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Arkaroola Region (Arkaroola Station), North Flinders Ranges, Flinders Ranges, South Australia, Australia
Latitude: 30°18'41"S
Longitude: 139°20'8"E
Longitude: 139°20'8"E
Arkaroola is reached via the Main North Road from Adelaide, either following the western route (680km) via Port Augusta, Quorn, Hawker, Copley and Balcanoona or the eastern route (600km) up the Barrier Highway to Yunta then north via Frome Downs and Balcanoona to Arkaroola.
The mineral province is one that has a long geological history as it has been tightly folded, metamorphosed, folded again, intruded by granites, uplifted, eroded by wind, water and glaciers and uplifted again to the present height, during the last two billion years. As a result the mineral deposits produced via these processes have been exposed on the surface, and many have been prospected as mines.
Exploration of the area for minerals dates back to the 1860’s when copper deposits were discovered around the western edge of the most rugged part of the property. The many mines that opened up form an arc from the Wheal Turner Mine to the Stanley Mine and include the Yudnamutana, Black Queen, Cockscomb, Daly, Blue, Wheal Frost, Wheal Austin, Wheal Gleeson, Wealthy King and Sir Dominick Mines. Another line of copper deposits is located along the eastern edge of the property following the major fault line between the highlands and the Lake Frome plain. This line includes the Welcome, Great Boulder, White Ants and Lady Buxton Mines.
The central granite domain of Arkaroola was first prospected in 1898 by Bentley Greenwood who ventured up Radium Creek to discover the uranium deposits around Mount Gee and Mount Painter.
Along the southern boundary of Arkaroola, there are a number of east west running igneous intrusions forming a series of plugs. These have been named – Sitting Bull, The Pinnacles, The Needles, and Tourmaline Hill, due to their outcrop profiles and/or minerals. They are primarily granitic in composition, and have abundant cavities containing orthoclase feldspar, quartz, and a host of other associated minerals.
At Arkaroola Bore on the edge of the granite domain is in a zone of altered basalt. This rock contains cavities and seams of mineralised material, the most common being stilbite, which occur as radiating crystal clusters. Other minerals found in the Bore area include – ilmenite, as tabular crystals, hematite, as flat plates and roses, actinolite, quartz, calcite and at least 40 others.
The "Arkaroola Region" as described in this location report contains sub-locations within easy access from Arkaroola Village and includes Arkaroola Station.
The central granite domain is described under the "Mount Painter area".
The north-east section of Arkaroola is described under "Mawson Plateau - Paralana Hot Springs area".
The western boundary and copper belt is described under "Yudnamutana District".
This Region is bound on its outer edges by: the Gammon Ranges National Park in the south-west, the Mount Freeling area to the north-west, Moolawatana at its most northern point, the Paralana High Springs/Mawson Plateau and Wooltana to the east and Merinjina Well at its most southern point.
Arkaroola Station is included as part of this region.
Any minerals found within this region not at a listed or known locality, should be listed (or photos posted) here.
Located at the north eastern end of the Flinders Ranges of South Australia, Arkaroola is an area rich in a variety of minerals. The old Arkaroola Station (now the Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary and Ecotourism Resort) covers a large portion of the Mount Painter Block – a complex suite of rocks dating back to 1800 million years old with a mixture of both low and high grade metamorphic and igneous rocks.
Arkaroola is reached via the Main North Road from Adelaide, either following the western route (680km) via Port Augusta, Quorn, Hawker, Copley and Balcanoona or the eastern route (600km) up the Barrier Highway to Yunta then north via Frome Downs and Balcanoona to Arkaroola.
The mineral province is one that has a long geological history as it has been tightly folded, metamorphosed, folded again, intruded by granites, uplifted, eroded by wind, water and glaciers and uplifted again to the present height, during the last two billion years. As a result the mineral deposits produced via these processes have been exposed on the surface, and many have been prospected as mines.
Exploration of the area for minerals dates back to the 1860’s when copper deposits were discovered around the western edge of the most rugged part of the property. The many mines that opened up form an arc from the Wheal Turner Mine to the Stanley Mine and include the Yudnamutana, Black Queen, Cockscomb, Daly, Blue, Wheal Frost, Wheal Austin, Wheal Gleeson, Wealthy King and Sir Dominick Mines. Another line of copper deposits is located along the eastern edge of the property following the major fault line between the highlands and the Lake Frome plain. This line includes the Welcome, Great Boulder, White Ants and Lady Buxton Mines.
The central granite domain of Arkaroola was first prospected in 1898 by Bentley Greenwood who ventured up Radium Creek to discover the uranium deposits around Mount Gee and Mount Painter.
Along the southern boundary of Arkaroola, there are a number of east west running igneous intrusions forming a series of plugs. These have been named – Sitting Bull, The Pinnacles, The Needles, and Tourmaline Hill, due to their outcrop profiles and/or minerals. They are primarily granitic in composition, and have abundant cavities containing orthoclase feldspar, quartz, and a host of other associated minerals.
At Arkaroola Bore on the edge of the granite domain is in a zone of altered basalt. This rock contains cavities and seams of mineralised material, the most common being stilbite, which occur as radiating crystal clusters. Other minerals found in the Bore area include – ilmenite, as tabular crystals, hematite, as flat plates and roses, actinolite, quartz, calcite and at least 40 others.
The "Arkaroola area" as described in this location report contains sub-locations within easy access from Arkaroola Village and includes the southern and south-eastern sections of Arkaroola Station.
The central granite domain is described under the "Mount Painter area".
The north-east section of Arkaroola is described under "Mawson Plateau - Paralana Hot Springs area".
The western boundary and copper belt is described under "Yudnamutana District".
This Region is bound on its outer edges by; the Gammon Ranges National Park in the south-west, the Mount Freeling area to the north-west, Moolawatana at its most northern point, the Paralana High Springs/Mawson Plateau and Wooltana to the east and Merinjina Well at its most southern point.
Arkaroola Station is included as part of this region. Any minerals found within this region not at a listed or known locality, should listed (or photos posted) here.
Mineral List
Mineral list contains entries from the region specified including sub-localities154 entries listed. 131 valid minerals. 3 type localities (valid minerals).
Localities in this Region
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The above list contains all mineral locality references listed on mindat.org. This does not claim to be a complete list. If you know of more minerals from this site, please register so you can add to our database. This locality information is for reference purposes only. You should never attempt to
visit any sites listed in mindat.org without first ensuring that you have the permission of the land and/or mineral rights holders
for access and that you are aware of all safety precautions necessary.
References
- Brown, H.Y.L. (1908); Record of the Mines of South Australia. published by the South Australia Government Printer 1908, 4th edition. (reprinted in 1985)
- Coats, R.P. & Blisett, A.H. (1971): Regional and Economic Geology of the Mount Painter Province. Geological Survey of South Australia, Bulletin 43.
- Murphy, P. C. and Murphy, J. N. (1988): Fossicking for minerals in the Arkaroola Bore area, South Australia. Osmond Earth Sciences, 44 p.
- Brown, H.Y.L. (1908); Record of the Mines of South Australia. published by the South Australia Government Printer 1908, 4th edition. (reprinted in 1985)
- Coats, R.P. & Blisett, A.H. (1971): Regional and Economic Geology of the Mount Painter Province. Geological Survey of South Australia, Bulletin 43.
- Murphy, P. C. and Murphy, J. N. (1988): Fossicking for minerals in the Arkaroola Bore area, South Australia. Osmond Earth Sciences, 44 p.
- Coats, R.P. & Blisett, A.H. (1971): Regional and Economic Geology of the Mount Painter Province. Geological Survey of South Australia, Bulletin 43.
- Murphy, P. C. and Murphy, J. N. (1988): Fossicking for minerals in the Arkaroola Bore area, South Australia. Osmond Earth Sciences, 44 p.
- Brown, H.Y.L. (1908); Record of the Mines of South Australia. published by the South Australia Government Printer 1908, 4th edition. (reprinted in 1985)
- Coats, R.P. & Blisett, A.H. (1971): Regional and Economic Geology of the Mount Painter Province. Geological Survey of South Australia, Bulletin 43.
- Murphy, P. C. and Murphy, J. N. (1988): Fossicking for minerals in the Arkaroola Bore area, South Australia. Osmond Earth Sciences, 44 p.
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Locality Updated: Papua New GuineaFrom Debbie Woolf, 22nd May 2013 18:29:47