Cumberland Gold Mine, Norseman, Dundas Shire, Western Australia, Australiai

Regional Level Types
Cumberland Gold Mine	Group of Mines (Abandoned)
Norseman	Town
Dundas Shire	Shire
Western Australia	State
Australia	Country

The Cumberland Gold Mining Company was floated in Adelaide with 40 000 pounds capital. By 1898 it had expanded to cover three leases totalling 60 acres. There were a number of leases in the immediate area through the 1890's. Leases came and went, were amalgamated, changed GML numbers, name changes and so on, to a point where even the local media couldn't keep up with who owned what. Some mines in the immediate vicinity are the John Bull, Oversight, Midas Company owned leases, various with Mount Benson in their names, Avon amongst others. Cumberland came to a point of taking over some of these leases as well.

There were three reefs on the property, the first two continuations of the reefs on neighbouring Kirkpatrick lease. The third was called the main reef. The leases covered two hills, and the hill nearest the salt-lake contained the main reef. GML 579. On the west side of the hill is a quartz-porphyry dyke running in the same direction as the reef. The reef has cross spurs of quartz, 'curved about greatly'. Calcite and pyrite occurs either side of the reef. The ore shoots dip south, and the reef pinches and swells. It contains considerable amounts of iridescent goethite in the lower levels carrying gold. These could make fine mineral specimens if anyone had the resources to get to them.

Here were three shafts, all 145 feet deep. The reef dipped mainly west, sometimes east, trending north-east to south-west, and was by nature erratic. Faults and slides were frequently encountered. Lower down the lode pinched out. The reef was encased in kaolin, which contained a halo of gold surrounding the amber coloured quartz reef.

There were two further reefs on the first hill, being continuations of the reefs from the Kirkpatrick lease. The reefs were numbered 1 and 2, but the numbering was opposite for each lease. So Number 2 reef on Kirkpatrick was number 1 according to Cumberland.

The no. 2 reef on Cumberland had the most work on it. Here were two shafts. One near the boundary with the Kirkpatrick was 70 feet down, and another 100 feet along the line of lode was 100 feet down, both connected at the 50 foot level.

The amber coloured quartz was heavily impregnated with black manganese oxide, associated with gold.

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality

References