Pennines and adjacent areas - Subregion 1
National Geological Screening for a GDF - Pennines region
The screening report hosted on this site is a technical exercise across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. No specific location in England, Wales or Northern Ireland has been identified as a potential GDF site. Any future decision on geological disposal would be subject to community agreement and planning and environmental consents.
Details
Our work shows that we may find a suitable geological setting for a GDF in some parts of this subregion, but the properties of the potential host rocks present may not be suitable.
Rock can be seen at the surface in some of this subregion such as the cliffs in the upland areas and in man-made excavations such as quarries or road cuttings. Combined with deep boreholes and some geophysical investigations, this gives us an understanding of the rocks present and their distribution.
There are various types of gaps in our understanding of geology and we deal with these gaps in a number of ways.
There are granites, slates and similar strong rocks under part of the subregion, in which we may be able to site a GDF. We would need to do more work to find out whether these rocks have suitable properties and thicknesses in the depth range of interest for a GDF.
Some of the subregion has been mined for lead, fluorite, zinc and barite resources to depths below 100m, in North Swaledale and west of Pateley Bridge in particular. In these areas the mining is likely to have affected the way in which water moves through the rock. Also possible exploration in the future in these areas means that it is more likely that future generations may disturb a facility.
For further information, read the report below.
We have also produced a summary of the geological attributes of the Pennines and adjacent areas Region.