South Terras Mine in Cornwall is credited with producing 736 tons of uranium ore between 1873 and 1930. Uranium glass provided an early use for the material, decades before nuclear weapons or reactors. Clarke recalls visiting the site and describes its protection as a Site of Special Scientific Interest for unusual and rare materials. He suggests that closure reflected concern about the operating company's control of the resource, rather than exhaustion of the deposits. A 1953 survey by the British Geological Survey's atomic-energy division is also mentioned. The implication that Britain retained a strategic resource is an interpretation, with the survey's full details described as incompletely publicized.
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South Terras Mine and Britain's early uranium resource
South Terras produced uranium ore in Cornwall before the nuclear age. Its later protection and surveys prompted a qualified argument that its remaining resources retained strategic interest.