Caroline Gold Mine, Agnew Goldfield (Lawlers), Leonora Shire, Western Australia, Australiai

Regional Level Types
Caroline Gold Mine	Mine
Agnew Goldfield (Lawlers)	Ore Field
Leonora Shire	Shire
Western Australia	State
Australia	Country

The Caroline Gold Mine is two kilometres east of the Lawlers mining camp. It appears in modern times, an open pit was developed at the site, subsequently back filled and rehabilitated.

GML 214. GML 627. 12 acres. The mine was sited on a large quartz blow. The first report found was 1896, two years after discovery of gold in the area. A shaft had been sunk to 35 feet showing two bodies of quartz, separated by a few feet of gangue. It notes one section of remarkably rich disseminated gold. The Inspector of Mines wandered about the mullock heap, and took the poorest looking stone, which dollied richly. Despite the Inspector's excitement about the prospects of the mine, it proved a large low grade affair.

The period 1898-1900, the mine was owned by W.J. Lawson, under the grandly named Caroline and Anglo-American Gold Mining Company. By 1897 there were two shafts to 90 and 40 feet depth. A 10 head battery was erected in 1900, then almost immediately sold, and transported to Leinster. Lawson had run out of capital, and shortly after sold the mine.

The first phase of the East Murchison United company took over the mine in 1900. By 1904 there were six shafts on the lease, the deepest at 140 feet, with 800 tonnes of ore crushed to that time. A tramline was built between the mine and the EMU battery. An open cut appeared, 50 feet wide.

In 1921, Harry Poole took over the mine. Poole operated a battery elsewhere on the field at the Cinderella lease.

The second phase of the East Murchison United took over the mine in 1935. They unwatered the shaft and another tramline was built to cart ore to the EMU mill.

The reef was white to glassy quartz, strongly laminated, with bands of schist, and no defined walls. The quartz veins on the surface had variable orientations, radiating out from the large quartz blow originally on the site. The quartz blow was 6 to 8 feet wide with irregular values.

Three parallel reefs were noted by 1907, 20 feet apart, with the western most one the main line of reef. The other two had a short length, all dipping shallowly east. The reefs were irregular, and tended to pinch and swell, of white glassy laminated quartz (iron stained near the surface), with thin seams of chlorite along the cleavages, and minor pyrite at depth. Minor bismuth and bismuth oxide is also noted, with increased gold grades associated with it.

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