Boulby Mine

[1] It is operated by Cleveland Potash Limited, a subsidiary of Israel Chemicals Ltd., ICL, which acquired the project from Anglo American plc in April 2002.

[4] ICI formed Cleveland Potash Limited jointly with Anglo American, and later sold it to them, which in turn divested it to Israel Chemicals Ltd in 2002.

[16] At 1,400 metres (4,600 ft) deep, it is the second deepest mine of any kind in Europe, and has a network of underground roads extending under the North Sea, totalling 1,000 kilometres (620 mi) in length.

[19] By the end of 2018, the company had 470 employees after a round of job cuts related to the switch from mining potash to polyhalite.

[21][22] Much of the output from the mine is transported by rail, as the site is located east of Loftus along the route of the former WRMU (Whitby Redcar and Middlesbrough Union Railway), which was closed on 5 May 1958.

Teesport handles most of the bulk cargo export from the mine, via a specific potash and rock salt terminal.

Work being carried out at the underground laboratory includes the UK Centre for Astrobiology study of extremophile organisms that can survive in a salt-rich environment.

In October 2017, the European Space Agency (ESA) sent astronaut Matthias Maurer as part of the fifth Mine Analogue Research sortie.

[26] Extant testing and recording programmes at the laboratory include:[27] There are also concurrent geological and geoscience projects ongoing.

[33] They include not taking appropriate measures to protect workers from the risks of explosion, falling ground and inadvertent entry into the mine shaft.

Green-blue boracite crystals from the Boulby Mine. Size: 4.0 × 2.4 × 2.0 cm
Entrance to the mine, with signage for the laboratory