Ecton Hill Field Studies Association

This Hill is Alive

What do we do?

School and college groups

EHFSA has for many years run tutored one-day courses to support A level science courses in Chemistry and Geology.  These courses can be adapted for reliable groups of KS4 students, and are particularly suitable for stretching gifted and talented students. 

Both Chemistry and Geology courses focus on the application of these sciences to some or all of the following:

· the unusual copper mineralisation at Ecton, and the geological setting

· the mining of these ores,

· the collection and identification of the minerals present

· the separation of the economic minerals

· the extraction of copper from these.

Courses can be tailored to the needs of different A level specifications on request, including fieldwork requirements for Geology.  All A level courses provide the opportunity for an underground visit into Salt’s Level to see the mineralisation, and understand how the miners were able to make the mine such a profitable enterprise.

It is hoped to develop one-day courses for Key Stages 3 in the future.

Undergraduate and adult groups

Undergraduate geology groups will benefit from an opportunity to be inside a mine, consider an unusual mineralisation and study the structural geology in 3-dimensions – and experience that is increasingly difficult to provide in the few mines now working in Britain.  The underground visit can be linked with field work on the spectacular folding at nearby Apes Tor. 

Adult groups from various organisations can enjoy an underground visit, hear the fascinating story of Ecton, learn about these historic mines, and how science was developed and applied to the winning of an important metal – copper.

Our support

We are supported by the Ecton Mine Educational Trust, which is, in turn, supported by Anglo American plc, Rio Tinto plc, the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining, MinSouth and the Royal Society of Chemistry. EHFSA is also directly supported by the Royal Society of Chemistry, who have run teachers’ courses at Ecton in the past, and the Geologists’ Association..

EHFSA

A composite section through part of Ecton Hill showing the main ore deposits

and the principal mine workings (Robey and Porter 1972)