The Mineral Reconnaissance Programme (MRP), funded by the Department for Trade and Industry (DTI), carried out mineral exploration reconnaissance in Great Britain between 1972 and 1997. Its main aim was to stimulate private-sector exploration and the development of indigenous mineral resources. The programme provided geological, geochemical, geophysical, mineralogical and metallogenic information on prospective areas in Britain. Work was carried out at various scales, from regional reconnaissance surveys or appraisal, to the drilling of a geochemical or geophysical anomaly. Projects were multidisciplinary, and used a combination of tried and tested methods, together with innovative techniques arising from research and development programmes. By the end of the Programme in 1997, 146 MRP reports had been issued covering localities across Great Britain. The programme was very successful in that more than half the projects reported attracted significant commercial follow-up resulting in the discovery of many new prospects. The reports are available to download via the NERC Open Research Archive (NORA).
