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Lillicur Diatomite Deposit

Producer in Victoria, 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. Ownership information
  13. Links to other databases
  14. Bibliographic references
  15. General comments
  16. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10023637
MRDS ID I001015
Record type Site
Current site name Lillicur Diatomite Deposit

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: 143.46528, -37.07945 (WGS84)
Relative position NEAR AVOCA, 143 KM NW OF MELBOURNE.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Victoria(province)

Australia(country)

Australia(continent)

Land(continent)

Geographic areas

Country State
Australia Victoria

Comments on the location information

  • LAT-LONG IS FOR APPROXIMATE CENTER OF SALAR. ENTRANCE ROADS AVAILABLE--STATE ROAD 53. THE NORTHERNMOST PART OF THE SALAR IS IN THE PROVINCE OF SALTA.
  • LOCATION IS FOR THE TOWN OF AVOCA.

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Diatomite Primary

Comments on the commodity information

  • DIATOMITE IS WHITE, VERY LIGHT, AND POROUS, AND CONTAINS ABOUT 5% CLAY. "THE DIATOM GENUS "SYNEDRA" IS THE MOST COMMON IN THIS DEPOSIT.

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Diatomite Ore
Clay Gangue

Analytical data

Result DEPOSIT CONTAINS 5% CLAY AND NEEDLE-SHAPED FRUSTULES CONSTITUTE APPROXIMATELY 50% OF THE DIATOMS.

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) Pleistocene
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Lake Sediments
    Rock unit name Lplio-Pleis
    Rock description Lplio-Pleis

Nearby scientific data

(1) 143.46528, -37.07945
ListMap

Economic information

Ore body information

  • General form STRATIFORM

Comments on the geologic information

  • AT FARALLON CATAL (A BEDROCK ISLAND IN THE CENTER OF THE SALAR, IS A 5000-M-THICK SECTION OF CEN STRATA DATED BETWEEN 15 AND 17 MA. EVAPORITES IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS LARGELY CLASTIC SECTION CONSIST OF PURE GYPSUM LAMINAE INTERBEDDED WITH GYPSIFEROUS CLAY. BASALT CAPS THE YOUNGEST STRATA NEAR TINCALAYU IN THE NORTHWEST PART OF THE SALAR. THIS SALAR CONTAINS A PERENNIAL LAKE. CERRO FARALLON CATAL DIVIDES THE BASIN INTO 2 SUB-BASINS. THE WEST(?) SUB-BASIN IS DOMINATED BY GYPSUM AND BORATES; THE EAST(?) BY A 1 M SALT CRUST AND CHLORIDES. EASTERN SUB-BASIN HAS A LOWER SALINITY THAN THE WEST. THE CLAYS ARE OFTEN FETID. THE ERUPTION OF SOME BASALTS IS SYNCHRONOUS WITH SOME OF THE BORATE MINERALIZATION. IN THIS BASIN, BORATE MINERALIZATION OCCURRED IN THE MIOCENE, PLIOCENE, AND HOLOCENE.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Producer
Commodity type Non-metallic
Significant No
Year of first production 1886

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Commercial Minerals Ltd.

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • ULEXITE ESTIMATE ASSUMES AN AVERAGE ORE HORIZON THICKNESS OF 0.20 M IN EASTERN PART OF THE SALAR.

Comments on development

  • THIS DEPOSIT WAS THE FIRST DIATOMITE DEPOSIT TO BE MINED IN AUSTRALIA AND HAS BEEN MINED ALMOST CONTINUOUSLY. IT IS CURRENTLY (1989) THE ONLY PRODUCING DIATOMITE MINE IN VICTORIA
  • LITHCO IS INVESTIGATING/DEVELOPING A LITHIUM-BRINE OPERATION IN THE SALAR. ; TOTAL$: 40-55 ; ECON.COM: TOTAL INVESTMENT IN THE SALAR IS $40-50 MILLION. PROJECT IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE 7,000-15,000 TAP OF LITHIUM CARBONATE EQUIVALENT. IN APRIL, 1991, EXPLORATION WAS EXPECTED TO START IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING SIGNING OF THE CONTRACT WITH PRODUCTION EXPECTED IN 5-8 YEARS.

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

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit LACUSTRINE DIATOMITE DEPOSIT CAPPED BY BASALT, SIMILAR TO DEPOSITS IN NEW SOUTH WALES.
Deposit "WET" SALAR. QUATERNARY LACUSTRINE DEPOSITS ARE UNDERLAIN BY TERTIARY LACUSTRINE DEPOSITS. TERTIARY BEDDED BORATES ARE EXPOSED IN THE NORTHERN PART OF THE AREA AT THE TINCALAYU MINE. THE SALT FLATS COVER AN AREA OF OVER 300 SQ KMS AND COMPRISE LAYERS UP TO 1 M THICK. THREE AGES OF B MINERALIZATION -- MIOCENE (BORAX), PLIOCENE (BORAX), AND HOLOCENE (ULEXITE).
Deposit THIS RECORDS CONTAINS DATA FROM DUPLICATE MRDS RECORDS TC00543 OF K.S. BOLM AND ISM0510 OF U.H. KRAUSS WHICH HAVE BEEN DELETED FROM MRDS. PRECIPITATION AT TINCALAYU IS 60-80 MM/YR (2.4-3.2 INCHES). ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT
Deposit SEE ALSO MRDS RECORD NO. I000327, TINCALAYU.

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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