Tantalite Hill pegmatite (Mercer's Find), Nepean, Coolgardie Shire, Western Australia, Australiai
| Regional Level Types | |
|---|---|
| Tantalite Hill pegmatite (Mercer's Find) | Pegmatite |
| Nepean | Urban area (Historical) |
| Coolgardie Shire | Shire |
| Western Australia | State |
| Australia | Country |
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Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):
31° 6' 37'' South , 121° 4' 19'' East
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):
Type:
Köppen climate type:
Nearest Settlements:
| Place | Population | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Coolgardie | 802 (2016) | 19.6km |
| Boulder | 5,178 (2017) | 54.1km |
| Kalgoorlie | 31,107 (2014) | 55.8km |
| Williamstown | 161 (2018) | 56.1km |
The Tantalite Hill pegmatite is 2 kilometres west north-west of the Londonderry quarry, and can be accessed via a track from the Coolgardie-Nepean Road.
Hugh Fraser discovered manganotantalite here in 1909. A pit only 3 metres deep was developed, and there was no further activity till 1928, when H. Hewitt mined tantalite at the location. Serious excavations started in 1938 by Londonderry Minerals NL, who were taken over a year later by British Tantalite Ltd, extending the pit to 9 metres long, 3 metres wide and four metres deep. Mining was abandoned in 1940. Western Mining explored the site for petalite in 1965. Commercial Minerals Ltd controlled the lease from 1984 to 1998. Further exploration work was done in 1990 by Copper Mines and Metals Ltd, confirming earlier reports of the high grade tantalite averaging 70% Ta2O5.
It is a zoned pegmatite, with a border zone of albite-quartz-garnet, a quartz core, and discontinuous intermediate zones of quartz-albite-microcline, albite-quartz-zinnwaldite, albite-quartz-lepidolite, and quartz-microcline-petalite.
The last zone shows small masses of grey to white petalite, with possibly very small (1-2cm) clear gemmy fragments. Petalite alters to pseudomorphs similar to that described at the Londonderry deposit nearby.
Select Mineral List Type
Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Chemical ElementsMineral List
10 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:
| ⓘ Albite Formula: Na(AlSi3O8) |
| ⓘ Albite var. Cleavelandite Formula: Na(AlSi3O8) |
| ⓘ Beryl Formula: Be3Al2(Si6O18) |
| ⓘ 'Biotite' Formula: K(Fe2+/Mg)2(Al/Fe3+/Mg/Ti)([Si/Al/Fe]2Si2O10)(OH/F)2 |
| ⓘ Cassiterite Formula: SnO2 |
| ⓘ 'Cryophyllite' |
| ⓘ Ferrosilite Formula: Fe2+2Si2O6 |
| ⓘ 'Lepidolite' |
| ⓘ Microcline Formula: K(AlSi3O8) |
| ⓘ Muscovite Formula: KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
| ⓘ Petalite Formula: LiAl(Si4O10) |
| ⓘ Quartz Formula: SiO2 |
| ⓘ Spessartine Formula: Mn2+3Al2(SiO4)3 |
| ⓘ Tantalite-(Mn) Formula: Mn2+Ta2O6 |
| ⓘ 'Zinnwaldite' |
Gallery:
List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification
| Group 4 - Oxides and Hydroxides | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ⓘ | Quartz | 4.DA.05 | SiO2 |
| ⓘ | Cassiterite | 4.DB.05 | SnO2 |
| ⓘ | Tantalite-(Mn) | 4.DB.35 | Mn2+Ta2O6 |
| Group 9 - Silicates | |||
| ⓘ | Spessartine | 9.AD.25 | Mn2+3Al2(SiO4)3 |
| ⓘ | Beryl | 9.CJ.05 | Be3Al2(Si6O18) |
| ⓘ | Ferrosilite | 9.DA.05 | Fe2+2Si2O6 |
| ⓘ | Muscovite | 9.EC.15 | KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
| ⓘ | Petalite | 9.EF.05 | LiAl(Si4O10) |
| ⓘ | Microcline | 9.FA.30 | K(AlSi3O8) |
| ⓘ | Albite | 9.FA.35 | Na(AlSi3O8) |
| ⓘ | var. Cleavelandite | 9.FA.35 | Na(AlSi3O8) |
| Unclassified | |||
| ⓘ | 'Biotite' | - | K(Fe2+/Mg)2(Al/Fe3+/Mg/Ti)([Si/Al/Fe]2Si2O10)(OH/F)2 |
| ⓘ | 'Lepidolite' | - | |
| ⓘ | 'Zinnwaldite' | - | |
| ⓘ | 'Cryophyllite' | - | |
List of minerals for each chemical element
| H | Hydrogen | |
|---|---|---|
| H | ⓘ Biotite | K(Fe2+/Mg)2(Al/Fe3+/Mg/Ti)([Si/Al/Fe]2Si2O10)(OH/F)2 |
| H | ⓘ Muscovite | KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
| H | ⓘ Zinnwaldite | |
| Li | Lithium | |
| Li | ⓘ Petalite | LiAl(Si4O10) |
| Li | ⓘ Zinnwaldite | |
| Be | Beryllium | |
| Be | ⓘ Beryl | Be3Al2(Si6O18) |
| O | Oxygen | |
| O | ⓘ Albite | Na(AlSi3O8) |
| O | ⓘ Biotite | K(Fe2+/Mg)2(Al/Fe3+/Mg/Ti)([Si/Al/Fe]2Si2O10)(OH/F)2 |
| O | ⓘ Beryl | Be3Al2(Si6O18) |
| O | ⓘ Cassiterite | SnO2 |
| O | ⓘ Ferrosilite | Fe22+Si2O6 |
| O | ⓘ Tantalite-(Mn) | Mn2+Ta2O6 |
| O | ⓘ Microcline | K(AlSi3O8) |
| O | ⓘ Muscovite | KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
| O | ⓘ Petalite | LiAl(Si4O10) |
| O | ⓘ Quartz | SiO2 |
| O | ⓘ Spessartine | Mn32+Al2(SiO4)3 |
| O | ⓘ Zinnwaldite | |
| O | ⓘ Albite var. Cleavelandite | Na(AlSi3O8) |
| F | Fluorine | |
| F | ⓘ Biotite | K(Fe2+/Mg)2(Al/Fe3+/Mg/Ti)([Si/Al/Fe]2Si2O10)(OH/F)2 |
| F | ⓘ Zinnwaldite | |
| Na | Sodium | |
| Na | ⓘ Albite | Na(AlSi3O8) |
| Na | ⓘ Albite var. Cleavelandite | Na(AlSi3O8) |
| Mg | Magnesium | |
| Mg | ⓘ Biotite | K(Fe2+/Mg)2(Al/Fe3+/Mg/Ti)([Si/Al/Fe]2Si2O10)(OH/F)2 |
| Al | Aluminium | |
| Al | ⓘ Albite | Na(AlSi3O8) |
| Al | ⓘ Biotite | K(Fe2+/Mg)2(Al/Fe3+/Mg/Ti)([Si/Al/Fe]2Si2O10)(OH/F)2 |
| Al | ⓘ Beryl | Be3Al2(Si6O18) |
| Al | ⓘ Microcline | K(AlSi3O8) |
| Al | ⓘ Muscovite | KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
| Al | ⓘ Petalite | LiAl(Si4O10) |
| Al | ⓘ Spessartine | Mn32+Al2(SiO4)3 |
| Al | ⓘ Zinnwaldite | |
| Al | ⓘ Albite var. Cleavelandite | Na(AlSi3O8) |
| Si | Silicon | |
| Si | ⓘ Albite | Na(AlSi3O8) |
| Si | ⓘ Biotite | K(Fe2+/Mg)2(Al/Fe3+/Mg/Ti)([Si/Al/Fe]2Si2O10)(OH/F)2 |
| Si | ⓘ Beryl | Be3Al2(Si6O18) |
| Si | ⓘ Ferrosilite | Fe22+Si2O6 |
| Si | ⓘ Microcline | K(AlSi3O8) |
| Si | ⓘ Muscovite | KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
| Si | ⓘ Petalite | LiAl(Si4O10) |
| Si | ⓘ Quartz | SiO2 |
| Si | ⓘ Spessartine | Mn32+Al2(SiO4)3 |
| Si | ⓘ Zinnwaldite | |
| Si | ⓘ Albite var. Cleavelandite | Na(AlSi3O8) |
| K | Potassium | |
| K | ⓘ Biotite | K(Fe2+/Mg)2(Al/Fe3+/Mg/Ti)([Si/Al/Fe]2Si2O10)(OH/F)2 |
| K | ⓘ Microcline | K(AlSi3O8) |
| K | ⓘ Muscovite | KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
| K | ⓘ Zinnwaldite | |
| Ti | Titanium | |
| Ti | ⓘ Biotite | K(Fe2+/Mg)2(Al/Fe3+/Mg/Ti)([Si/Al/Fe]2Si2O10)(OH/F)2 |
| Mn | Manganese | |
| Mn | ⓘ Tantalite-(Mn) | Mn2+Ta2O6 |
| Mn | ⓘ Spessartine | Mn32+Al2(SiO4)3 |
| Fe | Iron | |
| Fe | ⓘ Biotite | K(Fe2+/Mg)2(Al/Fe3+/Mg/Ti)([Si/Al/Fe]2Si2O10)(OH/F)2 |
| Fe | ⓘ Ferrosilite | Fe22+Si2O6 |
| Fe | ⓘ Zinnwaldite | |
| Sn | Tin | |
| Sn | ⓘ Cassiterite | SnO2 |
| Ta | Tantalum | |
| Ta | ⓘ Tantalite-(Mn) | Mn2+Ta2O6 |
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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