Upper Hirst, Coal seam in Fife, Scotland.
Upper Hirst is a coal seam in Fife that formed within the Upper Limestone Group geological layers. The deposit runs beneath the region and held coal reserves that miners extracted from the ground over many centuries.
Mining at this location started between 1575 and 1676 under Sir George Bruce, who introduced groundbreaking extraction techniques. These methods allowed access to coal beneath the Firth of Forth, making this operation stand out from other mines of the period.
The coal mining industry at Upper Hirst shaped the development of local communities and provided employment for generations of Scottish miners until 2002.
The coal from this seam had low sulfur content, making it suitable for power generation. Large amounts were used in Kincardine and Longannet power stations.
The mine ended on March 23, 2002, when flooding filled the underground workings with water. This event marked the conclusion of almost 500 years of coal extraction in the region.
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