Vote for your favorite mineral in #MinCup26! - Sphalerite vs. Anorthite
Both zinc ore Sphalerite and calcium plagioclase feldspar Anorthite have perfect cleavage that will split cleanly if you hit them with a hammer, but only one can claim a larger split of your votes!
Log InRegister
Quick Links : The Mindat ManualThe Rock H. Currier Digital LibraryMindat Newsletter [Free Download]
Home PageAbout MindatThe Mindat ManualHistory of MindatCopyright StatusWho We AreContact UsAdvertise on Mindat
Donate to MindatCorporate SponsorshipSponsor a PageSponsored PagesMindat AdvertisersAdvertise on Mindat
Learning CenterWhat is a mineral?The most common minerals on earthInformation for EducatorsMindat ArticlesThe ElementsThe Rock H. Currier Digital LibraryGeologic TimeExplore Fossils
Minerals by PropertiesMinerals by ChemistryMineral Visual ExplorerAdvanced Locality SearchRandom MineralRandom LocalitySearch by minIDLocalities Near MeSearch ArticlesSearch GlossaryMore Search Options
Search For:
Mineral Name:
Locality Name:
Keyword(s):
 
The Mindat ManualAdd a New PhotoRate PhotosLocality Edit ReportCoordinate Completion ReportAdd Glossary Item
Mining CompaniesStatisticsUsersMineral MuseumsClubs & OrganizationsMineral Shows & EventsThe Mindat DirectoryDevice SettingsThe Mineral QuizTime Machine
Photo SearchPhoto GalleriesSearch by ColorPhoto Colour ExplorerNew Photos TodayNew Photos YesterdayMembers' Photo GalleriesPast Photo of the Day GalleryPhotography

Ballarat, City of Ballarat, Victoria, Australiai
Regional Level Types
BallaratCity
City of BallaratCity
VictoriaState
AustraliaCountry

This page is currently not sponsored. Click here to sponsor this page.
PhotosMapsSearch
09988070017271978052814.jpg
Fossickers

Ballarat, City of Ballarat, Victoria, Australia
03194010017271978086757.jpg
View of the Ballarat gold mining area, in 1905.

Ballarat, City of Ballarat, Victoria, Australia
06604530017271978114835.jpg
View of the Ballarat gold mining area, ca. 1980.

Ballarat, City of Ballarat, Victoria, Australia
09988070017271978052814.jpg
Fossickers

Ballarat, City of Ballarat, Victoria, Australia
03194010017271978086757.jpg
View of the Ballarat gold mining area, in 1905.

Ballarat, City of Ballarat, Victoria, Australia
06604530017271978114835.jpg
View of the Ballarat gold mining area, ca. 1980.

Ballarat, City of Ballarat, Victoria, Australia
07475250017271978159134.jpg
Fossickers

Ballarat, City of Ballarat, Victoria, Australia
03194010017271978086757.jpg
View of the Ballarat gold mining area, in 1905.

Ballarat, City of Ballarat, Victoria, Australia
Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):
37° 32' 59'' South , 143° 50' 59'' East
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):
-37.55000,143.85000
GRN:
S26E81
Type:
City
Köppen climate type:
Cfb : Temperate oceanic climate
Mindat Locality ID:
196
Long-form identifier:
mindat:1:2:196:9
GUID (UUID V4):
0


Centre of a gold mining area.
One of the most significant Victorian era boomtowns in Australia.

Alluvial gold was discovered in 1851, leading to a gold rush.

Gold mining has continued to the present day (2018) with the main operating mine (operated by Castlemaine Goldfields Ltd which in turn is owned by LionGold Corporation).

Large deposits remaining deep underground.

Select Mineral List Type

Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Chemical Elements

Commodity 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-localities

6 valid minerals.

Rock Types Recorded

Note: data is currently VERY limited. Please bear with us while we work towards adding this information!

Rock list contains entries from the region specified including sub-localities

Select Rock List Type

Alphabetical List Tree Diagram

List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification

Group 1 - Elements
ⓘNative Gold1.AA.05Au
Group 2 - Sulphides and Sulfosalts
ⓘSphalerite2.CB.05aZnS
ⓘGalena2.CD.10PbS
ⓘPyrite2.EB.05aFeS2
Group 4 - Oxides and Hydroxides
ⓘQuartz4.DA.05SiO2
Group 5 - Nitrates and Carbonates
ⓘAnkerite5.AB.10Ca(Fe2+,Mg)(CO3)2

List of minerals for each chemical element

CCarbon
Cⓘ AnkeriteCa(Fe2+,Mg)(CO3)2
OOxygen
Oⓘ AnkeriteCa(Fe2+,Mg)(CO3)2
Oⓘ QuartzSiO2
MgMagnesium
Mgⓘ AnkeriteCa(Fe2+,Mg)(CO3)2
SiSilicon
Siⓘ QuartzSiO2
SSulfur
Sⓘ GalenaPbS
Sⓘ PyriteFeS2
Sⓘ SphaleriteZnS
CaCalcium
Caⓘ AnkeriteCa(Fe2+,Mg)(CO3)2
FeIron
Feⓘ AnkeriteCa(Fe2+,Mg)(CO3)2
Feⓘ PyriteFeS2
ZnZinc
Znⓘ SphaleriteZnS
AuGold
Auⓘ Native GoldAu
PbLead
Pbⓘ GalenaPbS

Other Databases

Wikipedia:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballarat
Wikidata ID:Q17856

Localities in this Region

Australia
Australia

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality

Australia
Australian PlateTectonic Plate

This page contains all mineral locality references listed on mindat.org. This does not claim to be a complete list. If you know of more minerals from this site, please register so you can add to our database. This locality information is for reference purposes only. You should never attempt to visit any sites listed in mindat.org without first ensuring that you have the permission of the land and/or mineral rights holders for access and that you are aware of all safety precautions necessary.

References

Finlay, I.S., Douglas, P.M. (1992) Ballarat 1:100,000 mines and deep leads map geological report. Geological Survey of Victoria Report 94. Department of Manufacturing and Industry Development, Victoria.
Quick NavTopCommoditiesMineral ListRock TypesOther DatabasesLocalities in RegionOther RegionsReferences
 
and/or  
Mindat.org® is an outreach project of the Hudson Institute of Mineralogy, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. Mindat® and mindat.org® are registered trademarks of the Hudson Institute of Mineralogy.
Copyright © mindat.org and the Hudson Institute of Mineralogy 1993-2026, except where stated. Most political location boundaries are © OpenStreetMap contributors. Mindat.org relies on the contributions of thousands of members and supporters. Founded in 2000 by Jolyon Ralph and Ida Chau.
Content on this site may not be used to train, fine-tune, or otherwise develop artificial intelligence or machine learning models without prior written permission - see our Terms & Conditions.
To cite: Ralph, J., Von Bargen, D., Martynov, P., Zhang, J., Que, X., Prabhu, A., Morrison, S. M., Li, W., Chen, W., & Ma, X. (2025). Mindat.org: The open access mineralogy database to accelerate data-intensive geoscience research. American Mineralogist, 110(6), 833–844. doi:10.2138/am-2024-9486.
Privacy Policy - Terms & Conditions - Contact Us / DMCA issues - Report a bug/vulnerability Current server date and time: September 3, 2026 10:37:46 Page updated: December 22, 2025 11:35:17
Go to top of page