Murra-El-Elevyn Cave, Cocklebiddy Roadhouse, Dundas Shire, Western Australia, Australiai
Regional Level Types | |
---|---|
Murra-El-Elevyn Cave | Cave |
Cocklebiddy Roadhouse | Community |
Dundas Shire | Shire |
Western Australia | State |
Australia | Country |
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Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):
32° 2' 35'' South , 126° 2' 18'' East
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):
Type:
KΓΆppen climate type:
Mindat Locality ID:
230
Long-form identifier:
mindat:1:2:230:2
GUID (UUID V4):
3bdc83cb-da3f-4940-8c79-4cd21185fd5e
Type locality for bisphosphammite, and a number of bat guano related species.
Located about 5 kilometres west of the Cocklebiddy Roadhouse and 1 kilometre south of the Eyre Highway. A permit is required to enter the cave, although there appears no obvious easy access from the sinkhole.
A sinkhole with a 300-metre long main tunnel, and two interconnected networks, one half filled with water and the other completely filled.
The breakdown of bat droppings and urine to form nitrogen has interacted with the phosphate, potassium, and calcium of the limestone to form a suite of unusual species. The cave is the roosting place of Chalinolobus Morio (Little Chocolate Bat). They have created a large guano pile coating the limestone with a buff to dark brown-black massive to crystalline crust with insect remains, bat droppings, dead bats, and skeletal material in an atmosphere of 88% humidity (have we put you off becoming a geologist yet!)
The massive portion of the crust is an intergrown mixture of aphthitalite, syngenite, monetite, whitlockite, gypsum, and organic material. The crystalline coatings are biphosphammite, ammonian KH2PO4 which is described as visually identical to bisphosphammite but yet to be studied, occurring as buff to white 2.0 x 0.2 mm tapering prisms. Hannayite is found as occasional clear pale brown platy 0.2 x 0.5 mm crystals in groups coating the crusts. Brushite and taylorite as scattered or grouped white feathery 0.25 x 0.20 mm crystals. Mirabilite as small clear crystal groups with organic fibres on steep slopes near the guano pile, but not associated with the crust. Carbonate-rich Hydroxylapatite ("Dahllite") as dark brown, smooth coatings on the higher ledges where the bats once roosted.
Select Mineral List Type
Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Chemical ElementsMineral List
13 valid minerals. 1 (TL) - type locality of valid minerals.
Rock Types Recorded
Note: data is currently VERY limited. Please bear with us while we work towards adding this information!
Select Rock List Type
Alphabetical List Tree DiagramDetailed Mineral List:
β 'Apatite' Formula: Ca5(PO4)3(Cl/F/OH) |
β Aphthitalite Formula: (K,Na)3Na(SO4)2 |
β Arcanite Formula: K2SO4 References: |
β Arcanite var. Taylorite (of Dana) Formula: (K,NH4)2SO4 |
β Archerite Formula: (K,NH4)(H2PO4) References: |
β Biphosphammite (TL) Formula: NH4(H2PO4) Type Locality: |
β Brushite Formula: Ca(PO3OH) · 2H2O |
β Guanine Formula: C5H5N5O |
β Gypsum Formula: CaSO4 · 2H2O |
β Hannayite Formula: (NH4)2Mg3H4(PO4)4 · 8H2O |
β Hydroxylapatite Formula: Ca5(PO4)3(OH) |
β Hydroxylapatite var. Carbonate-rich Hydroxylapatite Formula: Ca5(PO4,CO3)3(OH,O) |
β Mirabilite Formula: Na2SO4 · 10H2O |
β Monetite Formula: Ca(PO3OH) |
β Syngenite Formula: K2Ca(SO4)2 · H2O |
β Whitlockite Formula: Ca9Mg(PO4)6(PO3OH) |
Gallery:
List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification
Group 7 - Sulphates, Chromates, Molybdates and Tungstates | |||
---|---|---|---|
β | Aphthitalite | 7.AC.35 | (K,Na)3Na(SO4)2 |
β | Arcanite | 7.AD.05 | K2SO4 |
β | var. Taylorite (of Dana) | 7.AD.05 | (K,NH4)2SO4 |
β | Mirabilite | 7.CD.10 | Na2SO4 Β· 10H2O |
β | Syngenite | 7.CD.35 | K2Ca(SO4)2 Β· H2O |
β | Gypsum | 7.CD.40 | CaSO4 Β· 2H2O |
Group 8 - Phosphates, Arsenates and Vanadates | |||
β | Whitlockite | 8.AC.45 | Ca9Mg(PO4)6(PO3OH) |
β | Monetite | 8.AD.10 | Ca(PO3OH) |
β | Archerite | 8.AD.15 | (K,NH4)(H2PO4) |
β | Biphosphammite (TL) | 8.AD.15 | NH4(H2PO4) |
β | Hydroxylapatite var. Carbonate-rich Hydroxylapatite | 8.BN.05 | Ca5(PO4,CO3)3(OH,O) |
β | 8.BN.05 | Ca5(PO4)3(OH) | |
β | Hannayite | 8.CH.35 | (NH4)2Mg3H4(PO4)4 Β· 8H2O |
β | Brushite | 8.CJ.50 | Ca(PO3OH) Β· 2H2O |
Group 10 - Organic Compounds | |||
β | Guanine | 10.CA.30 | C5H5N5O |
Unclassified | |||
β | 'Apatite' | - | Ca5(PO4)3(Cl/F/OH) |
List of minerals for each chemical element
H | Hydrogen | |
---|---|---|
H | β Archerite | (K,NH4)(H2PO4) |
H | β Biphosphammite | NH4(H2PO4) |
H | β Brushite | Ca(PO3OH) · 2H2O |
H | β Hydroxylapatite var. Carbonate-rich Hydroxylapatite | Ca5(PO4,CO3)3(OH,O) |
H | β Guanine | C5H5N5O |
H | β Gypsum | CaSO4 · 2H2O |
H | β Hannayite | (NH4)2Mg3H4(PO4)4 · 8H2O |
H | β Hydroxylapatite | Ca5(PO4)3(OH) |
H | β Mirabilite | Na2SO4 · 10H2O |
H | β Monetite | Ca(PO3OH) |
H | β Syngenite | K2Ca(SO4)2 · H2O |
H | β Whitlockite | Ca9Mg(PO4)6(PO3OH) |
H | β Arcanite var. Taylorite (of Dana) | (K,NH4)2SO4 |
H | β Apatite | Ca5(PO4)3(Cl/F/OH) |
C | Carbon | |
C | β Hydroxylapatite var. Carbonate-rich Hydroxylapatite | Ca5(PO4,CO3)3(OH,O) |
C | β Guanine | C5H5N5O |
N | Nitrogen | |
N | β Archerite | (K,NH4)(H2PO4) |
N | β Biphosphammite | NH4(H2PO4) |
N | β Guanine | C5H5N5O |
N | β Hannayite | (NH4)2Mg3H4(PO4)4 · 8H2O |
N | β Arcanite var. Taylorite (of Dana) | (K,NH4)2SO4 |
O | Oxygen | |
O | β Aphthitalite | (K,Na)3Na(SO4)2 |
O | β Arcanite | K2SO4 |
O | β Archerite | (K,NH4)(H2PO4) |
O | β Biphosphammite | NH4(H2PO4) |
O | β Brushite | Ca(PO3OH) · 2H2O |
O | β Hydroxylapatite var. Carbonate-rich Hydroxylapatite | Ca5(PO4,CO3)3(OH,O) |
O | β Guanine | C5H5N5O |
O | β Gypsum | CaSO4 · 2H2O |
O | β Hannayite | (NH4)2Mg3H4(PO4)4 · 8H2O |
O | β Hydroxylapatite | Ca5(PO4)3(OH) |
O | β Mirabilite | Na2SO4 · 10H2O |
O | β Monetite | Ca(PO3OH) |
O | β Syngenite | K2Ca(SO4)2 · H2O |
O | β Whitlockite | Ca9Mg(PO4)6(PO3OH) |
O | β Arcanite var. Taylorite (of Dana) | (K,NH4)2SO4 |
O | β Apatite | Ca5(PO4)3(Cl/F/OH) |
F | Fluorine | |
F | β Apatite | Ca5(PO4)3(Cl/F/OH) |
Na | Sodium | |
Na | β Aphthitalite | (K,Na)3Na(SO4)2 |
Na | β Mirabilite | Na2SO4 · 10H2O |
Mg | Magnesium | |
Mg | β Hannayite | (NH4)2Mg3H4(PO4)4 · 8H2O |
Mg | β Whitlockite | Ca9Mg(PO4)6(PO3OH) |
P | Phosphorus | |
P | β Archerite | (K,NH4)(H2PO4) |
P | β Biphosphammite | NH4(H2PO4) |
P | β Brushite | Ca(PO3OH) · 2H2O |
P | β Hydroxylapatite var. Carbonate-rich Hydroxylapatite | Ca5(PO4,CO3)3(OH,O) |
P | β Hannayite | (NH4)2Mg3H4(PO4)4 · 8H2O |
P | β Hydroxylapatite | Ca5(PO4)3(OH) |
P | β Monetite | Ca(PO3OH) |
P | β Whitlockite | Ca9Mg(PO4)6(PO3OH) |
P | β Apatite | Ca5(PO4)3(Cl/F/OH) |
S | Sulfur | |
S | β Aphthitalite | (K,Na)3Na(SO4)2 |
S | β Arcanite | K2SO4 |
S | β Gypsum | CaSO4 · 2H2O |
S | β Mirabilite | Na2SO4 · 10H2O |
S | β Syngenite | K2Ca(SO4)2 · H2O |
S | β Arcanite var. Taylorite (of Dana) | (K,NH4)2SO4 |
Cl | Chlorine | |
Cl | β Apatite | Ca5(PO4)3(Cl/F/OH) |
K | Potassium | |
K | β Aphthitalite | (K,Na)3Na(SO4)2 |
K | β Arcanite | K2SO4 |
K | β Archerite | (K,NH4)(H2PO4) |
K | β Syngenite | K2Ca(SO4)2 · H2O |
K | β Arcanite var. Taylorite (of Dana) | (K,NH4)2SO4 |
Ca | Calcium | |
Ca | β Brushite | Ca(PO3OH) · 2H2O |
Ca | β Hydroxylapatite var. Carbonate-rich Hydroxylapatite | Ca5(PO4,CO3)3(OH,O) |
Ca | β Gypsum | CaSO4 · 2H2O |
Ca | β Hydroxylapatite | Ca5(PO4)3(OH) |
Ca | β Monetite | Ca(PO3OH) |
Ca | β Syngenite | K2Ca(SO4)2 · H2O |
Ca | β Whitlockite | Ca9Mg(PO4)6(PO3OH) |
Ca | β Apatite | Ca5(PO4)3(Cl/F/OH) |
Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality
Australia
- Bight BasinBasin
- Central Australian ElementCraton
- Eucla BasinBasin
Australian PlateTectonic Plate
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