Geraldine Mine, Ajana, Northampton Shire, Western Australia, Australiai

Regional Level Types
Geraldine Mine	- not defined -
Ajana	Group of Villages
Northampton Shire	Shire
Western Australia	State
Australia	Country

Locality: 55 km north of Northampton.

Forty eight lead and copper mines once operated in the Ajana district. The Geraldine Mine was the first discovered and opened in the Northampton region. It was discovered in 1848 by Augustus and Charles Gregory. The State Goverment auctioned the land to the newly formed Geraldine Mining Company, and mining operations commenced in 1849. In 1851, Francis Pearson set up a temporary lead smelter at the site. The mine itself was in the middle of the normally dry riverbed of the Murchison River. Numerous flash flooding since this time has covered the mine with sand and silt. Production fluctuated between 1853 to 1860, producing between 55 to 134 tonnes per annum. The mine used convict labour from the Lynton Convict Depot, the ruins of which can still be seen along the Northampton to Port Gregory Road. Ore was exported through Port Gregory, which is little more than a reef sheltered lagoon along the windswept coast. Mining ceased in 1878, and did not start again till lead prices rose in 1917. For two years at this time,the mine was worked by Harry Gallagher. In the 1960's the mine was purchased by Joe Plaistow, although the shafts were not extensively worked. During this time a processing plant was constructed on the eastern banks of the river.

To reach the mine a four wheel drive vehicle is needed. Where Geraldine Road turns from east to south, there is an unmarked track heading north. At the T junction along this track turn left. There are small mullock piles surrounding the former processing plant, which is now nothing more than concrete foundations. On the western banks of the river, are building ruins from the original mining period. The area is under a heritage order and the removal of any old mining equipment or material from the buildings is illegal and results in severe penalties. Several abandoned historic mines are hidden in the scrub to the east of the Geraldine Mine. The area is semi-arid and lacks fresh water. Getting lost in the thick scrub is easy, and care should be taken.

Further south along Geraldine Road can be seen the Warribano Lead Smelter, on top of a hill in the middle of a wheat field, It was built in 1853 by convicts from Lynton and ceased operations in 1859. It was used to process ore from the Geraldine Mine.

Mineralisation is in a west dipping shear zone in granulite, parallel to nearby north-east trending dolerite dykes. The ore body is 300 metres long at the surface, of sheared, brecciated, chloritized garnet granulite. Galena is concentrated on the hanging Wall, and Sphalerite on the Footwall. The mineralised zone is 3 to 6 metres wide, either as dolerite and granulite breccia cemented by massive cupriferous vuggy limonite and quartz, or lenses up to 2 metres wide of massive weakly Cu stained limonite within bleached dolerite.

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