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| The Gulf Fluorite specimen 100mmX53mm Clifford Collection |
Fluorite (calcium
fluoride, Ca F₂), also called fluorspar) is found in many places in New
England, but the area north-west of Emmaville, near the margin of the Mole
Granite, known as The Gulf appears
to be the place where there are the most reported occurrences. Of all of these,
only that commonly called The Gulf
Fluorite Mine (alternatively known as Shepherdly’s
Mine or Shepherdly’s Fluorite Mine)
came even close to being an economic source of the mineral.
There are a number
of newspaper reports from February 1919 in Trove, near enough to identical and probably copied from a press release.
Most geological
information also comes from this time as investigations were made into the
economic possibilities of the mine. The remote location and the limited amount
of mineral available soon led to its abandonment. However, the variety of
minerals to be found there has made it a popular collecting locality over the
years, so whenever access is possible (it is private property, so keep away at
other times) there are always quite a few people keen to make the trip.
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| Minerals found at the Gulf Fluorite Mine |
Field
trips associated with Minerama (Glen
Innes) and Gemfest (Emmaville) are
the most likely ones that you can go on, so check out their websites for
information (Google them and you will soon find them).
I have visited the
place only once, in preparation for the 1997
Minerama field trip and the theme booklet on fluorite which appeared that
year. You will find a copy of the book in this Blog (February 2024). We had quite a few
problems with the book in 1997. Most of the colour plates are unsatisfactory
and, to make matters worse, they aren’t all on the pages shown in the table of
contents. Not only that, but I lost my copies of the original photos when I had
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| Heide Klingbeil and John Paix examining a chlorite specimen |
computer problems in 2014. My most abiding memory of that reconnaissance is the
large number of needle-like pale green beryl crystals scattered on the dumps.
Hopefully there are still some left for present-day collectors!
In spite of these
defects, the content was good and I have copied the section dealing with The
Gulf Fluorite Mine into this blog. Here it is, with a description of the
references if you wish to consult
them. I have made a few very minor corrections to the original text.
“The only
deposit in New England which produced fluorite on anything approaching a
commercial scale is that at the Fluorite Mine, otherwise known as Shepherdly's
Fluorite Mine. It is on ML
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| Mine locations at The Gulf (from the Mole Tableland map) |
10, 22km northwest of Emmaville, Parish Muir, County
Gough; GR 44783735, Inverell 1:250,000.
The mineralization at the Fluorite Mine occurs as small
lenticular shoots in "shrinkage" veins in a coarse-grained granite.
These were called "pipes and vughs
in the granite" by Raggatt.
Reference 28, p 13.
“The lode strikes 285⁰ and has an average
width of 0.6m.The vein is made up largely of fluorite, sometimes in large
masses (up to 0.6m of pure fluorite in places) with abundant quartz, feldspar,
chlorite and greisen. Sulfides of arsenic, copper and zinc and a little beryl
are the main accessory minerals. This deposit has been worked in the past for
wolframite and fluorite. One main shaft was sunk in 1919 following a
fluorite-rich ore shoot, 2m in diameter, which pitched steeply to the west.
Another shaft 3m deep was sunk on fluorite 24m to the west of the old shaft. A
sample of several tonnes of hand-picked ore contained 93.1% CaF₂. The fluorite
is commonly extracted in large, bright-green masses, free from impurities. Both
the fluorite and wolframite are very pure and the fluorite could be used for
enamelling purposes. The remoteness of this deposit and the small reserves of
ore make further production unlikely…. Total recorded production is 296 tonnes
of which 203 tonnes were produced in 1919.”
Reference 25 p 372.
"Fluorite has been won from what may
be a pegmatitic vein or shoot in the
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| Cover photo from the 1997 Minerama book |
granite…. It strikes at 105⁰. M, and is
0.6m wide along drives and 2m in diameter in a shoot which pitches steeply
westerly..... It is of interest that the prolonged exposure to the atmosphere
of fluorite on the dumps has resulted in a loss of colour."
Smith (Reference 29 p
76) also refers to the Fluorite Mine. "There are several localities in which the fluorite is found of the same
quality. It is sometimes roughly crystallised, very translucent, and always of
a rich green colour, except when associated with the copper ore, when it is
less distinct in colour. The locality in which it is found is about
three-quarters of a mile west to 3 miles north-west of the Gulf. ... Several
inquiries were recently made for pure fluorite for purposes for which inferior
material would be unsuitable, and as samples had been forwarded to Mr. Card (Ed. - the N.S.W.
Government Analyst), inquiries were readily satisfied as to quality. This has
resulted in the mining of considerable quantity - over 100 tons - and the
establishment of the enamelling industry in Sydney."
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| Front cover specimen with fluorite necklace |
According to David (Reference
11 p 111), “Gaden's Lode, the
furthest west of the above-mentioned lodes (Ed. - the Gulf Lodes) is situated
in portion 33, parish Muir, county Gough. The vein is from 2 to 3 feet wide,
and strikes 40⁰ east of north and west of south, dipping about 82⁰
south-easterly. Veinstone chlorite and quartz with vughs filled with purple
fluorspar. The walls are not defined, the veinstone merging into a very
quartzose ternary granite, becoming less quartzose at a distance from the vein."
Reference 10 p 54.
“Davison's Lode. West of Gulf Creek, Parish Muir, County Gough. Strike N.E. Shaft sunk
about 20 feet in chloritic quartzose lodestuff containing wolfram, copper
pyrites and fluorspar."
Reference 10 p 59.
“Hutton's Wolfram Lode. West of Gulf
Creek, The Gulf, Parish Muir, County Gough. Strike N. 60⁰h E. Opened for a
length of about 4 chains. Fluorspar conspicuous, also chalcopyrite. Occurs in
chloritic veinstone with crystalline quartz in vughs and small veins. Width
from a thread to 2 feet. The Gulf Stream Lode. (Portion 60, Parish Land’s End,
County Gough; GR 450374, Inverell 1:250,000) is a fissure vein up to 2m wide,
but averaging 0.6m. It was worked for tin. Like the other lodes in The Gulf
district, fluorite and wolframite are both present in the vein, which consists
mostly of quartz, chlorite and decomposed felspar. Balmain and Rumsby’s mine is
located at GR 44883721, Inverell 1:250,000.”
Reference 25 p 372
states that "Minerals present in the
lode include major chalcopyrite with wolframite and pyrite, and minor
arsenopyrite, scheelite, galena, beryl, fluorite and tourmaline."
Reference 10 p 66.”Rumsby's Lode, south-west of the Yankee Tin
Lodes, The Gulf, Parish Muir, County Gough. ... The pipe measured 10 feet by 8
feet in its strongest part. The veinstone is chloritic and soft. The wolfram
occurred in masses of great purity, accompanied by large bunches of rich green
fluorspar, and lesser quantities of mispickel and copper pyrites."
Garths Lode (ML 4 in Portion 11, parish Flagstone, County
Gough; GR 45833706, Grafton 1:250,000) is a complex and interesting ore
deposit. Reference 23 p 15 states
that it is "a fissure lode about 1m
wide in granite about 50m from the sedimentary contact. Cassiterite, biotite, chlorite, ferberite,
chalcopyrite, arsenopyrite, tourmaline, monazite, topaz, quartz, green and
purple fluorite, and torbernite are present. The deposit was worked for tin."
Reference 25 p 371.
“Garth's or Gayden's lode consists of the
usual quartz-chlorite with cassiterite,
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Specimen from The Gulf with fluorite carvings
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chalcopyrite, minor green fluorite and
rare monazite and torbernite. Strike is 013⁰, dip is near vertical, known
length is 200m, and average width is 0.75m. Heisers Lode (ML 68 in Portion 11,
Parish Flagstones, County Gough; GR 458370, Grafton 1:250,000) is a greisenous
lode adjacent to Garth's Lode. According to Reference 23 it "is developed within siliceous granite at the
granite/metasediment contact. Cassiterite, ferberite and pyrite occur in a
gangue made up of quartz, chlorite, chrysocolla, stilbite, biotite, magnetite,
tourmaline and fluorite, with traces of torbernite. This lode was mainly worked
for tin."
10. (1912). The Tungsten Mining Industry in New South Wales.
Miner. Resour. geol. Surv. N.S.W.15 102 pp.
11. DAVID T.W.E. (1887). Geology of the Vegetable Creek
Tin-Mining Field, New England District New South Wales. Mem. geol. Surv.
N.S.W., Geol. 1 169 pp.
25. MARKHAM N.L. and BASDEN H. (Editors) (1974). The Mineral
Deposits of New South Wales. Geol. Survey of N.S.W. 682 pp.
28. RAGGATT H.G. (1924). Asbestos, Emery, Fluorspar,
Fuller's earth, Graphite, Phosphates, Talc and Soapstone. Bull. geol. Surv.
N.S.W. 14.
29. SMITH G. (1919). The Occurrence of pure fluorspar in New
South Wales. A. Rep. Dep. Mines N.S.W. for 1918.
There is more recent material in the various metallogenic
maps and surveys (Mole Tableland, Inverell and Grafton) which would help you to
locate the above mentioned sites and others mines and prospects in the
vicinity. These are all downloadable from DIGS, as are the references listed
above.
Happy collecting! It would be of benefit to all future
readers of this blog if you could add a comment telling of your collecting
experiences at this interesting old mining locality.
Mindat record of the Gulf Fluorite Mine here.
Geological Survey of NSW report on Fluorite (1973) here.
All New England and other Geology blogs and videos
Limestone Caves of NSW
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Shoalhaven District Geology.
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