The Midlothian Coalfield is a

coalfield A coalfield is an area of certain uniform characteristics where coal is mined. The criteria for determining the approximate boundary of a coalfield are geographical and cultural, in addition to geological. A coalfield often groups the seams of ...

in southeast

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to th ...

situated immediately to the east and southeast of

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

. It is geologically continuous with the

East Fife Coalfield East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fac ...

beneath the

Firth of Forth The Firth of Forth () is the estuary, or firth, of several Scottish rivers including the River Forth. It meets the North Sea with Fife on the north coast and Lothian on the south. Name ''Firth'' is a cognate of ''fjord'', a Norse word meanin ...

though the undersea

coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as stratum, rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other Chemical element, elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen ...

reserves have only been partly exploited. There were undersea workings extending from Prestonlinks Colliery. The sulphur content of the majority of Midlothian coals is less than 1% making it especially suitable for modern requirements.

Geology

The following seams were worked. They are shown in rough stratigraphical order thought not all seams are present throughout the coalfield. Those shown in bold were worked to the greatest extent: Within the Scottish Coal Measures Group (Middle and Lower Coal Measures): * Clayknowes Coal * (Musselburgh) Splint Coal * (Musselburgh) Rough Coal * Beefie Coal * Musselburgh Jewel Coal * Golden Coal * Little Splint Coal * Cowpits Five Foot Coal * Glass Coal * Salters Coal * Musselburgh Nine Foot Coal * Musselburgh Fifteen Foot Coal * Pinkie Six Foot Coal * Musselburgh Seven Foot Coal * Eskmouth Extra Coal Within the Upper Limestone Formation: * South Parrot Coal Within the Limestone Coal Formation: * Great Seam Coal * Gillespie Coal * Blackchapel Coal * Kittlepurse Coal * Peacock Coal * South Bryans Splint Coal * Stony Coal * Ball Coal * Loanhead No 1 Coal * Corbie Coals * Andrews Coal * South Coal * North Coal * Stairhead Coal Within the Lower Limestone Formation * North Greens Coal Within the West Lothian Oil-Shale Formation * Houston Coal * various oil-shale horizons

Monktonhall Colliery Musselburgh (; sco, Musselburrae; gd, Baile nam Feusgan) is the largest settlement in East Lothian, Scotland, on the coast of the Firth of Forth, east of Edinburgh city centre. It has a population of . History The name Musselburgh is Ol ...

was abandoned in 1997 and Blinkbonny mine adit was sealed in 2003 so bringing to an end a long history of deep-mining of coal within the coalfield. Opencasting has continued at various sites since then including Blinkbonny, Oxenfoord, Gourlaw and Newbigging Farm.Smith, RA, Bide T, Hyslop EK, Smith NJP, Coleman T, and MacMillan, AA (2008). Mineral Resource Map for East Lothian, Midlothian, West Lothian and City of Edinburgh OR/08/13

References

{{coord, 55, 54, N, 3, 06, W, region:GB, display=title Coal mining regions in Scotland Geography of Midlothian