Zn-Pb deposit hosted within a stromatactic cavity system in the Waulsortian Limestones. Earlier sulphides contain fossil bacteria suggesting a direct bacterial reduction of sulphur at the place of the mineralization. Later sulphides contain relics of thiosulphates and sulphites suggesting abiotic sulphur reduction (Kucha, 1988).

Studied by drill cores.

The Ballinalack Project hosts a MRE (Mineral Resource Estimate) totalling 5.4 million tonnes grading 8.7% Zn+Pb combined (7.6% zinc and 1.1% lead) and 9.0 g/t silver.

Note: Coordinates are approximate.

Select Mineral List Type

Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Chemical Elements

Mineral List

10 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 Diagram

ⓘ Breccia

Detailed Mineral List:

ⓘ Ankerite

Formula: Ca(Fe²⁺,Mg)(CO₃)₂

References:

Gordon, Paul (2019) NI43-101 Independent Report On A base Metal Exploration Project At Ballinalack, Co. Westmeath, Ireland.

ⓘ Baryte

Formula: BaSO₄

References:

Gordon, Paul (2019) NI43-101 Independent Report On A base Metal Exploration Project At Ballinalack, Co. Westmeath, Ireland.

ⓘ Boulangerite

Formula: Pb₅Sb₄S₁₁

References:

Gordon, Paul (2019) NI43-101 Independent Report On A base Metal Exploration Project At Ballinalack, Co. Westmeath, Ireland.

ⓘ Calcite

Formula: CaCO₃

References:

Gordon, Paul (2019) NI43-101 Independent Report On A base Metal Exploration Project At Ballinalack, Co. Westmeath, Ireland.

ⓘ Chalcopyrite

Formula: CuFeS₂

References:

Gordon, Paul (2019) NI43-101 Independent Report On A base Metal Exploration Project At Ballinalack, Co. Westmeath, Ireland.

ⓘ Dolomite

Formula: CaMg(CO₃)₂

References:

Gordon, Paul (2019) NI43-101 Independent Report On A base Metal Exploration Project At Ballinalack, Co. Westmeath, Ireland.

ⓘ Dolomite var. Iron-bearing Dolomite

Formula: Ca(Mg,Fe)(CO₃)₂

References:

Gordon, Paul (2019) NI43-101 Independent Report On A base Metal Exploration Project At Ballinalack, Co. Westmeath, Ireland.

ⓘ Galena

Formula: PbS

References:

Kucha, H. (1988) Biogenic and non-biogenic concentration of sulphur and metals in the carbonate-hosted Ballinalack Zn-Pb deposit, Ireland. Mineralogy and Petrology, 38 (3). 171-187 doi:10.1007/bf01164700

Gordon, Paul (2019) NI43-101 Independent Report On A base Metal Exploration Project At Ballinalack, Co. Westmeath, Ireland.

ⓘ Marcasite

Formula: FeS₂

References:

Gordon, Paul (2019) NI43-101 Independent Report On A base Metal Exploration Project At Ballinalack, Co. Westmeath, Ireland.

ⓘ 'Melnikovite'

References:

Gordon, Paul (2019) NI43-101 Independent Report On A base Metal Exploration Project At Ballinalack, Co. Westmeath, Ireland.

ⓘ 'Micrite'

References:

Gordon, Paul (2019) NI43-101 Independent Report On A base Metal Exploration Project At Ballinalack, Co. Westmeath, Ireland.

ⓘ Pyrite

Formula: FeS₂

References:

Gordon, Paul (2019) NI43-101 Independent Report On A base Metal Exploration Project At Ballinalack, Co. Westmeath, Ireland.

ⓘ Sphalerite

Formula: ZnS

References:

Gordon, Paul (2019) NI43-101 Independent Report On A base Metal Exploration Project At Ballinalack, Co. Westmeath, Ireland.

ⓘ 'Unnamed (Pb Thiosulphate)'

Formula: PbS₂O₃

References:

Gallery:

List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification

Group 2 - Sulphides and Sulfosalts
ⓘ	Sphalerite	2.CB.05a	ZnS
ⓘ	Chalcopyrite	2.CB.10a	CuFeS₂
ⓘ	Galena	2.CD.10	PbS
ⓘ	Pyrite	2.EB.05a	FeS₂
ⓘ	Marcasite	2.EB.10a	FeS₂
ⓘ	Boulangerite	2.HC.15	Pb₅Sb₄S₁₁
Group 5 - Nitrates and Carbonates
ⓘ	Calcite	5.AB.05	CaCO₃
ⓘ	Ankerite	5.AB.10	Ca(Fe²⁺,Mg)(CO₃)₂
ⓘ	Dolomite	5.AB.10	CaMg(CO₃)₂
ⓘ	var. Iron-bearing Dolomite	5.AB.10	Ca(Mg,Fe)(CO₃)₂
Group 7 - Sulphates, Chromates, Molybdates and Tungstates
ⓘ	Baryte	7.AD.35	BaSO₄
Unclassified
ⓘ	'Melnikovite'	-
ⓘ	'Unnamed (Pb Thiosulphate)'	-	PbS₂O₃
ⓘ	'Micrite'	-

List of minerals for each chemical element

C	Carbon
C	ⓘ Ankerite	Ca(Fe²⁺,Mg)(CO₃)₂
C	ⓘ Calcite	CaCO₃
C	ⓘ Dolomite	CaMg(CO₃)₂
C	ⓘ Dolomite var. Iron-bearing Dolomite	Ca(Mg,Fe)(CO₃)₂
O	Oxygen
O	ⓘ Ankerite	Ca(Fe²⁺,Mg)(CO₃)₂
O	ⓘ Baryte	BaSO₄
O	ⓘ Calcite	CaCO₃
O	ⓘ Dolomite	CaMg(CO₃)₂
O	ⓘ Dolomite var. Iron-bearing Dolomite	Ca(Mg,Fe)(CO₃)₂
O	ⓘ Unnamed (Pb Thiosulphate)	PbS₂O₃
Mg	Magnesium
Mg	ⓘ Ankerite	Ca(Fe²⁺,Mg)(CO₃)₂
Mg	ⓘ Dolomite	CaMg(CO₃)₂
Mg	ⓘ Dolomite var. Iron-bearing Dolomite	Ca(Mg,Fe)(CO₃)₂
S	Sulfur
S	ⓘ Baryte	BaSO₄
S	ⓘ Boulangerite	Pb₅Sb₄S₁₁
S	ⓘ Chalcopyrite	CuFeS₂
S	ⓘ Galena	PbS
S	ⓘ Marcasite	FeS₂
S	ⓘ Pyrite	FeS₂
S	ⓘ Sphalerite	ZnS
S	ⓘ Unnamed (Pb Thiosulphate)	PbS₂O₃
Ca	Calcium
Ca	ⓘ Ankerite	Ca(Fe²⁺,Mg)(CO₃)₂
Ca	ⓘ Calcite	CaCO₃
Ca	ⓘ Dolomite	CaMg(CO₃)₂
Ca	ⓘ Dolomite var. Iron-bearing Dolomite	Ca(Mg,Fe)(CO₃)₂
Fe	Iron
Fe	ⓘ Ankerite	Ca(Fe²⁺,Mg)(CO₃)₂
Fe	ⓘ Chalcopyrite	CuFeS₂
Fe	ⓘ Marcasite	FeS₂
Fe	ⓘ Pyrite	FeS₂
Fe	ⓘ Dolomite var. Iron-bearing Dolomite	Ca(Mg,Fe)(CO₃)₂
Cu	Copper
Cu	ⓘ Chalcopyrite	CuFeS₂
Zn	Zinc
Zn	ⓘ Sphalerite	ZnS
Sb	Antimony
Sb	ⓘ Boulangerite	Pb₅Sb₄S₁₁
Ba	Barium
Ba	ⓘ Baryte	BaSO₄
Pb	Lead
Pb	ⓘ Boulangerite	Pb₅Sb₄S₁₁
Pb	ⓘ Galena	PbS
Pb	ⓘ Unnamed (Pb Thiosulphate)	PbS₂O₃

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality

British and Irish IslesGroup of Islands

Eurasian PlateTectonic Plate

CaldeonidesOrogenic Belt

EuropeContinent

Ireland (island)Island

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.

References

Caulfield JBD, LeHuray AP, Rye MDC (1986) A review of lead and sulphur isotope investigations of Irish sediment-hosted base-metal deposits, with new data from the Keel, Ballinalack, Moyvoughly, and Tatestown deposits, pp 591–615. In:Andrew CJ, Crowe R WA, Pennell WM, Pyne JF (eds) Geology and genesis of mineral deposits in Ireland. Irish Assoc Econ Geol, 711 pp

Jones GV, Brand SF (1986) The setting, styles of mineralization and mode of origin of the Ballinalack Zn-Pb deposit, pp 355 - 375. In:Andrew CJ, Crowe RWA, Finlay S, Pennel WM, Pyne JF (eds) Geology and genesis of mineral deposits in Ireland. Irish Assoc Econ Geol, 711 pp

https://www.groupelevenresources.com/projects/ballinalack/

Gordon, Paul (2019) NI43-101 Independent Report On A base Metal Exploration Project At Ballinalack, Co. Westmeath, Ireland.

Quick NavTop Mineral List Rock Types Other Regions References

Mindat.org® is an outreach project of the Hudson Institute of Mineralogy, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. Mindat® and mindat.org® are registered trademarks of the Hudson Institute of Mineralogy.
Copyright © mindat.org and the Hudson Institute of Mineralogy 1993-2026, except where stated. Most political location boundaries are © OpenStreetMap contributors. Mindat.org relies on the contributions of thousands of members and supporters. Founded in 2000 by Jolyon Ralph and Ida Chau.
Content on this site may not be used to train, fine-tune, or otherwise develop artificial intelligence or machine learning models without prior written permission - see our Terms & Conditions.
To cite: Ralph, J., Von Bargen, D., Martynov, P., Zhang, J., Que, X., Prabhu, A., Morrison, S. M., Li, W., Chen, W., & Ma, X. (2025). Mindat.org: The open access mineralogy database to accelerate data-intensive geoscience research. American Mineralogist, 110(6), 833–844. doi:10.2138/am-2024-9486.
Privacy Policy - Terms & Conditions - Contact Us / DMCA issues - Report a bug/vulnerability Current server date and time: October 21, 2026 05:41:22 Page updated: August 14, 2025 12:30:14

Go to top of page