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Moorba Cave, Jurien Bay, Dandaragan Shire, Western Australia, Australiai
| Regional Level Types | |
|---|---|
| Moorba Cave | Cave |
| Jurien Bay | Town |
| Dandaragan Shire | Shire |
| Western Australia | State |
| Australia | Country |
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Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):
30° 13' 38'' South , 115° 5' 16'' East
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):
Type:
Köppen climate type:
Nearest Settlements:
| Place | Population | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Jurien Bay | 1,342 (2012) | 9.9km |
| Green Head | 248 (2012) | 21.2km |
| Cervantes | 505 (2012) | 29.9km |
| Leeman | 399 (2012) | 32.5km |
When you get a collection of bats roosting in a cave, you clearly end up with a pile of bat guano underneath. This sometimes reacts with the chemicals in the rock of the cave, and over time produces minerals, sometimes including rare new species. Often bland and powdery, these species are highly sought after by collectors of rare mineral species. In Australia, mineral species are available from some caves on the Nullarbor in Western Australia, a couple of caves in Victoria, and Moorba Cave which is a little inland from Jurien Bay, Western Australia, in the Drovers Cave National Park. Jurien Bay is 220 kilometres north of Perth.
This limestone region contains a number of shallow caves. Moorba Cave is shallow (but a torch is still needed) and is open to the public. A four-wheel-drive vehicle is essential. The guano was caused by the bat species Macroderma gigas (Ghost Bat). The soluble components in the cave are brushite, ardealite, gypsum, and collophane, with insoluble quartz. Taranakite is minor. Newberyite was recently discovered in the cave.
This heathland region contains more species of flora per square kilometre than the Amazon rainforest.
Select Mineral List Type
Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Chemical ElementsMineral List
6 valid minerals.
Rock Types Recorded
Note: data is currently VERY limited. Please bear with us while we work towards adding this information!
Select Rock List Type
Alphabetical List Tree DiagramDetailed Mineral List:
| ⓘ 'Apatite' Formula: Ca5(PO4)3(Cl/F/OH) References: |
| ⓘ 'Apatite var. Collophane' Formula: Ca5(PO4)3(Cl/F/OH) References: |
| ⓘ Ardealite Formula: Ca2(PO3OH)(SO4) · 4H2O References: |
| ⓘ Brushite Formula: Ca(PO3OH) · 2H2O References: |
| ⓘ Gypsum Formula: CaSO4 · 2H2O References: |
| ⓘ Newberyite Formula: Mg(PO3OH) · 3H2O |
| ⓘ Quartz Formula: SiO2 References: |
| ⓘ Taranakite Formula: K3Al5(PO3OH)6(PO4)2 · 18H2O References: |
List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification
| Group 4 - Oxides and Hydroxides | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ⓘ | Quartz | 4.DA.05 | SiO2 |
| Group 7 - Sulphates, Chromates, Molybdates and Tungstates | |||
| ⓘ | Gypsum | 7.CD.40 | CaSO4 · 2H2O |
| Group 8 - Phosphates, Arsenates and Vanadates | |||
| ⓘ | Newberyite | 8.CE.10 | Mg(PO3OH) · 3H2O |
| ⓘ | Taranakite | 8.CH.25 | K3Al5(PO3OH)6(PO4)2 · 18H2O |
| ⓘ | Ardealite | 8.CJ.50 | Ca2(PO3OH)(SO4) · 4H2O |
| ⓘ | Brushite | 8.CJ.50 | Ca(PO3OH) · 2H2O |
| Unclassified | |||
| ⓘ | 'Apatite var. Collophane' | - | Ca5(PO4)3(Cl/F/OH) |
| ⓘ | '' | - | Ca5(PO4)3(Cl/F/OH) |
List of minerals for each chemical element
| H | Hydrogen | |
|---|---|---|
| H | ⓘ Ardealite | Ca2(PO3OH)(SO4) · 4H2O |
| H | ⓘ Brushite | Ca(PO3OH) · 2H2O |
| H | ⓘ Gypsum | CaSO4 · 2H2O |
| H | ⓘ Newberyite | Mg(PO3OH) · 3H2O |
| H | ⓘ Taranakite | K3Al5(PO3OH)6(PO4)2 · 18H2O |
| H | ⓘ Apatite var. Collophane | Ca5(PO4)3(Cl/F/OH) |
| H | ⓘ Apatite | Ca5(PO4)3(Cl/F/OH) |
| O | Oxygen | |
| O | ⓘ Ardealite | Ca2(PO3OH)(SO4) · 4H2O |
| O | ⓘ Brushite | Ca(PO3OH) · 2H2O |
| O | ⓘ Gypsum | CaSO4 · 2H2O |
| O | ⓘ Newberyite | Mg(PO3OH) · 3H2O |
| O | ⓘ Quartz | SiO2 |
| O | ⓘ Taranakite | K3Al5(PO3OH)6(PO4)2 · 18H2O |
| O | ⓘ Apatite var. Collophane | Ca5(PO4)3(Cl/F/OH) |
| O | ⓘ Apatite | Ca5(PO4)3(Cl/F/OH) |
| F | Fluorine | |
| F | ⓘ Apatite var. Collophane | Ca5(PO4)3(Cl/F/OH) |
| F | ⓘ Apatite | Ca5(PO4)3(Cl/F/OH) |
| Mg | Magnesium | |
| Mg | ⓘ Newberyite | Mg(PO3OH) · 3H2O |
| Al | Aluminium | |
| Al | ⓘ Taranakite | K3Al5(PO3OH)6(PO4)2 · 18H2O |
| Si | Silicon | |
| Si | ⓘ Quartz | SiO2 |
| P | Phosphorus | |
| P | ⓘ Ardealite | Ca2(PO3OH)(SO4) · 4H2O |
| P | ⓘ Brushite | Ca(PO3OH) · 2H2O |
| P | ⓘ Newberyite | Mg(PO3OH) · 3H2O |
| P | ⓘ Taranakite | K3Al5(PO3OH)6(PO4)2 · 18H2O |
| P | ⓘ Apatite var. Collophane | Ca5(PO4)3(Cl/F/OH) |
| P | ⓘ Apatite | Ca5(PO4)3(Cl/F/OH) |
| S | Sulfur | |
| S | ⓘ Ardealite | Ca2(PO3OH)(SO4) · 4H2O |
| S | ⓘ Gypsum | CaSO4 · 2H2O |
| Cl | Chlorine | |
| Cl | ⓘ Apatite var. Collophane | Ca5(PO4)3(Cl/F/OH) |
| Cl | ⓘ Apatite | Ca5(PO4)3(Cl/F/OH) |
| K | Potassium | |
| K | ⓘ Taranakite | K3Al5(PO3OH)6(PO4)2 · 18H2O |
| Ca | Calcium | |
| Ca | ⓘ Ardealite | Ca2(PO3OH)(SO4) · 4H2O |
| Ca | ⓘ Brushite | Ca(PO3OH) · 2H2O |
| Ca | ⓘ Gypsum | CaSO4 · 2H2O |
| Ca | ⓘ Apatite var. Collophane | Ca5(PO4)3(Cl/F/OH) |
| Ca | ⓘ Apatite | Ca5(PO4)3(Cl/F/OH) |
Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality
Australia
- Western Australia
- Perth BasinBasin
- Pinjarra OrogenOrogen
Australian PlateTectonic Plate
- Darling OrogenOrogenic Belt
This page contains all mineral locality references listed on mindat.org. This does not claim to be a complete list. If you know of more minerals from this site, please register so you can add to our database. This locality information is for reference purposes only. You should never attempt to
visit any sites listed in mindat.org without first ensuring that you have the permission of the land and/or mineral rights holders
for access and that you are aware of all safety precautions necessary.
Moorba Cave, Jurien Bay, Dandaragan Shire, Western Australia, Australia