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Wyrallah Diatomite Deposit

Past Producer in New South Wales, Australia with commodity Diatomite
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Sections on this page
  1. Identification information
  2. Geographic coordinates
  3. Site location context
  4. Geographic areas
  5. Commodities
  6. Materials information
  7. Mineral occurrence model information
  8. Host and associated rocks
  9. Nearby scientific data
  10. Ore body information
  11. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  12. Mining district
  13. Links to other databases
  14. Bibliographic references
  15. General comments
  16. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10023633
MRDS ID I001010
Record type Site
Current site name Wyrallah Diatomite Deposit

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: 153.36524, -28.92978 (WGS84)

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

New South Wales(province)

Australia(country)

Australia(continent)

Land(continent)

Geographic areas

Country State
Australia New South Wales

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Diatomite Primary

Comments on the commodity information

  • THE OPAL VARIES FROM LIGHT GRAY TO DARK BROWN AND BLACK. IT IS BANDED IN PALCES AND RESEMBLES FOSSIL WOOD. THE DIATOMITE APPEARS MASSIVE, BUT IS EASILY BROKEN ALONG BEDDING PLANES WHERE ABUNDANT FOSSIL PLANT FRAGMENTS ARE PRESENT. "MELOSIRA GRANULTA" AND "FRAGILARIA CONSTRUENS VAR. VENTER" ARE THE DOMINANT DIATOMS.

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Diatomite Ore
Limonite Gangue
Opal Gangue
Quartz Gangue

Analytical data

Result SIO2-82.7%
Result AL2O3-2.0%. FREE QUARTZ-< 1%.

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 222
USGS model code 31s
Deposit model name Lacustrine diatomite

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Mafic Volcanic Rock > Basalt
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Miocene
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Miocene
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Miocene
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Diatomite

Nearby scientific data

(1) 153.36524, -28.92978
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Economic information

Ore body information

  • General form STRATIFORM

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Non-metallic
Significant No

Mining district

District name Lismore-Ballina Area

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • ONLY SMALL QUANTITIES OF DIATOMITE ARE THOUGHT TO REMAIN.

Comments on the workings information

  • AN UNDERGROUND DRIVE EXTENDS 5 M INTO THE DEPOSIT FROM THE NORTHERN END OF THE OPEN CUT.

Comments on development

  • NO LEASE HOLDER.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    HOLMES, G.G., STANLEY, C., SWEENEY, V., 1989, DIATOMITE IN NEW SOUTH WALES: GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF NEW SOUTH WALES MINERAL RESOURCES 46, 161 P

  • Production

    HOLMES AND OTHERS, 1989.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit THE DIATOMITE IS OF GOOD QUALITY AND VARIES IN COLOR FROM WHITE TO LIGHT BROWN. IT IS A LITTLE LESS THAN 2 M THICK AND HAS LIGHT IRON STAINING AND DISCONTINUOUS LAYERS OF GRAY COMMON OPAL. THE OPALINE LAYERS ARE UP TO 0.3 M THICK. IN PLACES, THE DIATOMITE IS RESILICIFIED AND STONY. ABOUT 1.3 M OF MASSIVE OPAL OCCURS AT THE BASE OF THE DEPOSIT AND A LAYER 0.3 M THICK OVERLIES THE DIATOMITE. THE UPPER OPAL LAYER IS OVERLAIN BY VESICULAR BASALT.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-AUG-1991 Orris, Greta J. U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

Supplemental information added by qvyshift.com. Not part of the original USGS MRDS record.

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