Rothsay beryl pegmatites (Seleka; Perenjori Beryl Mine), Karara Conservation Reserve, Perenjori Shire, Western Australia, Australiai

Regional Level Types
Rothsay beryl pegmatites (Seleka; Perenjori Beryl Mine)	Pegmatite Field
Karara Conservation Reserve	- not defined -
Perenjori Shire	Shire
Western Australia	State
Australia	Country

Located 77 kilometres east of Perenjori, and 3 kilometres west south-west of the Rothsay mine and ghost-town site. Access over the last kilometre requires a 4 wheel drive, but could be walked. It is part of a tourist drive from Perenjori. Dark green apatite can still be seen in the walls, but as its been a popular and relatively easily accessed site, examples of beryl are unlikely to still be found without much work. The mine is also popular with the local feral goat population, and the odour from their droppings makes a visit to the abandoned mine a less than pleasant experience.

The site contains three beryl bearing pegmatites, discovered in 1969 by E Taylor of Paynes Find while exploring for nickel. They were mapped and studied by Blockley and Gibson in 1973. 296.69 tonnes of beryl was extracted from the site, mainly from the Eastern pegmatite at 270 tonnes.

The three pegmatites generally have a 45 cm thick border zone of fine grained albite, with some mica and quartz, and rarely beryl; a 1.5 to 2.5 wall zone of albite-quartz-muscovite with beryl; a 2 to 5 metre coarse grained albite zone with muscovite, minor quartz and beryl; and a 10 to 15 metre thick quartz core of greasy blue-grey to black quartz with little or no beryl but minor clear opal.

The Eastern pegmatite is 230 metres long, 25 metres wide. A 60 metre long pit exists, 10 metres wide and 8.5 metres deep. The pegmatite contains Western Australia's largest mass of apatite. It is found in smokey quartz and microcline. The apatite ranges from light to dark green as glassy crystal masses. The pegmatite has a quartz core, with fractured controlled masses of albite and elongated muscovite blades. The albite sometimes contains dull greenish beryl crystals.

The Central pegmatite is tadpole shaped, 60 metres wide at its fat end, and 70 metres long. It has two small pits 5 metres deep by 25 metres wide. It is unknown if beryl has been found here.

The Western pegmatite is 100 metres long by 30 metres wide, with a couple of 1 to 2 metres pits which have not penetrated the pegmatite. Beryl has been reported on the surface here in the past.

Beryl has been found in the past at the site, with crystals up to 1 metre in length, blue-green, pale-green and amber. Groups of columbite crystals in albite have been found in the Eastern pegmatite, the largest 5 x 2cm. Apatite from this pegmatite can be light grey glassy parallel cleavage masses without a greasy luster; light grey slightly greasy luster masses with black-green glassy areas; and dark black-green glassy masses with a strong greasy luster.

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality

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