Hidden Mystery Gold Mine, Tennant Creek, Barkly Region, Northern Territory, Australia
| Latitude & Longitude (WGS84): | 19° 35' 45'' South , 134° 10' 14'' East |
|---|---|
| Latitude & Longitude (decimal): | -19.59591,134.17077 |
The Hidden Mystery gold mine is located 7 kilometres north north-west of Tennant Creek, on the northern boundary of the Mary Lane Shear Zone, a major regional east-west structure. In the mine area is found mudstones, siltstone, greywacke , but mainly shale of the Carraman Formation, with much quartz veining.
The Mystery mine workings are on magnetite/hematite ironstones, these becoming more jasperlitic and siliceous away from the mine. The ironstone forms a cylindrical shaped magnetic body, plunging steeply east south-east.
Foliated quartz-feldspar porphyry encloses jasperlitic ironstone lenses 300 metres east south-east of the old mine workings. A kaolinised quartz-feldspar porphyry intrudes the sedimentary rocks, 760 metres east of the workings.
Explored in the late 1980's, and 1990's by Metana Minerals, Roebuck Resources, Placer Exploration Ltd, and Posgold Ltd. BMR identified an anomaly 500 metres east of the old mine workings in 1969, they also call Hidden Mystery.
Mentioned in passing as developed by Charlie Priest in the 1930's. The mine only produced 11.5 ounces of gold at 15 g/t. Daniel Francis Laughlin took out the lease (GML 136E) in 1945.
Modat lists cassiterite at the location, although this is not a species commonly mentioned in the Tennant Creek area.
The site contains at least six shafts, and some shallow bulldozer scrapings. Bordering to the west appears to be a station homestead with several buildings.
Mineral List
8 valid minerals.
Rock Types Recorded
Select Rock List Type
Alphabetical List Tree DiagramRegional Geology
This geological map and associated information on rock units at or nearby to the coordinates given for this locality is based on relatively small scale geological maps provided by various national Geological Surveys. This does not necessarily represent the complete geology at this locality but it gives a background for the region in which it is found.
Click on geological units on the map for more information. Click here to view full-screen map on Macrostrat.org
| Orosirian 1800 - 2050 Ma | Warramunga Formation Age: Orosirian (1800 - 2050 Ma) Stratigraphic Name: Warramunga Formation Description: Tuffaceous arenite/wacke ("metagreywacke") and siltstone; shale, including argillaceous banded ironstone ("haematite shale"); slate. Comments: sedimentary siliciclastic; synthesis of multiple published descriptions Lithology: Sedimentary siliciclastic Reference: Raymond, O.L., Liu, S., Gallagher, R., Zhang, W., Highet, L.M. Surface Geology of Australia 1:1 million scale dataset 2012 edition. Commonwealth of Australia (Geoscience Australia). [5] |
Data and map coding provided by Macrostrat.org, used under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License
References
Wright, P. (1989) MLC 508 "Hidden Mystery". Summary Report on Exploration for the Period Ending 8th March 1989, Geological 1:250,000 Tennant Cree Sheet. Metana Minerals N.L. / Top End Resources Joint Venture.
Carter, J.D., Pearson, J. (1988) Annual Report for the Period Ended 31/12/1987. MLC 508 Hidden Mystery. Tennant Creek Northern Territory, Top End Resources NL.
Mackie, A. (1992) EL 5706 Mystery Final Report, Tennat Creek 1:250,000 Sheet Area. Roebuck Resources NL / Centralfield Minerals Pty Ltd Joint Venture Tennant Creek. Technical Report No. 267.
Hatcher, M.I.(1995) Relinquishment Report for Substitute Exploration Licence 8666 for the Period 29/08/94 to 28/7/95, Tennant Creek District, Northern Territory, Highway Licence, Volume 1 of 1. Posgold Limited.
Chronicle newspaper (Adelaide) (1945) Notice of Application for a Gold Mining Lease, 15/02/1945.
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