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North Flinders Ranges, Flinders Ranges, South Australia, Australia

Latitude: 30°20'S
Longitude: 139°15'E
The Flinders Ranges is the longest mountain range in South Australia. Stretching over 430km from near Port Pirie in the south to Mount Hopeless in the northeast, the main range is formed by a folded sequence of neoproterozoic sedimentary rocks with inliers of older middle proterozioc igneous and metamorphic rocks.

Named in honour of Matthew Flinders, who recorded their first sighting in 1802, their extent would not be fully known until Edward John Eyre reached the northern tip in 1840. He named Mt Deception and Mt Hopeless after seeing dry salt lakes from their summits and assumed that the top end of the Flinders Ranges was surrounded by a horse-shoe shaped impassible salt lake.

Minerals were first found throughout the district during the 1850's, as pastoralists ventured northwards from Quorn and opened up the land. Copper was found in the northern part of the ranges while barytes was found in the southern part. The majority of the mineral deposits scattered throughout the Flinders Ranges are associated with the action of diapirs and then a folding event during the late Cambrian. These provided fracture zones in the rock where minerals could be deposited.

The Northern Flinders Ranges section starts along a longitude line just south of the township of Blinman and extends through to Arkaroola-Mount Painter in the northeast and the Willouran Range in the northwest.

In this area are the zinc deposits around Beltana, the copper deposits of Blinman, Yudnumutana and Mount Burr, silver deposits around Lyndhurst, talc mines near Mount Freeling, uranium deposits near Mount Painter and coal mines at Leigh Creek.

The area is reached via the Main North Road from Adelaide, either following the western route via Port Augusta, Quorn and Hawker to Leigh Creek (550km) or the eastern route up the Barrier Highway to Yunta then north via Frome Downs and Balcanoona to Arkaroola (600km). There are several cross roads and loop roads that connect other locations within the Flinders Ranges, such as: Wilpena Pound, Blinman, Chambers Gorge and Lyndhurst.

Mineral List

Mineral list contains entries from the region specified including sub-localities
Acanthite
Actinolite
Adamite
Albite
Allanite-(Ce)
Almandine
Alunite
Anatase
Andalusite
var: Chiastolite
Anglesite
Ankerite
Annabergite
Antigorite
'Apatite'
Aragonite
Arsenopyrite
Atacamite
Aurichalcite
Austinite
Autunite
Azurite
Baryte
Barytocalcite
Baumhauerite
Beryl
β-Uranophane
Billietite
'Biotite'
Bismite
Bismuth
Bismuthinite
Bismutite
Boltwoodite
Bornite
Bournonite
Brannerite
Brochantite
Calcite
var: Cobaltoan Calcite
var: Manganoan Calcite
Carnotite
Cassiterite
Cerianite-(Ce)
Cerite-(Ce)
Cerussite
Cervantite
Chalcanthite
Chalcocite
Chalcophanite
Chalcopyrite
'Chert'
Chlorargyrite
Chondrodite
Chrysocolla
Cinnabar
Clinobisvanite
Clinochlore
Clinozoisite
Cobaltite
Coffinite
Columbite-(Fe)
Columbite-(Mn)
Conichalcite
Connellite
Copiapite
Copper
Cordierite
Cornubite
Cornwallite
Coronadite
Corundum
var: Sapphire
Covellite
Cryptomelane
Cuprite
Davidite-(La)
Dewindtite
Digenite
Diopside
Dolomite
Doloresite
Dravite
Dufrénoysite
Duftite
Elbaite
Epidote
Epsomite
Erythrite
'Fergusonite'
Fergusonite-(Y)
Finnemanite
Fluocerite-(Ce)
Fluorapatite
Fluorite
Françoisite-(Ce) (TL)
Françoisite-(Nd)
Gahnite
Galena
Gersdorffite
Goethite
Gold
Greenockite
'Gummite'
Gypsum
Hedyphane
Hematite
Hemimorphite
Hetaerolite
'Högbomite'
Hollandite
Hydrohetaerolite
Hydrozincite
Ilmenite
Jarosite
Kasolite
Köttigite
Lanarkite
Larsenite
Laumontite
Lead
Libethenite
Liebigite
'Limonite'
Magnesiotaaffeite-2N’2S
Magnesite
Magnetite
Malachite
Manganite
Marcasite
Massicot
Melanterite
Melonite
Metaschoepite
Metatorbernite
Microcline
Microlite Group
var: Uranmicrolite (of Hogarth 1977)

Mimetite
Mixite
Molybdenite
'Monazite'
Monazite-(Ce)
Montmorillonite
Muscovite
Olivenite
Opal
var: Opal-AN
Orthoclase
Parasymplesite
Paulscherrerite (TL)
Phenakite
Phlogopite
Phosgenite
Plattnerite
Plumbojarosite
Potassic-chloro-hastingsite
Pseudomalachite
'Psilomelane'
Pyrite
'Pyrochlore Supergroup
var: Betafite (of Hogarth 1977)'

Pyrolusite
Pyromorphite
var: Ca-bearing Pyromorphite
Quartz
var: Amethyst
var: Jasper
var: Smoky Quartz
'Roméite Group'
'Roméite Group
var: Stibiconite'

Rosasite
Rutherfordine
Rutile
var: Niobian Rutile
Samarskite-(Y)
Scheelite
Schoepite
Scholzite
Schorl
Scolecite
Siderite
Silver
Skutterudite
Smithsonite
'Soapstone'
Soddyite
Spessartine
Sphalerite
Spherocobaltite
Spinel
Spriggite (TL)
'Stilbite'
Talc
Tantalite-(Fe)
Tantalite-(Mn)
Tenorite
Tetrahedrite
var: Mercurian Tetrahedrite
Thorite
Tilasite
Titanite
var: Yttrian Titanite
Todorokite
Topaz
Torbernite
Törnebohmite-(Ce)
'Tourmaline'
Tremolite
Tridymite
Triphylite
Tsumcorite
Ullmannite
Uraninite
Uranophane
Vanadinite
var: Arsenatian Vanadinite
Volborthite
Wakefieldite-(Ce)
Weeksite
Willemite
Witherite
Wulfenite
Xenotime-(Y)
Zircon


223 entries listed. 194 valid minerals. 3 type localities (valid minerals).

Localities in this Region

Australia
Australia

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)
- Dickinson, S.B. (1944); The Structural Control of Ore Deposition in Some South Australian Copperfields, No.2 - Blinman mine, Sliding Rock mine. Geological Survey of South Australia, Bulletin No.21.
- Coats, R.P. & Blisett, A.H. (1971): Regionaland Economic Geology of the Mount Painter Province. Geological Survey of South Australia, Bulletin No.43.
- Noble, R.J, Just, J, Johnson, J.E. (1983): Catalogue of South Australian Minerals: 1983.
- Murphy, P. C. and Murphy, J. N. (1988): Fossicking for minerals in the Arkaroola Bore area, South Australia. Osmond Earth Sciences.
- Murphy, P. C. and Murphy, J. N. (2000): Fossicking for minerals at the Puttapa Zinc Mine, South Australia. Osmond Earth Sciences.

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Copyright © Jolyon Ralph and Ida Chau 1993-2013. Site Map. Locality, mineral & photograph data are the copyright of the individuals who submitted them. Site hosted & developed by Jolyon Ralph. Mindat.org is an online information resource dedicated to providing free mineralogical information to all. Mindat relies on the contributions of thousands of members and supporters. Mindat does not offer minerals for sale. If you would like to add information to improve the quality of our database, then click here to register.
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