Gold Deposits and Fossicking Areas in South Australia
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July 2001 M9 GOLD DEPOSITS AND FOSSICKING AREAS IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA INTRODUCTION allows large quantities to be stored in a small space: 1 tonne (t) of gold occupies only 0.05 m3. Gold, silver and platinum are known as noble Because gold has a high electrical conductivity metals because of their superior resistance to and is resistant to disintegration, it is used in oxidation, corrosion and disintegration. Gold is electronics applications such as computers, radar unrivalled for durability, versatility and its equipment, satellites and space technology. lustrous yellow sheen. The chemical symbol for Chemical inertness makes gold useful in dentistry gold (Au) comes from the Latin word ‘aurum’, and medicine. meaning shining dawn. Jewellery accounts for about 80% of gold PROPERTIES OF GOLD consumption per year. Minor uses include coins, electronics and dentistry (13%), and bullion (7%). Gold is a soft, yellow metal with a specific gravity of 19.3, hardness of 2.5 to 3.0 and melting point of 1 063°C. It crystallises in the isometric GOLD PRODUCTION (cubic) system, with cubes and octahedrons being Total world production to the end of 1999 was the most common habits. Gold in its pure form is 139 530 t. Annual world production was 2 330 t malleable, an excellent conductor of both in 1999. electricity and heat, and is ductile. It has been estimated that one ounce (31.1 g) of gold can be Nearly 40% of all gold mined in the western beaten into a sheet with an area of 9 m2, or drawn world has been produced in South Africa. into a fine wire 80 km long. One-third of the gold produced is held as reserves in central banks, one-third is held in personal Native gold is rarely pure, frequently being reserves and the remaining third is used in alloyed with silver and sometimes with small jewellery, industry and other fabricated products. amounts of copper, iron, tellurium, bismuth and mercury. The gold content of a gold alloy is Australia produced 299 t in 2000, making it the defined by its ‘carat’ rating; pure gold (100%) is world’s third largest producer after South Africa 24 carat. Gold purity is described by the term with 440 t and USA with 330 t. For comparison, ‘fineness’; pure gold is 1 000 fine. Fineness of Australia produced 39 t of gold in 1984 and was vein gold ranges from 500 in electrum — an alloy ranked seventh in the world. In recent times, of gold with high silver content — to 800 or 850. Australian gold output peaked in 1997 at 314 t. Alluvial gold varies in fineness from 500 to 999. Overall the increase in output has resulted mainly Gold is readily distinguished from other yellow from new discoveries in old mining areas and minerals such as pyrite, chalcopyrite, limonite increased throughput from established mines, and mica by its specific gravity and malleability. with some contribution from retreatment of old tailings dumps using modern recovery techniques. USES OF GOLD However, discoveries of gold deposits in ‘greenfields’ areas (those without significant Gold, because of its rarity, durability, colour and previously known mineralisation) have also been chemical inertness, has been used throughout an important factor. Many of the latter type of history as a medium of exchange, a store of discoveries have been in areas where near-surface wealth and for jewellery and decorative mineralisation is obscured by soil and sediment ornaments. cover; examples of this are the Challenger It is portable, and universally accepted in trade discovery in northwest South Australia and Portia between people and nations. The density of gold in the northeast. The use of modern geochemical Gold deposits and fossicking areas in South Australia and geophysical techniques in such areas is a feature of Kilograms 1250 OLYMPIC DAM (approx. exploration in Australia today. Discovery of goldfields 3400 kg) Western Australia is the largest producer with about 69% of Wallaroo-Moonta Mines in operation Australia’s total. South Australia has not been a major 1000 (Recorded gold production from 1900 only) ECHUNGA producer, with records showing a little over 26 t, representing ULOOLOO BAROSSA about 0.5% of the Australian total before production began at 750 WAUKARINGA OLYMPIC DAM the Olympic Dam copper-uranium-gold-silver mine (Fig. 1). WADNAMINGA MONGOLATA TEETULPA 500 TARCOOLA NILLINGHOO DELORAINE HISTORY OF GOLD MINING IN SOUTH MT GRAINGER WOODSIDE AUSTRALIA 250 KANMANTOO no The first recorded production of gold in South Australia was record in 1846 from the Victoria Mine near Castambul, 18 km 0 northeast of Adelaide (Fig. 2). The discovery of rich 1850 1860 1870 1880 1890 1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 98-1595 specimens caused great excitement but the mine failed to live up to expectations; less than 1 kg of bullion was produced and Fig. 1 South Australian gold production 1852–2000. interest soon waned. The history of subsequent discoveries is characterised by a Further discoveries followed at Para Wirra (1869), Birdwood series of short periods of high gold production as large and Ulooloo (1870), Waukaringa (1873) and Woodside numbers of men rushed to, and quickly exhausted, each new (1879). Sporadic prospecting was also centred on the Peake find. These gold rushes had a significant effect upon and Denison Inliers following the discovery of alluvial gold at population movements within the State, although not as Algebuckina on the Neales River in 1870 (Fig. 3). marked as mineral discoveries elsewhere, such as the The discovery of rich lead-zinc-silver lodes in NSW at Victorian gold rushes of the early 1850s, which drew large Silverton and, subsequently, the massive high-grade Broken numbers of men from South Australia. Hill orebody, led to completion of the railway from In 1851, the South Australian Government offered a £1 000 Peterborough to Cockburn in 1887. This aided the efforts of reward for the discovery of a payable goldfield. The first prospectors in the Olary region and contributed to discoveries claim to this reward was by Messrs Chapman, Hardiman and of gold at Manna Hill (1885), Teetulpa (1886), Kings Bluff Hampton following the discovery of alluvial gold near (1887), Wadnaminga (1888) and Mount Grainger (1891). Echunga early in 1852; other discoveries in the vicinity The discovery of gold-bearing alluvial deposits at Teetulpa by followed. Chapmans Gully (the site of the original find) and Messrs Brady and Smith in October 1886 saw 5 000 miners Donkey Gully saw the most concerted mining efforts, on the field within two months; the field was virtually particularly during the period 1852-58. The discovery nearby deserted by 1889 after having produced an estimated of the Jupiter Creek alluvial diggings by Messrs Plane and 3 100 kg. Saunders in 1868 led to another period of intensive activity. Gold was discovered in the Tarcoola area by a shearing-shed Estimated production from the Echunga Goldfield, the State’s hand and prospector named Nichols in October 1893. The most productive, is about 6 000 kg. attention of other prospectors was drawn to the area and The Barossa Goldfield was discovered in late 1868 when a further discoveries were made. The Tarcoola Goldfield was prospecting party led by Job Harris found alluvial gold in worked from 1900 to 1912 and sporadically thereafter until Spike Gully, south of Sandy Creek. About 3 100 kg were the present day. Total recorded production is 2 400 kg. The recovered. nearby Glenloth Goldfield (1899) produced about 315 kg. Water sluice at Echunga, erected in 1907 to rework the large Jupiter Creek alluvial goldfield. Alluvial gravel was placed at the top of the sluice and washed over corrugated riffles where Brady’s Claim, discovery site of the Teetulpa Goldfield, in late gold collected. (Photo 24062) 1886. (Photo 32754) 2 Gold deposits and fossicking areas in South Australia 138° 30´ 138° 45´ 139° 00´ MT RUFUS GOLDFIELD Kapunda Hamley Bridge Dutton River Truro MOPPA Mallala Freeling GOLDFIELD Greenock Templers Nuriootpa 34° 30´ Angaston Light GOMERSAL Tanunda Roseworthy GOLDFIELD ANGASTON Keyneton GOLDFIELD Sandy Two Wells Creek Rowland Flat r Lyndoch Rive Gawler Gawler Eden Valley BAROSSA GOLDFIELD Virgina Williamstown PARA WIRRA GOLDFIELD Lady Alice Springton Mine GUMERACHA GOLDFIELD 34° 45´ Watts Gully Diggings Sanderston Scotts Reef Deloraine Mine Black Snake Mine Mt Pleasant BIRDWOOD GOLDFIELD Hynes Diggings Mount Pleasant Diggings VINCENT Birdwood Gumeracha Tungkillo Mount Torrens Palmer Port Adelaide River Mine Torrens Gowland Diggings Victoria Mine Kitticoola Lobethal Mine Grange Eureka Mine ADELAIDE FOREST RANGE Bird-In-Hand Mine GOLDFIELD Woodside URAIDLA WOODSIDE GOLDFIELD GOLDFIELD Glenelg ST Balhannah Belair Mine 35° 00´ Balhannah Stirling Brighton Hahndorf Nairne Mylor Warrakilla Mylor Mine Mine Mt Barker Kanmantoo Jupiter Kanmantoo Creek Chapel Hill Diggings Mine Diggings Reynella Echunga ECHUNGA Callington er GOLDFIELD iv R Christies ga n Kangarilla Beach ri Onka pa Macclesfield Meadows Noarlunga River 010 KILOMETRES GULF Bremer McLaren Vale Reef mining Alluvial mining 35° 15´ Strathalbyn Willunga Angas River WILLUNGA GOLDFIELD Ashbourne Langhorne Creek e r Finniss Riv 98-0815 Fig. 2 Principal gold occurrences near Adelaide. 3 Gold deposits and fossicking areas in South Australia Marla 135° 138° 141° Oodnadatta Algebuckina 28° PEAKE and DENISON LAKE INLIERS EYRE Challenger Marree 30° Wallace Gully Olympic Mt Ogilvie Tarcoola Dam Boolooroo LAKE LAKE FROME Earea Dam TORRENS Angepena Glenloth Portia Nackara Arc NSW LAKE Gold bullion with mould at Olympic Dam Mine. (Photo 38688) GAIRDNER 32° Nillinghoo Kings Bluff Teetulpa Port Augusta Waukaringa Ajax Manna Hill Mt Wadnaminga containing an estimated 1 100 t of gold. This is almost Grainger Pitcairn Range equivalent to the total production of the Golden Mile at Ulooloo Mongolata Kalgoorlie between 1895 and 1975, although the grade is very much lower.