling. Nevertheless, nearly all recent specimens are from this general area.

The only other recent producer of any note is the the Corrantee Mine, though to a far lesser degree.

Whitesmith Mine - partial view of the Whin Shaft.