Golden Eagle Mine, Five Mile Creek Goldfield, Nullagine, East Pilbara Shire, Western Australia, Australiai

Regional Level Types
Golden Eagle Mine	Pit
Five Mile Creek Goldfield	Ore Field
Nullagine	- not defined -
East Pilbara Shire	Shire
Western Australia	State
Australia	Country

In September 2012 Millennium Minerals began gold production from open pits at the Golden Eagle. A processing plant had been constructed. It is at the far western end of its leases, 10 kilometres south of Nullagine, between the Nullagine-Newman Road and Cadjebut Creek. Initially gold production did not meet expectations, due to lower grades than predicted, metallurgical problems, and debt caused by the mine's construction. In 2016, mining was moving away from the Golden Eagle to a series of small short term deposits to the east.

The company claims there had been no historic production at the site previously. However, crushings were reported across 1898 to 1899. One source states its Hay and Johns, another Hayes and Holcombe (all surnames). A total for this time was produced of 85 tonnes of ore for 390.5 ounces of gold. Prospectors may have been active later but no information was found.

Maitland mentions the mine in 1908. GML 771. Maitland stated it was the former Alexandra GML 711 and small crushings emanated from the mine between 1897 to 1901, with very rich shoots.

The deposit is part of the Mosquito Creek Belt, near the western end of the Middle Creek Shear Zone. Most gold deposits in the area are sited within or near the margins of steeply inclined quartz veins. Golden Eagle is the exception, being disseminated gold through fractured wall rock that surrounds a series of gently inclined faults. Grades have been found to 50 g/t, although later mining showed the deposit to be a far lower grade. It is the largest deposit in the area, containing up to 60% of the resource.

High grade gold is associated with narrow iron stained quartz veins cutting highly weathered and cleaved sandstone, with minor disseminated pyrite adjacent to the veins. There is also a north north-east zone just north of the pit, as broadly strataform zones, most significantly in the upper psammite unit, 50 metres thick. High values are found within 10 metres of the surface, possibly supergene origin. There is a second narrow 5 to 10 metre zone of high grade gold in pelitic rocks in a lens at the base of the lower psammite unit. This is separated from the upper unit by 15 to 20 metres of lower grade rock. Gold is found with quartz and pyrite. Pyrite and magnetite makes up to 5% volume of the rock. Other minerals found include rutile, chalcopyrite, sphalerite, galena, altaite.

The upper parts is a silicified zone showing abundant schorl, some albite and K-feldspar. The quartz-tourmaline-feldspar is broadly associated with disseminated pyrite, which dies out to the north. Alteration shows major chlorite and sericite, minor montmorillonite and biotite, the latter only in the lower psammite sequence, and not associated with gold. The alteration assemblage is unusual as it lacks carbonates.

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality

References