Essex Gold Mine, Wiluna Mining Project, Wiluna, Wiluna Shire, Western Australia, Australiai
| Regional Level Types | |
|---|---|
| Essex Gold Mine | Mine |
| Wiluna Mining Project | Group of Mines |
| Wiluna | Town |
| Wiluna Shire | Shire |
| Western Australia | State |
| Australia | Country |
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Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):
26° 37' 20'' South , 120° 14' 32'' East
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):
Type:
Deposit first discovered:
1896
Köppen climate type:
Nearest Settlements:
| Place | Population | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Wiluna | 680 (2012) | 3.8km |
Mindat Locality ID:
268106
Long-form identifier:
mindat:1:2:268106:4
GUID (UUID V4):
9e0ffaae-134b-4caa-a6b4-73c4cdeac5b7
The Essex Gold Mine was one of the early leases pegged after gold was discovered in the area in 1896. It is now part of the Wiluna Gold Mine, a collection of abandoned pits to the south-east of the town. The mine was situated between the Violet and Happy Jack leases.
Jack Kimber initially set up a one stamp mill operated by hand from a windlass. The Essex Company took over until 1904, carting ore to be processed at the Monarch and Gwalia Mine batteries. They accessed mainly the oxidised ore above 100 feet. Below this the ore was sulphide, with gold associated with arsenopyrite. The technology at the time could not cope with this type of ore.
Prospectors continued to mine the oxide ore until 1923, when the workings were overwhelmed by a heavy inflow of water. Then the Wiluna Gold Mines Ltd took over in 1928. They were set to take over the whole field, and were very active in the late 1930's, employing many hundreds of people at any one time. Initially though progress at the Essex was slow, with sampling and exploration only. Activities ramped up in 1933, with the shaft un-watered, a steel head frame erected and equipment installed. The shaft was deepened to 450 feet, and the sulphide ore processed via a new smelter built near the mine.
The company relinquished the mine at the end of 1946. The following year, Bourne, Hill and Hyman took out the little that was remaining in the underground workings.
Select Mineral List Type
Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Chemical ElementsCommodity List
This is a list of exploitable or exploited mineral commodities recorded at this locality.Mineral List
2 valid minerals.
Detailed Mineral List:
| ⓘ Arsenopyrite Formula: FeAsS |
| ⓘ Gold Formula: Au |
Gallery:
List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification
| Group 1 - Elements | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ⓘ | Gold | 1.AA.05 | Au |
| Group 2 - Sulphides and Sulfosalts | |||
| ⓘ | Arsenopyrite | 2.EB.20 | FeAsS |
List of minerals for each chemical element
| S | Sulfur | |
|---|---|---|
| S | ⓘ Arsenopyrite | FeAsS |
| Fe | Iron | |
| Fe | ⓘ Arsenopyrite | FeAsS |
| As | Arsenic | |
| As | ⓘ Arsenopyrite | FeAsS |
| Au | Gold | |
| Au | ⓘ Gold | Au |
Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality
Australia
- Western Australia
- Mount Keith Nickel Metallogenic ProvinceGeologic Province
- West Australian ElementCraton
- Yilgarn CratonCraton
Australian PlateTectonic Plate
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References
