Ma On Shan Iron Mine Explained

The Ma On Shan Iron Mine is a mine in the hills of Ma On Shan, Sha Tin District, Hong Kong, that was operated from 1906 to 1976. The nearby Ma On Shan Village accommodated the miners and their families.

History

The Ma On Shan Iron Mine opened in 1906 as an opencast site run by the Hong Kong Iron Mining Co. Ltd., which was owned by Sir Paul Chater.^[1] In 1949, the mine was taken over by the Mutual Mining and Trade Company, which extended it underground in 1953.^[2] By 1959, mining had moved entirely underground. The mine ceased operation in 1976.^[3] The workforce of 400 was laid off. The government mining lease ended in 1981 and the mine closed subsequently.^{[2] [4]}

Mine operators

Historical operators of the mine:^[5]

• 1906-1929: The Hong Kong Iron Mining Co. Ltd.
• 1931-1940: New Territories Iron Company
• 1940-1941: South China Iron Smelters Co. Ltd
• 1942-1945: (Japanese occupation of Hong Kong)
• 1945-1948: Possibly small scale excavation by South China Iron Smelters Co. Ltd
• 1949-1976: Mutual Trust Co. Ltd
• 1953-1976: Joint venture between Mutual Trust Co. Ltd and Nittetsu Mining Company (Japan)

Present and future

It has been suggested that the Ma On Shan Iron Mine could be repurposed as a storage location for compressed-air energy storage (CAES).^[6]

Several sets of structures of the Ma On Shan Iron Mine were listed as historic monuments in April 2016: Exterior walls of 240 ML and 110 ML of Ma On Shan Iron Mine (Grade 2), Mineral Preparation Plant of Ma On Shan Iron Mine (Grade 3), Site Structures at Mining Settlement of Ma On Shan Iron Mine (Grade 3).^[7]

See also

• Mining in Hong Kong
• Geology of Hong Kong
• Ma On Shan (peak)
• Ma On Shan Country Park, surrounding the mine area

Further reading

• Choi . Wing-sang, Vincent . 2013 . Geology and ore genesis of the Ma On Shan iron deposit, Hong Kong . MSc Thesis . The University of Hong Kong. 10.5353/th_b5094842 . 2024-04-12 . 10722/192993 .
• Davis . S.G. . 1961 . Mineralogy of the Ma On Shan iron mine, Hong Kong . . 56 . 3 . 592–602 . 10.2113/gsecongeo.56.3.592. 10.1.1.1004.4545 .
• Kwan . Sai Ho . 1979 . An Ecological Survey of Soil and Vegetation Contaminated by the Iron Ore Mining at Ma On Shan, Hong Kong. M.Phil. thesis . .
• Lai . Chuen Yan, David . 1959 . Ma On Shan Iron Mine . B.A. thesis . .
• Leung . Sze Kong . 1957 . Ma On Shan . B.A. thesis . .
• Nakajima . Tamotsu . 1964 . Geology and Ore Deposits of the Ma On Shan Mine, Hong Kong . ja . Mining Geology: Journal of the Society of Mining Geologists of Japan . 14 . 64 . 80–87 . 10.11456/shigenchishitsu1951.14.80 . 0026-5209 .
• Book: Shibata, Taketo. Davis . S.G. . Symposium on Land use and mineral deposits in Hong Kong, southern China and South-East Asia . . 1964 . 214–223 . Development Plan of Ma On Shan Iron Mine, New Territories . 52028037 .
• Strange . P.J. . Woods . N.W. . March 1991 . The geology and exploitation of the Ma On Shan magnetite deposit . Geological Society of Hong Kong Newsletter . 9 . 1 . . Geological Society of Hong Kong . 3–15 .
• Book: Weld, C.M.. Transactions of the American Institute of Mining Engineers . 1914 . 177–186 . Notes on an Iron Ore Deposit near Hong Kong, China. . .
• Yang . J.Y. . 17 July 1952 . Iron Ore & Industry in Japan, China and Hongkong . . 14 . 84–88 .

External links

• Website dedicated to Ma On Shan Iron Mine
• Exterior walls of 240 ML and 110 ML, Ma On Shan Iron Mine: Historic Appraisal Pictures
• Mineral Preparation Plant, Ma On Shan Iron Mine: Historic Appraisal Pictures
• Site Structures at Mining Settlement, Ma On Shan Iron Mine: Historic Appraisal Pictures
• Industrial History of Hong Kong entries: https://industrialhistoryhk.org/shan-iron-1906-1976-open-pit-underground-mining/ https://industrialhistoryhk.org/ma-on-shan-mine-part-1-the-open-cut-years/ https://industrialhistoryhk.org/shan-iron-2/
• Information from The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Hong Kong: http://gyc.elchk.org.hk/en/fours/
• Gwulo.com entry: https://gwulo.com/node/12720
• Zolimag entry: https://zolimacitymag.com/hong-kongs-industrial-history-part-ii-mining/
• Pictures: http://hongwrong.com/abandoned-mine/ https://hkoutdooradventures.com/2018/01/04/ma-on-shan-mine/ https://www.28dayslater.co.uk/threads/ma-on-shan-iron-ore-mine-hong-kong-2018-19.117321/

22.4034°N 114.2448°W

Notes and References

1. [Antiquities Advisory Board]
2. News: Kao . Ernest . 5 May 2014 . Hong Kong's forgotten mining past emerges from the darkness . .
3. [Antiquities Advisory Board]
4. [Civil Engineering and Development Department|CEDD]
5. Chan . Hiu-yu . 2017 . The church, the mine and the people : discovering the social significance of the Yan Kwong Lutheran Church at the former iron mine village of Ma On Shan . Thesis . .
6. Hoang . Long . Nakka . Dhesant . 2013 . Investigating the feasibility of implementing energy storage schemes in Hong Kong . .
7. [Antiquities Advisory Board]