Black Angel Gold Mine, Tennant Creek, Barkly Region, Northern Territory, Australiai

Regional Level Types
Black Angel Gold Mine	Mine
Tennant Creek	Creek
Barkly Region	Region
Northern Territory	Territory
Australia	Country

The Black Angel Gold Mine is approximately 45 kilometres north-west of Tennant Creek. Around two kilometres before the Warrego mine, a dirt road heads two kilometres south south-west to the historic workings. The old White Angel open pit and decline borders the Black Angel to the north-east, and minor Crusader workings to the south-west.

The leases were held by H.J. Turner from 1939 to 1957. These were sold to H.V. Lennard who optioned them to Peko Gold Mines Ltd. Leslie Jones held the leases from 1960 to 1962, then A. McDonald in 1963. Surrounding leases at this stage were held by G.V. English, G.F. Richards and J. Forbes. The majority of ore was produced during the Turner period, although the mine was closed between 1942 to 1948. Turner complained production could have been more, except for the limited battery capacity in the district. Black Angel contained six shafts, with most of the ore extracted between the No. 2 and 3 shafts, also 90 tonnes from the No. 6 shaft. The mine has produced 5488.66 tonnes of ore for 2652.27 oz Au at 9.68 dwt.

No. 1 shaft reaches a depth of 183 feet but failed to meet the ore zone. Mudstone shows to 170 feet, then black slate. At the 150 foot level there is a cross-cut north for 35 feet where hematite was reached, then a short drive dug east. No. 2 shaft is 110 feet east of No. 1, and was the main haulage shaft. It was sunk to 103 feet, with a cross-cut driven 24 feet north and 45 feet south meeting the Footwall at 30 feet. Drives were then sent 45 feet east, and 55 feet west. At the 67 feet level, ore was stoped at 70 feet long and 15 feet wide. No. 3, 4 and 5 shafts are 100 feet east of No. 2, sunk 70, 50, and 50 feet respectively. No. 6 shaft is 500 feet east of No. 1, together with an open cut 40 feet long, 15 feet wide, and 35 feet deep. The shoots end at porphyry on the eastern end.

The mine is found in low lying hills. The deeper workings show grey-green to dark greenish black talcose chlorite slates and schist, dense earthy siltstone, and fine to coarse grained greywacke. Upper levels contain crushed and brecciated mudstone with narrow interbedded sandstone. Bands of conglomerate as greenish-grey igneous rock with pebbles are found in the sandstone, shale, mudstone-siltstone country rock, with barren white quartz veins filling fractures at right angles to the rock.

Quartz-hematite ironstone bodies are found in the northern side of the shear zone, with faults displacing the shear. These ore bodies are steep dipping lenticular masses of solid quartz-hematite to hematite-rich breccia wall rock. The largest lense is 400 feet long and 40-120 feet wide. The shoots within the ironstone strike east, dip vertically, and plunge 30 degrees west.

There are four ore shoots, although two of these have never been worked below 40 feet from the surface. The main shoot is 37 feet x 16 feet between the No. 3 and No. 5 shafts; No. 1 shoot is 20 feet south of the main shoot at 40 x 18 feet; No. 2 shoot is west of the No. 2 shaft at 20 x 10 feet; while the fourth ore shoot is east of the No. 6 shaft at 40 x 15 feet.

The hematite has formed from the oxidation of the magnetite. Magnetite has also pseudomorphed to limonite. Fine- to coarse-grained gold is associated with bismuthinite, quartz, hematite, magnetite, and some malachite as stains and blobs. There is also minor chalcopyrite, galena, and pyrite. Oxidation reaches 190 feet below the surface, and in some places 300 feet.

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