Mertondale 3-4 Gold Mine, Mertondale Goldfield, Leonora Shire, Western Australia, Australiai

Regional Level Types
Mertondale 3-4 Gold Mine	Mine (Active)
Mertondale Goldfield	Ore Field
Leonora Shire	Shire
Western Australia	State
Australia	Country

The Mertondale 3-4 Gold Mine is a large open pit, 35 kilometres north-east of Leonora, and 200 metres east of the Leonora-Nambi Road, where it turns north-east to north if travelling from Leonora. The Merton's Reward Gold Mine, and Mertondale 2 Mine is 200 metres to the south.

The pit has been the subject of more exporative drilling (2016-2017)by Kin Mining NL.

The mine is located in the Mertondale Shear Zone, within a basalt unit. There is a series of steep dipping, locally folded lenses holding the gold mineralisation, striking 900 metres, up to 35 metres thick, and straddling the porphyry-basalt contact.

The porphyry unit occurs as a series of flattened cigar shaped bodies 200 to 300 metres along strike, up to 30 metres thick. Most gold is found at the porphyry-basalt contact.

All the zone containing gold, also contain pyrite and arsenopyrite, as fine grained crystals up to 2 mms in diameter, in elongated clusters parallel to the foliation. Locally sulphide content can be up to 30% rock volume. On average though it is more 5 to 10%.

The gold is fine, located in silicates as specks and clusters of grains. It has a tendency to occur along the cleavages of micaeous minerals, and sometimes as grains marginal to pyrite and arsenopyrite, and as irregular aggregates within these sulphides.

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality

References