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Sphalerite is a mineral that is widely distributed and found in many types of deposits. It is an important ore of zinc and is produced in large amounts by countries such as the United States, Russia, Mexico, Germany, Australia, and Canada. In Australia, sphalerite can be found in the Barbara Gold Mine in Western Australia, the C. S. A. Mine in Cobar, New South Wales, and the Broken Hill Ore Deposit in New South Wales.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Sphalerite deposits in Australia | Broken Hill Ore Deposit, C. S. A. Mine, Mount Isa, Great South Comet Mine, Hercules Mine, Hellyer-Que River Mines, Barbara Gold Mine |
| States in Australia where Sphalerite is found | Tasmania, Western Australia, New South Wales, South Australia |
| Minerals found with Sphalerite | Galena, pyrite, pyrrhotite, marcasite, sulfosalts, silver, cadmium, mercury, manganese, gallium, germanium, indium, etc. |
| Mineral composition | Zinc, sulfur, iron, copper, lead |
| Other countries that produce Sphalerite | United States, Russia, Mexico, Germany, Canada, China, Ireland, Peru, Kazakhstan, England |
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What You'll Learn
Tasmania mines
Australia is one of the top producers of sphalerite, a mineral that is an important ore of zinc. Sphalerite is found in a variety of deposits, including skarns, hydrothermal deposits, and coal deposits. In Tasmania, specifically, sphalerite can be found in the following mines:
- Strickland mine, Temma, Balfour-Temma district, Circular Head municipality
- Hercules Mine, Williamsford, Rosebery district, West Coast municipality
- Hellyer-Que River Mines, Waratah district, Waratah-Wynyard municipality
- Great South Comet mine, Dundas mineral field, Zeehan mining district, West Coast municipality
The mineral is also found in Western Australia, at the Barbara Gold Mine in the Hampton group of the Coolgardie Shire.
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Western Australia mines
Sphalerite is a mineral that is widely distributed across the world, including in Australia. It is found in various types of deposits, including skarns, hydrothermal deposits, and coal deposits. It is an important ore of zinc, with around 95% of all primary zinc being extracted from sphalerite ore. It is also a source of other metals such as cadmium, gallium, germanium, and indium.
In Western Australia, sphalerite can be found at the Barbara Gold Mine in Coolgardie, Coolgardie Shire. This mine is part of the Hampton group. The mineral has also been reported at the Hercules Mine in Williamsford, Rosebery district, on the West Coast of Tasmania. Additionally, sphalerite has been found at the Hellyer-Que River Mines in the Waratah district of the Waratah-Wynyard municipality in Tasmania.
The top producers of sphalerite globally include the United States, Russia, Mexico, Germany, Australia, Canada, China, Ireland, Peru, Kazakhstan, and England. In Australia, sphalerite has been reported in both Western Australia and Tasmania, with the Mount Isa mine in Queensland and the Broken Hill mine in New South Wales also being important sources of the mineral.
The wide distribution of sphalerite is due to its presence in various types of deposits. It is often found in volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits (VMS) and Mississippi-valley type deposits (MVT). MVT deposits form from the replacement of carbonate host rocks such as dolostone and limestone by ore minerals. SEDEX deposits, which are a type of MVT deposit, are an important source of sphalerite and are found in Australia at the Mount Isa and Broken Hill mines.
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New South Wales mines
Australia is one of the top producers of sphalerite, a mineral that is an important ore of zinc. Sphalerite is found in various types of deposits, including skarns, hydrothermal deposits, and coal deposits.
In New South Wales, sphalerite has been mined in the Central Wales Orefield, particularly in the coal-rich Rhondda Valley and the South Wales Coalfield. Sphalerite is frequently found accompanying millerite, siegenite, galena, and other minerals in septarian clay-ironstone nodules on coal tips in this region.
The mineral has also been extensively mined as a source of zinc in the Halkyn-Minera and Llanwrst Orefields of North Wales. In these areas, sphalerite is so widespread that the orefields are treated as localities. Well-crystallized specimens are uncommon, except in the Halkyn-Minera orefield and the coalfield ironstone nodules of South Wales, which have produced aesthetically pleasing specimens.
In the 19th century, gold was extracted from small mines at the southern end of Snowdonia, with activity centred in the valley of the River Mawddach and its tributaries. The largest of these mines were the Cwmystwyth and Rheidol United mines in Cwm Rheidol, where sphalerite was found in large quantities alongside galena, which was the principal ore extracted.
While not specifically in New South Wales, it is worth noting that sphalerite has also been found in Western Australia, specifically at the Barbara Gold Mine in the Hampton group of the Coolgardie Shire.
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Broken Hill deposit
Sphalerite is a zinc ore that is found in many types of deposits, including skarns, hydrothermal deposits, and coal deposits. It is produced in notable amounts by several countries, including Australia. Within Australia, sphalerite can be found at the Broken Hill deposit in South Australia, adjacent to the Curnamona Craton. The Broken Hill deposit is considered to be the world's largest zinc-lead ore deposit.
The Broken Hill deposit is hosted within the gneisses of the Willyama Supergroup, a mesoproterozoic sequence of sillimanite gneisses. The deposit is also hosted within the Proterozoic gneisses of the Broken Hill Block. The genesis of the Broken Hill ore body is of great historical importance to geologists, particularly in Australia, as it is an iconic ore body and one of the most studied in the world, with over 1,500 papers published to date.
The Broken Hill deposit is widely considered to be a sedimentary exhalative (SEDEX) deposit, which has been extensively reworked and modified by metamorphism and shearing. SEDEX deposits are stratiform Pb-Zn sulfides that form at seafloor vents. The Broken Hill deposit is characterised by the association of silver, lead, and zinc, which is found in many other SEDEX deposits worldwide. The position of the bulk of mineralisation at a key stratigraphic contact between psammite and psammopelite gneisses also supports the classification of the Broken Hill deposit as a SEDEX deposit.
The genesis of the Broken Hill deposit is of great current importance, as conceptions of its genesis and its structural and stratigraphic setting drive exploration for repetitions of the ore deposit along strike and in finding analogues elsewhere in the world. The geometry of the ore deposit is particularly complex on a local scale. The lower part of the Willyama Supergroup, particularly the Broken Hill Block and subdomain, has undergone intense sodium alteration, resulting in pervasive albite alteration in the adjacent Olary domain. The Broken Hill deposit is also influenced by high-temperature metamorphic fluids, although this is considered less central to genetic factors than previous theories of hydrothermal origins for the deposits.
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Admiral Bay deposit
The Admiral Bay deposit is a Mississippi Valley Type (MVT) lead-zinc deposit located in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. It is situated in the Canning Basin, about 140 kilometres south of Broome and 40 kilometres east of the Nita Downs pastoral station homestead. The deposit is hosted by the Admiral Bay Fault Zone, a structurally complex area with four major zones, including an ancient reef consisting of fossilised algae and other ancient sea life. The host rocks underlying the deposit are conglomerate, limestone, sandstone, and shale from the Lower Ordovician period. Overlying the deposit are evaporative mudstone, siltstone, and shale from the Upper Ordovician to Silurian periods, with a total thickness of 550 metres.
The Admiral Bay deposit is considered the fourth largest undeveloped zinc deposit in the world and the largest undeveloped zinc deposit in Australia. It is estimated to have a mine life of 20 years and will support low-cost zinc, lead, and silver operations. The deposit has generated significant shareholder interest due to its size and potential for boutique mining operations. However, the mineralisation is deep, and the nearest port is about 400 kilometres away, making it infeasible for large-scale mining operations.
The deposit was first explored by CRA Exploration Pty Ltd from 1986 to 1992, followed by Kagara Limited from 2004 to 2009. Kagara went into voluntary administration in 2014, and the leases were purchased by the PLD Corporation (now known as Metalcity) for 7 million Australian dollars. Metalicity is currently conducting a two-stage pre-feasibility study for the Admiral Bay Zinc Project, with stage one completed in July 2016.
The lead and zinc concentrates from the Admiral Bay deposit will be transported in sealed containers by road to Port Hedland, located 430 kilometres away. The project will utilise power from liquefied natural gas (LNG) generators and geothermal and tidal power sources. Water for mining operations will be sourced from the Broome Sandstone aquifer, and a 500-member accommodation camp is being planned for workers at the project site.
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Frequently asked questions
Sphalerite is found in several places in Australia, including Tasmania, Western Australia, and New South Wales.
In Tasmania, sphalerite can be found in the Hercules Mine in Williamsford, Rosebery district, and the Hellyer-Que River Mines in the Waratah district.
In Western Australia, sphalerite can be found in the Barbara Gold Mine in the Hampton group, Coolgardie, Coolgardie Shire.
In New South Wales, sphalerite can be found in the Broken Hill Ore Deposit in western New South Wales, as well as in the C. S. A. Mine near Cobar.
Sphalerite is a mineral that is an important ore of zinc. It is found in various types of deposits, including skarns, hydrothermal deposits, and volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits. Sphalerite is also a source of other metals such as cadmium, gallium, and germanium.
