Comet Vale, Menzies Shire, Western Australia, Australiai
| Regional Level Types | |
|---|---|
| Comet Vale | - not defined - |
| Menzies Shire | Shire |
| Western Australia | State |
| Australia | Country |
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Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):
29° 56' 36'' South , 121° 7' 34'' East
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):
Köppen climate type:
Former gold mining centre in the 1910s and 1920s.
The abandoned township of Comet Vale is located 70 km N or Kalgoorlie and 30 km S of Menzies.
Recently, mining recommenced at the Sand Queen and Gladsome mines (Grguric et al., 2006).
Located also close to Lake Goongarrie locality.
Comet Vale is an abandoned goldfields mining town, situated about 30 kilometres south of the town of Menzies. It is named after a comet, visible at the time gold was discovered in the area.
Fine grained greenstone rocks are found east of Comet Vale, with schist and talc in narrow bands. The Lady Margaret reefs to the north-west is associated with a narrow belt of hornblendic schist. The talc rock contains talc veins, underlying the areas of ironstone capping in the hills east of Comet Vale, in places chromiferous. The laterite caps are associated with secondary products from the underlying rocks including irregular patches of magnesite, quartz, common opal, chalcedony, plasma and chrysoprase.
A granite belts extends west of Comet Vale, cutting the highway to the north, and separating the auriferous area of Comet Vale with Menzies. The granite is grey in colour, associated with hornblende, quartz and feldspar.
Mottled white, yellow, brown and red decomposed granite rock is found at the north end of town, and was quarried as a local building material in the early days.
Granite, aplite and pegmatite dykes are common, frequently associated with the quartz reefs. Only one lode formation for gold exists in the area being Happy Jack, noted in the past for its abundance of crocoite. Gold is found elsewhere in quartz reefs.
The main areas of gold bearing quartz reefs are the Sand Queen/Gladsome mine, Long Tunnel, and Lady Margaret. Scheelite is noted from the Lake View mines. The Gladsome mine in the past has produced a range of species far in excess of most gold mines in Western Australia, including pyrite, galena, calcite including Iceland spar, epidote, scheelite, selenite, anglesite, analcite and other minerals. Few however have ever made it to private collections.
The abandoned township of Comet Vale is located 70 km N or Kalgoorlie and 30 km S of Menzies.
Recently, mining recommenced at the Sand Queen and Gladsome mines (Grguric et al., 2006).
Located also close to Lake Goongarrie locality.
Comet Vale is an abandoned goldfields mining town, situated about 30 kilometres south of the town of Menzies. It is named after a comet, visible at the time gold was discovered in the area.
Fine grained greenstone rocks are found east of Comet Vale, with schist and talc in narrow bands. The Lady Margaret reefs to the north-west is associated with a narrow belt of hornblendic schist. The talc rock contains talc veins, underlying the areas of ironstone capping in the hills east of Comet Vale, in places chromiferous. The laterite caps are associated with secondary products from the underlying rocks including irregular patches of magnesite, quartz, common opal, chalcedony, plasma and chrysoprase.
A granite belts extends west of Comet Vale, cutting the highway to the north, and separating the auriferous area of Comet Vale with Menzies. The granite is grey in colour, associated with hornblende, quartz and feldspar.
Mottled white, yellow, brown and red decomposed granite rock is found at the north end of town, and was quarried as a local building material in the early days.
Granite, aplite and pegmatite dykes are common, frequently associated with the quartz reefs. Only one lode formation for gold exists in the area being Happy Jack, noted in the past for its abundance of crocoite. Gold is found elsewhere in quartz reefs.
The main areas of gold bearing quartz reefs are the Sand Queen/Gladsome mine, Long Tunnel, and Lady Margaret. Scheelite is noted from the Lake View mines. The Gladsome mine in the past has produced a range of species far in excess of most gold mines in Western Australia, including pyrite, galena, calcite including Iceland spar, epidote, scheelite, selenite, anglesite, analcite and other minerals. Few however have ever made it to private collections.
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Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Chemical ElementsCommodity List
This is a list of exploitable or exploited mineral commodities recorded from this region.Mineral List
Mineral list contains entries from the region specified including sub-localities38 valid minerals.
Rock Types Recorded
Rock list contains entries from the region specified including sub-localities
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Alphabetical List Tree DiagramDetailed Mineral List:
List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification
| Group 1 - Elements | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ⓘ | Native Copper | 1.AA.05 | Cu |
| ⓘ | Native Gold | 1.AA.05 | Au |
| ⓘ | Native Bismuth | 1.CA.05 | Bi |
| Group 2 - Sulphides and Sulfosalts | |||
| ⓘ | Sphalerite | 2.CB.05a | ZnS |
| ⓘ | Chalcopyrite | 2.CB.10a | CuFeS2 |
| ⓘ | Pyrrhotite | 2.CC.10 | Fe1-xS |
| ⓘ | Galena | 2.CD.10 | PbS |
| ⓘ | Tetradymite | 2.DC.05 | Bi2Te2S |
| ⓘ | Pyrite | 2.EB.05a | FeS2 |
| ⓘ | Cosalite | 2.JB.10 | Pb2Bi2S5 |
| Group 4 - Oxides and Hydroxides | |||
| ⓘ | Ilmenite | 4.CB.05 | Fe2+TiO3 |
| ⓘ | Quartz var. Chalcedony | 4.DA.05 | SiO2 |
| ⓘ | 4.DA.05 | SiO2 | |
| ⓘ | var. Prase | 4.DA.05 | SiO2 |
| ⓘ | var. Plasma | 4.DA.05 | SiO2 |
| ⓘ | Opal | 4.DA.10 | SiO2 · nH2O |
| ⓘ | var. Common Opal | 4.DA.10 | SiO2 · nH2O |
| ⓘ | Gibbsite | 4.FE.10 | Al(OH)3 |
| Group 5 - Nitrates and Carbonates | |||
| ⓘ | Calcite | 5.AB.05 | CaCO3 |
| ⓘ | Magnesite | 5.AB.05 | MgCO3 |
| ⓘ | Calcite var. Iceland Spar | 5.AB.05 | CaCO3 |
| ⓘ | Dolomite | 5.AB.10 | CaMg(CO3)2 |
| ⓘ | Cerussite | 5.AB.15 | PbCO3 |
| ⓘ | Azurite | 5.BA.05 | Cu3(CO3)2(OH)2 |
| ⓘ | Malachite | 5.BA.10 | Cu2(CO3)(OH)2 |
| ⓘ | Bismutite | 5.BE.25 | (BiO)2CO3 |
| ⓘ | 'Unnamed (Ca-analogue of Petterdite)' | 5.DB.10 | CaCr3+2(CO3)2(OH)4 · H2O |
| Group 7 - Sulphates, Chromates, Molybdates and Tungstates | |||
| ⓘ | Anglesite | 7.AD.35 | PbSO4 |
| ⓘ | Jarosite | 7.BC.10 | KFe3+3(SO4)2(OH)6 |
| ⓘ | Gypsum | 7.CD.40 | CaSO4 · 2H2O |
| ⓘ | var. Selenite | 7.CD.40 | CaSO4 · 2H2O |
| ⓘ | Crocoite | 7.FA.20 | PbCr6+O4 |
| ⓘ | Scheelite | 7.GA.05 | Ca(WO4) |
| ⓘ | Wulfenite | 7.GA.05 | Pb(MoO4) |
| Group 8 - Phosphates, Arsenates and Vanadates | |||
| ⓘ | Pucherite | 8.AD.40 | Bi(VO4) |
| ⓘ | Mimetite | 8.BN.05 | Pb5(AsO4)3Cl |
| Group 9 - Silicates | |||
| ⓘ | Epidote | 9.BG.05a | (CaCa)(AlAlFe3+)O[Si2O7][SiO4](OH) |
| ⓘ | Actinolite | 9.DE.10 | ◻Ca2(Mg4.5-2.5Fe0.5-2.5)Si8O22(OH)2 |
| ⓘ | Tremolite | 9.DE.10 | ◻Ca2Mg5(Si8O22)(OH)2 |
| ⓘ | Prehnite | 9.DP.20 | Ca2Al2Si3O10(OH)2 |
| ⓘ | Talc | 9.EC.05 | Mg3Si4O10(OH)2 |
| ⓘ | Nontronite | 9.EC.40 | Na0.3Fe2((Si,Al)4O10)(OH)2 · nH2O |
| ⓘ | Antigorite | 9.ED.15 | Mg3(Si2O5)(OH)4 |
| ⓘ | Chrysocolla | 9.ED.20 | Cu2-xAlx(H2-xSi2O5)(OH)4 · nH2O, x < 1 |
| ⓘ | Analcime | 9.GB.05 | Na(AlSi2O6) · H2O |
| Unclassified | |||
| ⓘ | 'Chrysoprase' | - | |
| ⓘ | 'Chlorite Group' | - | |
| ⓘ | 'Feldspar Group' | - | |
| ⓘ | 'Limonite' | - | |
| ⓘ | 'Psilomelane' | - | |
| ⓘ | 'Stilbite Subgroup' | - | M6-7[Al8-9Si27-28O72] · nH2O |
| ⓘ | 'Goongarrite' | - | |
| ⓘ | 'Hornblende Root Name Group' | - | ◻Ca2(C2+4C3+)(AlSi7O22)W2 |
| ⓘ | 'Serpentine Subgroup' | - | D3[Si2O5](OH)4 |
List of minerals for each chemical element
| H | Hydrogen | |
|---|---|---|
| H | ⓘ Actinolite | ◻Ca2(Mg4.5-2.5Fe0.5-2.5)Si8O22(OH)2 |
| H | ⓘ Analcime | Na(AlSi2O6) · H2O |
| H | ⓘ Antigorite | Mg3(Si2O5)(OH)4 |
| H | ⓘ Azurite | Cu3(CO3)2(OH)2 |
| H | ⓘ Chrysocolla | Cu2-xAlx(H2-xSi2O5)(OH)4 · nH2O, x < 1 |
| H | ⓘ Epidote | (CaCa)(AlAlFe3+)O[Si2O7][SiO4](OH) |
| H | ⓘ Gibbsite | Al(OH)3 |
| H | ⓘ Gypsum | CaSO4 · 2H2O |
| H | ⓘ Jarosite | KFe33+(SO4)2(OH)6 |
| H | ⓘ Malachite | Cu2(CO3)(OH)2 |
| H | ⓘ Nontronite | Na0.3Fe2((Si,Al)4O10)(OH)2 · nH2O |
| H | ⓘ Opal | SiO2 · nH2O |
| H | ⓘ Prehnite | Ca2Al2Si3O10(OH)2 |
| H | ⓘ Stilbite Subgroup | M6-7[Al8-9Si27-28O72] · nH2O |
| H | ⓘ Talc | Mg3Si4O10(OH)2 |
| H | ⓘ Tremolite | ◻Ca2Mg5(Si8O22)(OH)2 |
| H | ⓘ Gypsum var. Selenite | CaSO4 · 2H2O |
| H | ⓘ Opal var. Common Opal | SiO2 · nH2O |
| H | ⓘ Serpentine Subgroup | D3[Si2O5](OH)4 |
| H | ⓘ Unnamed (Ca-analogue of Petterdite) | CaCr23+(CO3)2(OH)4 · H2O |
| C | Carbon | |
| C | ⓘ Azurite | Cu3(CO3)2(OH)2 |
| C | ⓘ Bismutite | (BiO)2CO3 |
| C | ⓘ Calcite | CaCO3 |
| C | ⓘ Cerussite | PbCO3 |
| C | ⓘ Dolomite | CaMg(CO3)2 |
| C | ⓘ Magnesite | MgCO3 |
| C | ⓘ Malachite | Cu2(CO3)(OH)2 |
| C | ⓘ Calcite var. Iceland Spar | CaCO3 |
| C | ⓘ Unnamed (Ca-analogue of Petterdite) | CaCr23+(CO3)2(OH)4 · H2O |
| O | Oxygen | |
| O | ⓘ Actinolite | ◻Ca2(Mg4.5-2.5Fe0.5-2.5)Si8O22(OH)2 |
| O | ⓘ Analcime | Na(AlSi2O6) · H2O |
| O | ⓘ Anglesite | PbSO4 |
| O | ⓘ Antigorite | Mg3(Si2O5)(OH)4 |
| O | ⓘ Azurite | Cu3(CO3)2(OH)2 |
| O | ⓘ Bismutite | (BiO)2CO3 |
| O | ⓘ Calcite | CaCO3 |
| O | ⓘ Cerussite | PbCO3 |
| O | ⓘ Quartz var. Chalcedony | SiO2 |
| O | ⓘ Chrysocolla | Cu2-xAlx(H2-xSi2O5)(OH)4 · nH2O, x < 1 |
| O | ⓘ Crocoite | PbCr6+O4 |
| O | ⓘ Dolomite | CaMg(CO3)2 |
| O | ⓘ Epidote | (CaCa)(AlAlFe3+)O[Si2O7][SiO4](OH) |
| O | ⓘ Gibbsite | Al(OH)3 |
| O | ⓘ Gypsum | CaSO4 · 2H2O |
| O | ⓘ Ilmenite | Fe2+TiO3 |
| O | ⓘ Jarosite | KFe33+(SO4)2(OH)6 |
| O | ⓘ Magnesite | MgCO3 |
| O | ⓘ Malachite | Cu2(CO3)(OH)2 |
| O | ⓘ Mimetite | Pb5(AsO4)3Cl |
| O | ⓘ Nontronite | Na0.3Fe2((Si,Al)4O10)(OH)2 · nH2O |
| O | ⓘ Opal | SiO2 · nH2O |
| O | ⓘ Prehnite | Ca2Al2Si3O10(OH)2 |
| O | ⓘ Pucherite | Bi(VO4) |
| O | ⓘ Quartz | SiO2 |
| O | ⓘ Scheelite | Ca(WO4) |
| O | ⓘ Stilbite Subgroup | M6-7[Al8-9Si27-28O72] · nH2O |
| O | ⓘ Talc | Mg3Si4O10(OH)2 |
| O | ⓘ Tremolite | ◻Ca2Mg5(Si8O22)(OH)2 |
| O | ⓘ Wulfenite | Pb(MoO4) |
| O | ⓘ Calcite var. Iceland Spar | CaCO3 |
| O | ⓘ Gypsum var. Selenite | CaSO4 · 2H2O |
| O | ⓘ Opal var. Common Opal | SiO2 · nH2O |
| O | ⓘ Quartz var. Prase | SiO2 |
| O | ⓘ Hornblende Root Name Group | ◻Ca2(C42+C3+)(AlSi7O22)W2 |
| O | ⓘ Serpentine Subgroup | D3[Si2O5](OH)4 |
| O | ⓘ Unnamed (Ca-analogue of Petterdite) | CaCr23+(CO3)2(OH)4 · H2O |
| O | ⓘ Quartz var. Plasma | SiO2 |
| Na | Sodium | |
| Na | ⓘ Analcime | Na(AlSi2O6) · H2O |
| Na | ⓘ Nontronite | Na0.3Fe2((Si,Al)4O10)(OH)2 · nH2O |
| Mg | Magnesium | |
| Mg | ⓘ Actinolite | ◻Ca2(Mg4.5-2.5Fe0.5-2.5)Si8O22(OH)2 |
| Mg | ⓘ Antigorite | Mg3(Si2O5)(OH)4 |
| Mg | ⓘ Dolomite | CaMg(CO3)2 |
| Mg | ⓘ Magnesite | MgCO3 |
| Mg | ⓘ Talc | Mg3Si4O10(OH)2 |
| Mg | ⓘ Tremolite | ◻Ca2Mg5(Si8O22)(OH)2 |
| Al | Aluminium | |
| Al | ⓘ Analcime | Na(AlSi2O6) · H2O |
| Al | ⓘ Chrysocolla | Cu2-xAlx(H2-xSi2O5)(OH)4 · nH2O, x < 1 |
| Al | ⓘ Epidote | (CaCa)(AlAlFe3+)O[Si2O7][SiO4](OH) |
| Al | ⓘ Gibbsite | Al(OH)3 |
| Al | ⓘ Nontronite | Na0.3Fe2((Si,Al)4O10)(OH)2 · nH2O |
| Al | ⓘ Prehnite | Ca2Al2Si3O10(OH)2 |
| Al | ⓘ Stilbite Subgroup | M6-7[Al8-9Si27-28O72] · nH2O |
| Al | ⓘ Hornblende Root Name Group | ◻Ca2(C42+C3+)(AlSi7O22)W2 |
| Si | Silicon | |
| Si | ⓘ Actinolite | ◻Ca2(Mg4.5-2.5Fe0.5-2.5)Si8O22(OH)2 |
| Si | ⓘ Analcime | Na(AlSi2O6) · H2O |
| Si | ⓘ Antigorite | Mg3(Si2O5)(OH)4 |
| Si | ⓘ Quartz var. Chalcedony | SiO2 |
| Si | ⓘ Chrysocolla | Cu2-xAlx(H2-xSi2O5)(OH)4 · nH2O, x < 1 |
| Si | ⓘ Epidote | (CaCa)(AlAlFe3+)O[Si2O7][SiO4](OH) |
| Si | ⓘ Nontronite | Na0.3Fe2((Si,Al)4O10)(OH)2 · nH2O |
| Si | ⓘ Opal | SiO2 · nH2O |
| Si | ⓘ Prehnite | Ca2Al2Si3O10(OH)2 |
| Si | ⓘ Quartz | SiO2 |
| Si | ⓘ Stilbite Subgroup | M6-7[Al8-9Si27-28O72] · nH2O |
| Si | ⓘ Talc | Mg3Si4O10(OH)2 |
| Si | ⓘ Tremolite | ◻Ca2Mg5(Si8O22)(OH)2 |
| Si | ⓘ Opal var. Common Opal | SiO2 · nH2O |
| Si | ⓘ Quartz var. Prase | SiO2 |
| Si | ⓘ Hornblende Root Name Group | ◻Ca2(C42+C3+)(AlSi7O22)W2 |
| Si | ⓘ Serpentine Subgroup | D3[Si2O5](OH)4 |
| Si | ⓘ Quartz var. Plasma | SiO2 |
| S | Sulfur | |
| S | ⓘ Anglesite | PbSO4 |
| S | ⓘ Chalcopyrite | CuFeS2 |
| S | ⓘ Cosalite | Pb2Bi2S5 |
| S | ⓘ Galena | PbS |
| S | ⓘ Gypsum | CaSO4 · 2H2O |
| S | ⓘ Jarosite | KFe33+(SO4)2(OH)6 |
| S | ⓘ Pyrite | FeS2 |
| S | ⓘ Pyrrhotite | Fe1-xS |
| S | ⓘ Sphalerite | ZnS |
| S | ⓘ Tetradymite | Bi2Te2S |
| S | ⓘ Gypsum var. Selenite | CaSO4 · 2H2O |
| Cl | Chlorine | |
| Cl | ⓘ Mimetite | Pb5(AsO4)3Cl |
| K | Potassium | |
| K | ⓘ Jarosite | KFe33+(SO4)2(OH)6 |
| Ca | Calcium | |
| Ca | ⓘ Actinolite | ◻Ca2(Mg4.5-2.5Fe0.5-2.5)Si8O22(OH)2 |
| Ca | ⓘ Calcite | CaCO3 |
| Ca | ⓘ Dolomite | CaMg(CO3)2 |
| Ca | ⓘ Epidote | (CaCa)(AlAlFe3+)O[Si2O7][SiO4](OH) |
| Ca | ⓘ Gypsum | CaSO4 · 2H2O |
| Ca | ⓘ Prehnite | Ca2Al2Si3O10(OH)2 |
| Ca | ⓘ Scheelite | Ca(WO4) |
| Ca | ⓘ Tremolite | ◻Ca2Mg5(Si8O22)(OH)2 |
| Ca | ⓘ Calcite var. Iceland Spar | CaCO3 |
| Ca | ⓘ Gypsum var. Selenite | CaSO4 · 2H2O |
| Ca | ⓘ Hornblende Root Name Group | ◻Ca2(C42+C3+)(AlSi7O22)W2 |
| Ca | ⓘ Unnamed (Ca-analogue of Petterdite) | CaCr23+(CO3)2(OH)4 · H2O |
| Ti | Titanium | |
| Ti | ⓘ Ilmenite | Fe2+TiO3 |
| V | Vanadium | |
| V | ⓘ Pucherite | Bi(VO4) |
| Cr | Chromium | |
| Cr | ⓘ Crocoite | PbCr6+O4 |
| Cr | ⓘ Unnamed (Ca-analogue of Petterdite) | CaCr23+(CO3)2(OH)4 · H2O |
| Fe | Iron | |
| Fe | ⓘ Actinolite | ◻Ca2(Mg4.5-2.5Fe0.5-2.5)Si8O22(OH)2 |
| Fe | ⓘ Chalcopyrite | CuFeS2 |
| Fe | ⓘ Epidote | (CaCa)(AlAlFe3+)O[Si2O7][SiO4](OH) |
| Fe | ⓘ Ilmenite | Fe2+TiO3 |
| Fe | ⓘ Jarosite | KFe33+(SO4)2(OH)6 |
| Fe | ⓘ Nontronite | Na0.3Fe2((Si,Al)4O10)(OH)2 · nH2O |
| Fe | ⓘ Pyrite | FeS2 |
| Fe | ⓘ Pyrrhotite | Fe1-xS |
| Cu | Copper | |
| Cu | ⓘ Azurite | Cu3(CO3)2(OH)2 |
| Cu | ⓘ Chalcopyrite | CuFeS2 |
| Cu | ⓘ Chrysocolla | Cu2-xAlx(H2-xSi2O5)(OH)4 · nH2O, x < 1 |
| Cu | ⓘ Native Copper | Cu |
| Cu | ⓘ Malachite | Cu2(CO3)(OH)2 |
| Zn | Zinc | |
| Zn | ⓘ Sphalerite | ZnS |
| As | Arsenic | |
| As | ⓘ Mimetite | Pb5(AsO4)3Cl |
| Mo | Molybdenum | |
| Mo | ⓘ Wulfenite | Pb(MoO4) |
| Te | Tellurium | |
| Te | ⓘ Tetradymite | Bi2Te2S |
| W | Tungsten | |
| W | ⓘ Scheelite | Ca(WO4) |
| Au | Gold | |
| Au | ⓘ Native Gold | Au |
| Pb | Lead | |
| Pb | ⓘ Anglesite | PbSO4 |
| Pb | ⓘ Cerussite | PbCO3 |
| Pb | ⓘ Cosalite | Pb2Bi2S5 |
| Pb | ⓘ Crocoite | PbCr6+O4 |
| Pb | ⓘ Galena | PbS |
| Pb | ⓘ Mimetite | Pb5(AsO4)3Cl |
| Pb | ⓘ Wulfenite | Pb(MoO4) |
| Bi | Bismuth | |
| Bi | ⓘ Native Bismuth | Bi |
| Bi | ⓘ Bismutite | (BiO)2CO3 |
| Bi | ⓘ Cosalite | Pb2Bi2S5 |
| Bi | ⓘ Pucherite | Bi(VO4) |
| Bi | ⓘ Tetradymite | Bi2Te2S |
Localities in this Region
- Western Australia
Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality
Australia
- Western Australia
- Kambalda Nickel Metallogenic ProvinceGeologic Province
- West Australian ElementCraton
- Yilgarn CratonCraton
Australian PlateTectonic Plate
- West Australian Craton
- Eastern Yilgarn CratonCraton
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Lake View mines, Comet Vale, Menzies Shire, Western Australia, Australia