Mount Benson Mine, Ravensthorpe, Ravensthorpe Shire, Western Australia, Australiai
| Regional Level Types | |
|---|---|
| Mount Benson Mine | Mine |
| Ravensthorpe | - not defined - |
| Ravensthorpe Shire | Shire |
| Western Australia | State |
| Australia | Country |
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Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):
33° 33' 22'' South , 120° 6' 14'' East
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):
Type:
Köppen climate type:
Nearest Settlements:
| Place | Population | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Ravensthorpe | 1,101 (2012) | 6.1km |
| Hopetoun | 584 (2014) | 43.9km |
| Lake King | 222 (2013) | 65.7km |
The mine is situated in the Kingston Group and was a copper and gold mine. It was titled the Mt Benson Lease No 175 at 40 acres. It was considered one of the largest mines on the field. Located approximately 5 kilometres north-east of Ravensthorpe at the base of the ranges.
The first report found on the mine was 1904, stating it was run by the 'Kingston-Dallison Brothers', and further commenting good grades of copper and gold were being recovered. A picture from 1906 shows the top of a basic wooden shaft with eight men, presumably the workforce. In November 1905 the mine was purchased by the Phillips River Gold Mining Company, and soon after a large headframe and plant was constructed. It employed thirty men.
There were two parrallel veins running east-west and eight prospecting shafts to 36 metres deep on short copper chutes.
Low copper prices and a flooded shaft saw the mine let out to tributors by 1910, and no further information is known beyond this.
The location shows an abandoned shaft, very small mullock piles (possibly taken away to be retreated sometime later), and minor foundations and machinery.
The mine occupies steep dipping shears, averaging one metre wide, containing short and inconsistent west plunging shoots. These contained blebs and veins of quartz-pyrite-chalcopyrite, associated garnet and magnetite. Mining reached a depth of 47.9 metres, as east and west workings, the bulk of the ore from the east workings.
Select Mineral List Type
Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Chemical ElementsMineral List
12 valid minerals.
Rock Types Recorded
Note: data is currently VERY limited. Please bear with us while we work towards adding this information!
Select Rock List Type
Alphabetical List Tree DiagramDetailed Mineral List:
| ⓘ Azurite Formula: Cu3(CO3)2(OH)2 |
| ⓘ 'Biotite' Formula: K(Fe2+/Mg)2(Al/Fe3+/Mg/Ti)([Si/Al/Fe]2Si2O10)(OH/F)2 |
| ⓘ Chalcopyrite Formula: CuFeS2 |
| ⓘ 'Chlorite Group' |
| ⓘ Chrysocolla Formula: Cu2-xAlx(H2-xSi2O5)(OH)4 · nH2O, x < 1 |
| ⓘ Cuprite Formula: Cu2O |
| ⓘ 'Garnet Group' Formula: X3Z2(SiO4)3 |
| ⓘ 'Hornblende Root Name Group' Formula: ◻Ca2(Z2+4Z3+)(AlSi7O22)(OH,F,Cl)2 |
| ⓘ Kaolinite Formula: Al2(Si2O5)(OH)4 |
| ⓘ 'Limonite' |
| ⓘ Magnetite Formula: Fe2+Fe3+2O4 |
| ⓘ Malachite Formula: Cu2(CO3)(OH)2 |
| ⓘ Muscovite Formula: KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
| ⓘ Native Gold Formula: Au |
| ⓘ Pyrite Formula: FeS2 |
| ⓘ Quartz Formula: SiO2 |
| ⓘ Staurolite Formula: Fe2+2Al9Si4O23(OH) |
Gallery:
List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification
| Group 1 - Elements | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ⓘ | Native Gold | 1.AA.05 | Au |
| Group 2 - Sulphides and Sulfosalts | |||
| ⓘ | Chalcopyrite | 2.CB.10a | CuFeS2 |
| ⓘ | Pyrite | 2.EB.05a | FeS2 |
| Group 4 - Oxides and Hydroxides | |||
| ⓘ | Cuprite | 4.AA.10 | Cu2O |
| ⓘ | Magnetite | 4.BB.05 | Fe2+Fe3+2O4 |
| ⓘ | Quartz | 4.DA.05 | SiO2 |
| Group 5 - Nitrates and Carbonates | |||
| ⓘ | Azurite | 5.BA.05 | Cu3(CO3)2(OH)2 |
| ⓘ | Malachite | 5.BA.10 | Cu2(CO3)(OH)2 |
| Group 9 - Silicates | |||
| ⓘ | Staurolite | 9.AF.30 | Fe2+2Al9Si4O23(OH) |
| ⓘ | Muscovite | 9.EC.15 | KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
| ⓘ | Kaolinite | 9.ED.05 | Al2(Si2O5)(OH)4 |
| ⓘ | Chrysocolla | 9.ED.20 | Cu2-xAlx(H2-xSi2O5)(OH)4 · nH2O, x < 1 |
| Unclassified | |||
| ⓘ | 'Biotite' | - | K(Fe2+/Mg)2(Al/Fe3+/Mg/Ti)([Si/Al/Fe]2Si2O10)(OH/F)2 |
| ⓘ | 'Chlorite Group' | - | |
| ⓘ | 'Limonite' | - | |
| ⓘ | 'Hornblende Root Name Group' | - | ◻Ca2(Z2+4Z3+)(AlSi7O22)(OH,F,Cl)2 |
| ⓘ | 'Garnet Group' | - | X3Z2(SiO4)3 |
List of minerals for each chemical element
| H | Hydrogen | |
|---|---|---|
| H | ⓘ Azurite | Cu3(CO3)2(OH)2 |
| H | ⓘ Biotite | K(Fe2+/Mg)2(Al/Fe3+/Mg/Ti)([Si/Al/Fe]2Si2O10)(OH/F)2 |
| H | ⓘ Chrysocolla | Cu2-xAlx(H2-xSi2O5)(OH)4 · nH2O, x < 1 |
| H | ⓘ Kaolinite | Al2(Si2O5)(OH)4 |
| H | ⓘ Malachite | Cu2(CO3)(OH)2 |
| H | ⓘ Muscovite | KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
| H | ⓘ Staurolite | Fe22+Al9Si4O23(OH) |
| H | ⓘ Hornblende Root Name Group | ◻Ca2(Z42+Z3+)(AlSi7O22)(OH,F,Cl)2 |
| C | Carbon | |
| C | ⓘ Azurite | Cu3(CO3)2(OH)2 |
| C | ⓘ Malachite | Cu2(CO3)(OH)2 |
| O | Oxygen | |
| O | ⓘ Azurite | Cu3(CO3)2(OH)2 |
| O | ⓘ Biotite | K(Fe2+/Mg)2(Al/Fe3+/Mg/Ti)([Si/Al/Fe]2Si2O10)(OH/F)2 |
| O | ⓘ Chrysocolla | Cu2-xAlx(H2-xSi2O5)(OH)4 · nH2O, x < 1 |
| O | ⓘ Cuprite | Cu2O |
| O | ⓘ Kaolinite | Al2(Si2O5)(OH)4 |
| O | ⓘ Magnetite | Fe2+Fe23+O4 |
| O | ⓘ Malachite | Cu2(CO3)(OH)2 |
| O | ⓘ Muscovite | KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
| O | ⓘ Quartz | SiO2 |
| O | ⓘ Staurolite | Fe22+Al9Si4O23(OH) |
| O | ⓘ Hornblende Root Name Group | ◻Ca2(Z42+Z3+)(AlSi7O22)(OH,F,Cl)2 |
| O | ⓘ Garnet Group | X3Z2(SiO4)3 |
| F | Fluorine | |
| F | ⓘ Biotite | K(Fe2+/Mg)2(Al/Fe3+/Mg/Ti)([Si/Al/Fe]2Si2O10)(OH/F)2 |
| F | ⓘ Hornblende Root Name Group | ◻Ca2(Z42+Z3+)(AlSi7O22)(OH,F,Cl)2 |
| Mg | Magnesium | |
| Mg | ⓘ Biotite | K(Fe2+/Mg)2(Al/Fe3+/Mg/Ti)([Si/Al/Fe]2Si2O10)(OH/F)2 |
| Al | Aluminium | |
| Al | ⓘ Biotite | K(Fe2+/Mg)2(Al/Fe3+/Mg/Ti)([Si/Al/Fe]2Si2O10)(OH/F)2 |
| Al | ⓘ Chrysocolla | Cu2-xAlx(H2-xSi2O5)(OH)4 · nH2O, x < 1 |
| Al | ⓘ Kaolinite | Al2(Si2O5)(OH)4 |
| Al | ⓘ Muscovite | KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
| Al | ⓘ Staurolite | Fe22+Al9Si4O23(OH) |
| Al | ⓘ Hornblende Root Name Group | ◻Ca2(Z42+Z3+)(AlSi7O22)(OH,F,Cl)2 |
| Si | Silicon | |
| Si | ⓘ Biotite | K(Fe2+/Mg)2(Al/Fe3+/Mg/Ti)([Si/Al/Fe]2Si2O10)(OH/F)2 |
| Si | ⓘ Chrysocolla | Cu2-xAlx(H2-xSi2O5)(OH)4 · nH2O, x < 1 |
| Si | ⓘ Kaolinite | Al2(Si2O5)(OH)4 |
| Si | ⓘ Muscovite | KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
| Si | ⓘ Quartz | SiO2 |
| Si | ⓘ Staurolite | Fe22+Al9Si4O23(OH) |
| Si | ⓘ Hornblende Root Name Group | ◻Ca2(Z42+Z3+)(AlSi7O22)(OH,F,Cl)2 |
| Si | ⓘ Garnet Group | X3Z2(SiO4)3 |
| S | Sulfur | |
| S | ⓘ Chalcopyrite | CuFeS2 |
| S | ⓘ Pyrite | FeS2 |
| Cl | Chlorine | |
| Cl | ⓘ Hornblende Root Name Group | ◻Ca2(Z42+Z3+)(AlSi7O22)(OH,F,Cl)2 |
| K | Potassium | |
| K | ⓘ Biotite | K(Fe2+/Mg)2(Al/Fe3+/Mg/Ti)([Si/Al/Fe]2Si2O10)(OH/F)2 |
| K | ⓘ Muscovite | KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
| Ca | Calcium | |
| Ca | ⓘ Hornblende Root Name Group | ◻Ca2(Z42+Z3+)(AlSi7O22)(OH,F,Cl)2 |
| Ti | Titanium | |
| Ti | ⓘ Biotite | K(Fe2+/Mg)2(Al/Fe3+/Mg/Ti)([Si/Al/Fe]2Si2O10)(OH/F)2 |
| Fe | Iron | |
| Fe | ⓘ Biotite | K(Fe2+/Mg)2(Al/Fe3+/Mg/Ti)([Si/Al/Fe]2Si2O10)(OH/F)2 |
| Fe | ⓘ Chalcopyrite | CuFeS2 |
| Fe | ⓘ Magnetite | Fe2+Fe23+O4 |
| Fe | ⓘ Pyrite | FeS2 |
| Fe | ⓘ Staurolite | Fe22+Al9Si4O23(OH) |
| Cu | Copper | |
| Cu | ⓘ Azurite | Cu3(CO3)2(OH)2 |
| Cu | ⓘ Chalcopyrite | CuFeS2 |
| Cu | ⓘ Chrysocolla | Cu2-xAlx(H2-xSi2O5)(OH)4 · nH2O, x < 1 |
| Cu | ⓘ Cuprite | Cu2O |
| Cu | ⓘ Malachite | Cu2(CO3)(OH)2 |
| Au | Gold | |
| Au | ⓘ Native Gold | Au |
Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality
Australia
- Central Australian ElementCraton
- Western Australia
- Ravensthorpe Nickel Metallogenic ProvinceGeologic Province
- Yilgarn CratonCraton
Australian PlateTectonic Plate
- West Australian Craton
- Western Yilgarn CratonCraton
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Mount Benson Mine, Ravensthorpe, Ravensthorpe Shire, Western Australia, Australia