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Cranbrook Barite Mine, Cranbrook Shire, Western Australia, Australiai
| Regional Level Types | |
|---|---|
| Cranbrook Barite Mine | Mine |
| Cranbrook Shire | Shire |
| Western Australia | State |
| Australia | Country |
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Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):
34° 18' 48'' South , 117° 36' 33'' East
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):
Type:
Köppen climate type:
Nearest Settlements:
| Place | Population | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Tenterden | 223 (2013) | 7.3km |
| Kendenup | 1,292 (2013) | 18.8km |
| Cranbrook | 459 (2011) | 26.3km |
| Tambellup | 461 (2012) | 30.2km |
| Mount Barker | 1,762 (2012) | 35.6km |
Barite was discovered at the location in 1897, by local farmer J.H. Cox. As there was little market for the material at the time, it was not investigated further. Government geologist C.J.R. Le Mesurier sent a sample to be examined in 1912, which proved to be high quality barite.
The deposit came to notice mostly (and appears the last time) due to a government geologist's report in 1920. F.R. Feldtmann stated the barite was finely crystalline opaque white, with irregular lenses of more coarsely crystalline translucent, and sometimes transparent barite of divergent crystal groups he called 'crested barite', and occasional irregular or broadly lenticular areas of coarse crystalline material, stained red by iron oxide. No other impurities were found.
The country rock is fine grained pale reddish or cream coloured quartzites, with dark reddish sandstone with quartz veinlets topping the hills.
Three barite veins were found. One traced for 380 feet, 4 feet wide at the surface but narrows with depth, and the vein forks to the east. A shaft had been sunk to 10 feet, and three costeans dug. The second vein was traced for 235 feet, 4 feet wide on the surface. The third vein was smallest, traced for 50 feet, with a 40 foot deep shaft sunk on it. The vein was 18 inches wide on the surface but narrowed at depth. It differed also from the above description, bring entirely dense fine grained barite, slightly translucent, creamy coloured, or opaque white, the latter in walls and vein cracks.
May 16 1920, J.H. Cox pegged 277H 48 acres. 22 May 341H 12 acres by L.M. Healy. C.G. Stevenson and W.E. O'Neill controlled lease 9H. Little substantial mining was found.
The location is approximately 2 kilometres east north-east of the Sukey Hill lookout, in turn about 5 kilometres east of Cranbrook. The area is farmed for cereal crops, the only hope any historic shafts remain being in areas of forest on the upper slopes of ridges.
Select Mineral List Type
Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Chemical ElementsCommodity List
This is a list of exploitable or exploited mineral commodities recorded at this locality.Mineral List
2 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 DiagramGallery:
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 | |||
| ⓘ | Baryte | 7.AD.35 | BaSO4 |
List of minerals for each chemical element
| O | Oxygen | |
|---|---|---|
| O | ⓘ Baryte | BaSO4 |
| O | ⓘ Quartz | SiO2 |
| Si | Silicon | |
| Si | ⓘ Quartz | SiO2 |
| S | Sulfur | |
| S | ⓘ Baryte | BaSO4 |
| Ba | Barium | |
| Ba | ⓘ Baryte | BaSO4 |
Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality
Australia
- Central Australian ElementCraton
- Western Australia
- Albany-Fraser OrogenOrogen
- Northern ForelandOrogen
- Yilgarn CratonCraton
- Albany-Fraser OrogenOrogen
Australian PlateTectonic Plate
- West Australian Craton
- Western Yilgarn CratonCraton
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