Mining Association of Nova Scotia Profile picture
Feb 14, 2020 10 tweets 20 min read Read on X
We love getting questions about #mining, #minerals and #geology! We were recently asked about #MicaHill in Cape Breton. Here’s our answer:

#nspoli #cbpoli #novascotia #capebreton #NS #CB #victoriacounty ImageImage
#MicaHill is likely #NovaScotia’s best deposit of mica. Test pits were sunk there in summer 1882 by the Scotian Mining Company which confirmed the presence of a large supply of good quality #mica.
#nspoli #cbpoli #novascotia #capebreton #NS #CB ImageImage
There are few records about the extraction took place on #MicaHill. This is not unusual. Many historical #NovaScotia mines/quarries have extensive documentation – and @NS_Energy_Mines plays an important role preserving them.
#nspoli #cbpoli #capebreton #NS #CB ImageImage
However, many historical sites, especially smaller ones, either were not well-documented or the documents have not survived the years.
#nspoli #cbpoli #novascotia #capebreton #NS #CB ImageImage
According to GG Patterson’s 1885 book, “The History of #VictoriaCounty,” a dispute arose over ownership of the land where mining operations were carried out, and production was halted while the courts attempted to settle the matter.
#nspoli #cbpoli #novascotia #capebreton #NS #CB ImageImage
With test pits in 1882 and an 1885 book saying production had halted, extraction at #MicaHill was likely brief and low-volume. We haven’t found documents suggesting the site was returned to production but there could have been additional small-scale extraction.
#nspoli #cbpoli ImageImage
Samples from #MicaHill were collected and analysed in 1987 by @NS_Energy_Mines . Results showed the #mica (aka muscovite) to be of high quality and with good industrial potential.
Mica Hill is in the #CapeBreton Highlands National Park so extraction can no longer take place. ImageImage
#Mica has many uses including as a plastic filler and as a filler in wallboard. It's used in drilling fluids because the coarsely-ground flakes help prevent the loss of circulation by sealing the porous sections of the drill hole.
#nspoli #cbpoli #novascotia #capebreton #NS #CB ImageImage
#Mica is used in rolled roofing because of its platy structure makes it unaffected by acid in asphalt or by weather conditions. It is used in brake shoes, pads, and clutch discs as an asbestos substitute.
#nspoli #cbpoli #novascotia #capebreton #NS #CB ImageImage
Ground #mica is used in cosmetics and as glitter. It is used in the electronic and electrical industries as electrical insulators.
#nspoli #cbpoli #novascotia #capebreton #NS #CB ImageImage

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More from @MiningNS

Feb 25, 2021
@nsgov announced new rebates for electric vehicles yesterday. Mining makes #greentech like electric cars possible because they are mostly made of minerals and metals.
#nspoli @KeithIrvingNS @IainTRankin @NS_Energy_Mines @ns_environment @ChenderMLA @AllanMacMaster @MLAChuckPorter Image
For example, an e-car has 183 pounds of copper wiring in it because copper is used in every major component from the motor to the inverter and the electrical wiring. There is about four times more copper in an e-car than in a car with an internal combustion engine.
There are about 400 electric cars on Nova Scotia roads - a total of over 73,000 pounds of copper!
An electric car uses 25-50 grams of silver, so Nova Scotia’s 400 e-cars contain about 15,000 grams of it.
Read 9 tweets
Sep 23, 2020
The Morris Street Engine House has been declared a municipal heritage property!
#Halifax’s Fire Station #2, as it is also called, was built 1907-08 of reinforced concrete.
Here's the story!
#nspoli @HFXFireHistory @HRMFireNews @hfxfire @HFXFirefighters @hfxgov @MikeSavageHFX
Concrete is a mixture of aggregates and paste. The aggregates are sand and gravel or crushed stone; the paste is water and portland cement. (The terms cement and concrete are often used interchangeably, but cement is actually an ingredient of concrete...
#nspoli
...Cement is the glue that holds concrete together.)
Reinforced concrete means the concrete is poured over a frame, usually steel bars, that give the structure greater strength.
#nspoli
Read 12 tweets
Sep 21, 2020
We love getting questions about mining, minerals and geology! We were asked about sinkholes and whether they are a risk when walking in the woods.
#nspoli #cbpoli #novascotia #capebreton @oxfordsinkhole ImageImage
The short answer is yes, sinkholes are real but no, they are not a major risk and should not prevent you from enjoying outdoor activities.
Most natural sinkholes are caused by groundwater naturally eroding rocks like gypsum, salt and limestone which are water-soluble.
#nspoli Image
The water erodes the rock, leaving an underground cavern. Eventually, the weight of the rock and earth above the cavern causes the sinkhole to form. Sinkholes can form either gradually (i.e. a small depression appears and perhaps grows larger over time) or by sudden collapse. Image
Read 18 tweets
Sep 20, 2020
We love getting questions about mining, minerals and geology! We were asked about the historic #NewCampbellton coal mine in #VictoriaCounty.
#nspoli #cbpoli #novascotia #capebreton #nshistory
@JaimeBattiste ImageImage
The New Campbellton coal mine was opened in 1862 by Charles J. Campbell, a former Member of Parliament, Member of the Legislative Assembly and executive council member. The community had been named Kelly’s Cove but was changed to New Campbellton in 1862 in honour of Mr. Campbell. Image
A sample of New Campbellton’s coal was sent to the 1865 Dublin Exhibition and “was very favorably noticed by the Judges,” according to a report.
#nspoli #cbpoli #novascotia #capebreton #nshistory Image
Read 18 tweets
Sep 19, 2020
Mining built #NovaScotia!
#Halifax was founded in 1749 and its first court house is reported to have been built by 1754 on the northeastern corner of Buckingham + Argyle streets. After the building burned in 1789, the courts were temporarily housed in various buildings.
#nspoli ImageImage
In April 1851 a bill to provide Halifax with a county court house was passed. Mr. H.G. Hill, a prominent #Halifax architect, prepared a plan for a wooden building.
However, since the records of the county, wills, deeds and other papers of public office were...
#nspoli #novascotia Image
...to be stored in the court house, it was important that the building be fire-proof. Also, a number of serious fires in #Halifax in 1857 led to the passage of a bylaw that required large buildings be made of stone or brick, so Hill's plans for a wooden building were abandoned. Image
Read 10 tweets
Sep 18, 2020
The Sullivan Creek #coal mine, before and after!
It's one of several mines reclaimed around #AlderPoint #CapeBreton in the late 1900s/early 2000s - examples of how mining makes temporary use of land and then land can be used other ways.
#nspoli #cbpoli #novascotia @JaimeBattiste ImageImage
The first mine in the area was the Scotia Mine, or #NovaScotia Steel & Coal Company No. 4 Colliery, on Toronto Road, which operated on the Sydney Main (Harbour) Seam from 1915 to 1921.
#nspoli #cbpoli #novascotia @JaimeBattiste ImageImage
Coal quality and structural issues (including water inflow) plague the Harbour Seam west of Florence so upon closure of the colliery, production on the Harbour Seam was limited to the Company’s No. 3 Colliery in Florence, which had opened in 1902...
#nspoli #cbpoli #novascotia ImageImage
Read 19 tweets

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