In 1993 Minerama
adopted beryl as its theme mineral for that year’s show. This led to the
compilation of the “Beryl” booklet (downloadable here (No longer available there. You can find it now in this blog) mineral displays
and several field trips to beryl localities. One place the organisers visited was
Smith’s Mica Lode at Torrington, shown to us by John Griffey. This was the only
time I visited the place, but I kept some of the specimens until we moved from Glen
Innes in 2013. They contained more beryl crystals (all opaque, sadly) than I have
seen from any other locality near Torrington.
Derived from MINDAT. The pink crystal locates Smith's Mica Lode. The granite country and the Torrington sedimentary pendant can easily be distinguished.
It wasn’t easy to
get to then and presumably it isn’t today. Access was through private land from
the site of Tungsten village and then on foot through the Torrington State
Forest. The outcrop is of pegmatite in which beryl, biotite and feldspar dominate.
As you can see from the various maps included in this blog, the site is within
the Torrington State Forest. It is a couple of hundred metres from the granite
boundary and the country rock is sedimentary strata into which the pegmatite
dyke has intruded from the granite beneath.
From a 1981 publication on mining at Torrington. Smith's Mica Lode is located top centre. The blue line locates the edge of the granite.
The "Beryl”
booklet incorporates quotations from several sources (all of which are no doubt
downloadable from DIGS. The link to DIGS is here. (Doesn't work)) I won’t repeat any of this
information here. The one reference I have included dates from 1972 but I can’t
track down the source. I found it during a search of DIGS.
The
Grafton Maclean Metallogenic Map locates Smith’s Mica Lode by the number
0551. (Green circle, top centre.) The accompanying notes tell us that Be, Bi, W, U, Sn, Zn and Cu minerals have
been found there. Mindat (to be found here) gives the following information:
“Smiths
mica (Mica lode; Smiths mica mine; Junction reefs), Torrington, Clive Co., New
South Wales, Australia. Mineral List: Beryl, 'Biotite', Cassiterite, 'Monazite', Muscovite
Located approximately 7.5km North of
Torrington. Coordinates: 370705mE, 6763668mN.
Operated as a shaft and shallow pits 1907 to 1921 and later 1954 to 1957.
Grafton-MacLean 1:250 000 map sheet.
The other numbered localities nearby are:
0011 Wren’s
NW Workings. Topaz, W, Bi.
0060 The
Black Swamp Creek Alluvials. Mindat states: “Black
Swamp Creek Alluvials, Torrington, Clive Co., New
South Wales, Australia. Located approximately 6 km North of Torrington. Dredging operations from
1907 and sporadically through to late 1950s. Mineral List: Cassiterite, Corundum, 'Monazite', Quartz, Topaz.
This location appears to contain
just what fossickers are looking for. Burnt Hut Creek is also part of this
system. I would expect to find beryl in the gravel; take note that beryl does
not concentrate in a sieve because of its relatively low specific gravity.
0546 Poor
Prospect. Mindat states: “Poor Prospect, Torrington, Clive Co., New
South Wales, Australia. Located approximately 7 km North of Torrington. Operated as shallow
pits. Mineral List: Quartz, 'Wolframite'.
0547 The Wet
Deposit. Mindat states: “Wet deposit, Torrington, Clive Co., New
South Wales, Australia. Located approximately 7 km North of Torrington. Operated as shaft and
shallow pits. Mineral List: Quartz, 'Wolframite'.”
0548 Junction
Prospect. Mindat states: “Junction prospect, Torrington, Clive Co., New
South Wales, Australia. Located approximately 7 km North of Torrington. Operated as shallow pits.
Mineral List: 'Biotite', Muscovite var: Sericite, Quartz, 'Wolframite'.”
0549 Fletcher’s
Deposit. Mindat states: “Fletchers deposit, Torrington, Clive Co., New
South Wales, Australia. Located approximately 7.5 km North-West of Torrington.
Operated as underground workings, shafts and shallow pits 1913 to 1921. Mineral List: 'Limonite', 'Limonite', Muscovite var: Sericite, Quartz, 'Wolframite', Muscovite var: Sericite'.
0550 Roberts Lode. Mindat states: “Roberts Lode. Located approximately 7.5 km
North of Torrington. Operated as a shaft and numerous shallow pits 1910. Mineral List 'Wolframite'.”
0584 Lonely Deposit. Mindat states: “Lonely Deposit, Torrington, Clive
Co., New
South Wales,
Australia. Located approximately 7 km
North-West of Torrington. Operated as shallow pits. Mineral List: Quartz, 'Wolframite'.”
1326 Upper
Black Swamp Lodes. Topaz, quartz.
From the Beryl book (1993). Specimen from Smith's Mica Lode.
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