Chalk

This is a short overview. For the background — history, value over time and notable mines — see Chalk →

Occurs in: Sedimentary Beds and Seams →

A soft, fine-grained white limestone formed from compacted marine microfossils, quarried both for a locally hard building-stone variety known as clunch and, far more commonly, dug and spread on fields as marl to improve heavy clay soils.

Mines

Show these mines on the map

Mine	Region	Worked
Amberley Chalk Pits	West Sussex	1840s–1960s
Barrington Chalk Pit	Cambridgeshire	1914–10 November 2008
Buriton Chalk Pit	Hampshire	c. 1860–1939
Bury St Edmunds Chalk Mines	Suffolk	Medieval–By the early 1870s
Cherry Hinton Pit	Cambridgeshire	By the 13th century–Early 1980s
Chislehurst Caves	Kent	at least the 13th century–1830s-40s
Cocking Quarry	West Sussex	By 1715–1999
Eastern Quarry	Kent	By 1940–1990
Emmer Green (Hanover) Chalk Mine	Berkshire	—
Grays Thurrock Chalk Pit	Essex	From late 18th century–Early 1920s
Hangman's Wood Deneholes	Essex	Medieval or post-medieval (exact date disputed)–By the 19th century
Kensworth Chalk Pit	Bedfordshire	1964–Still active
Kiplingcotes Chalk Pit	East Riding of Yorkshire	from 1800s
Magheramorne Quarry	County Antrim	Early 19th century–1980 (quarrying)
Melton Bottom Chalk Pit	East Riding of Yorkshire	1920s–Still active
Merstham Chalk Mines	Surrey	Worked from at least the 7th-8th centuries–1961
Norwich Chalk Mines	Norfolk	11th century–19th century
Old Burghclere Lime Quarry	Hampshire	1885–April 1938
Pitstone Chalk Quarry and Cement Works	Buckinghamshire	1937–1991
Purfleet Chalk Pits	Essex	By 1554–Early 1920s (cement works and quarry)
Rifle Butts Quarry	East Riding of Yorkshire	from 1860s
Totternhoe Stone Mines	Bedfordshire	Worked from the Roman period–Around 1925
Welton Wold Quarry	East Riding of Yorkshire	By 1922–Still active