Ulpuruta Prospect (Nickel Hill), Haasts Bluff, MacDonnell Region, Northern Territory, Australia

Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):	23° 26' 53'' South , 131° 57' 13'' East
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):	-23.4480920541, 131.95378864

The prospect was formerly known as Nickel Hill. The source (Ahmad et al. The Geology and Mineral Resources of the Northern Territory) states the prospect is adjacent to the Papunya-Haasts Bluff Road, but provides no further location details. A map shows the site south of the Haasts Bluff mountain, and maybe incorrectly several kilometres from the road. Mindat map is therefore very approximate.

There are two small outcrops, poorly explored. The largest is 40 x 10 metres of calc-silicate rocks, Fe stained and weathered, consisting of tremolite, with sub-ordinate talc, serpentine, chlorite, biotite, carbonate, and quartz.
This is associated with folded and sheared dolomitic marble, and quartz-feldspar-biotite-muscovite schist. It contains malachite, and lesser galena, chalcopyrite, azurite and chrysocolla.

The second outcrop is 400 metres to the north-west in forsterite marble, and actinolite schist, with rhodonite.

Ahmad states it is a Pb-Zn prospect, although the species mentioned alone indicates Pb-Cu. (Nothing in the information would suggest nickel). Samples however have shown up to 19.7% Zn, with 4.04% Pb and 3.03% Cu. Not surprisingly considering rhodonite is in the mix, there is elevated manganese, although as a manganese-clay mixture.

Fresh galena and pyrite is found within the quartz veins, while the secondary copper species coat joints and foliations.

Mineral List

14 valid minerals.

Rock Types Recorded

Entries shown in red are rocks recorded for this region.

References