Silver King Lead mine, Uaroo Station, Ashburton Shire, Western Australia, Australiai

Regional Level Types
Silver King Lead mine	Mine (Abandoned)
Uaroo Station	Station (farming)
Ashburton Shire	Shire
Western Australia	State
Australia	Country

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About 1.5 miles north-west of Uaroo Homestead.

The region contains a number of lead, silver, gold and copper historic workings, however none were of sufficient quantity to be worked to any great extent. Many have been lost to time. Rainbow was considered the most substantial mine on the Uaroo Station. It operated from 1901 to 1953, but was out of action several times during this period.

The deposit was discovered around 1900 by an indigenous man named Rainbow from the Moorarie Station on the Murchison River further south. Uaroo Mine manager T. Rodgers eleven years later describes a prospecting party attacking Rainbow, then instructing him to bring metallic ores to them. The exact nature of this incident is not explained. The prospecting party consisted in part of Mick Fitzgerald and Driscoll. The former is credited for discovering gold at Cue, when Fitzgerald also used local aborigines to locate precious metals. Rainbow soon unearthed galena from the top of a hill close to the station's shearing shed. Fitzgerald pegged the area and named the lease Rainbow, but it is uncertain if Rainbow obtained any other benefit.

A journalist in 1901 was shown the mine by Fitzgerald, who confirmed the origin of the mine name at this time. The deposit is described as a fine argentiferous lead load consisting of galena and carbonates of lead. It states little work had been done at the site, but 2000 tonnes of high grade ore were in sight on or near the surface.

From this point the mine changed hands, closed and re-opened a number of times. The main problem was the cost of transporting the ore to Onslow, 120 kilometres to the north-west. In 1908 for example, the mine employed twelve teams, consisting of 300 camels in total, to transport the ore. A lack of fresh water was also an issue. In 1914 a tractor was purchased to transport the ore, however the owner of the mine at this time, Jack Thomson, was still complaining about the cost of transport, and made representations to the Minister of Mines. At the time the mine employed thirty men, but was abandoned in 1915 citing transport costs as the reason.

The Uaroo Mine is noted in 1907 as the only operational mine on the field, mining lead with some copper, gold, gossan, and antimony. The lodes were lenticular and pinch out to low grade ore. The lease covered 20 acres. A shaft had been sunk on a branch of the main lode. The shaft was 15 metres deep, with a westerly crosscut 3.6 metres in length. The lode was up to 1 metre wide containing 59% lead, 27 ounces silver, 2 dwt gold and 10% copper.

The nearby Silver Star mine was discovered by W. Abbott and J. Roberts containing nickel, copper and lead. The mine manager of the Uaroo Mine in 1907 was W.T. Campbell, 1911 T. Rodgers, 1914 the mine manager was was Peter Johnson and 1917 Jas Harris. A galena specimen from the mine was sent to the Franco-British Exhibition in 1908.

The Uaroo Mine closed in 1911, changed ownership to Jack Thomson and was operational again in 1914. It closed again in 1915. In 1917 the mine was working again, employing nine men, but working conditions must have been harsh, as a couple of months later, only three remained. Paterson (no first name given) owned the lease at this time. The mine must have closed shortly after as no reports were found until the 1920's. It was reported in December 1924 the Uaroo Mine was to re-open, and ore was exported through Onslow from the mine across 1926 and 1927. In 1937 the mines (Silver Star and Uaroo) were operational again by R.J. Galvin and W. Bardon, but closed in October 1937.

The area was explored for uranium and base metals in the 1970's and 1980's. In recent times (2013) it has been explored for manganese and iron ore. This has not resulted in any mines opening in the area.

The geology of the area is described as VMS style base metals (zinc and lead) mineralisation, with iron ore. It is underlain by the metamorphosed Paleoproterozoic sedimentary rocks of the Morrisey Metamorphics, intruded by gneiss of the Morrisey Suite. It is overlain by the Paleoproterozoic to Mesoproterozoic sedimentary rocks of low metamorphic Uaroo Group.

Ferguson states the mineralisation is in quartz veins striking north-west, dipping 70 degrees east in chloritic slate, and greywacke of the Wyloo Group. The vein is 240 metres long, near the southern end forming a cymoid loop structure, with the majority of ore in the western branch, up to 1.2 metres wide. A 129 metre adit has been cut into the eastern side of the hill.

Government geologist, by the surname Goczel, reported on the field way back in 1901, but may be useful in describing the deposit as it stood then. In part he states: 'The ore deposit near Uaroo occurs within the crystalline schists and follows a quartzite seam for over 6 miles, dislocated by transverse fissures. A series of lenticular outcrops of copper ores occur east and west of the quartzite seam, some at a distance and some merge with the seam. Ore deposition took place within the fissures, following the lines of stratafication (he goes on to state pale clay occurs with the ore occurances). The ore showing in some of the outcrops is clean and high grade showing malachite, cuprite and copper pyrites. In the Rainbow lease argentiferous galena and cerussite occurs beside the copper ores.

Official records indicate 2100 tonnes of lead produced, 1210.7 g silver, with lead grades 50%-66%, and silver averaging 336 g/t.

"About 2 miles southwards of the Dark Horse Lease a transgressive quartz vein carrying lead, silver and some copper has been worked by an adit, stopes and open cut. This is the old Silver King Lead Mine which was first opened up in 1901.

The vein is a quartz reef, striking approximately north and south and dipping to the east at about 70 degrees. It is about 6 chains in length and varies in width from 15 inches up to 4 feet. Lead occurs as galena, with carbonate and sulphate oxidation products. Silver and copper are accessory.

The adit intersected the vein, which was then driven on at an average depth below the surface of about 60 feet. The reef was stoped to the surface and underhand stoped below the level over a length of about 75 feet to a depth of 80 feet.

The ore shoot occurs chiefly in an arenaceous bed, and plunges to the north-east at about 65 degrees."

Mineral List

14 valid minerals.

Rock Types Recorded