Pink Lakes, Linga, Mildura, Rural City of Mildura, Victoria, Australiai
| Regional Level Types | |
|---|---|
| Pink Lakes | Group of Lakes |
| Linga | - not defined - |
| Mildura | - not defined - |
| Rural City of Mildura | Local Government Area |
| Victoria | State |
| Australia | Country |
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Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):
35° 2' 53'' South , 141° 43' 27'' East
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):
Type:
Group of Lakes
Köppen climate type:
Mindat Locality ID:
123080
Long-form identifier:
mindat:1:2:123080:5
GUID (UUID V4):
ae47b037-b70e-4034-b49b-bd06ed83701e
Located approximately 70 kms West of Ouyen (approximately 87 km South of Mildura), along the Mallee Highway.
A number of medium-sized salt lakes of varying sizes comprise the Pink Lakes National Park. They have been listed as a Site of State Significance, part of the Murray Sunset National Park, and closed to collecting since the late 1970s. In late summer a red pigment, carotene, is secreted from the alga Dunaliella salina and gives a distinct pink colour to the lakes.
The main lakes are: Sailor Lake (Lake Becking), Gyes Lake (Lake Crosby; Lake Crosbie; Gye's Lake) and Crescent Lake (Home Lake). These lakes cover areas of approximately 70 hectares, 108 hectares and 91 hectares respectively. There are other minor lakes such as Lake Poulton which is near Lake Crosby.
Prior to that, good specimens were recovered from the three main lakes, all of which were covered with a salt crust approximately 5 cm thick, underlain by a deposit of black mud which overlay a thicker salt layer. Commercial salt harvesting began there in 1916, using shovels and wheelbarrows, then horse-drawn scrapers and tip drays, a rail line from Linga (not successful) and, in 1922, camel teams from Broken Hill. At one time 12 teams of 20 camels were operating. Salt harvesting ceased many years ago, but salt stockpiles are still on the edge of one of the lakes.
Clear halite crystals and groups of crystals to about 2 cm on edge were found in all three of the larger lakes. Gypsum occurs in the mud and banks of all three lakes as prismatic crystals and groups of crystals, lenticular crystals, penetration twins and butterfly twins. Glauberite was recovered in individual crystals up to at least 9 cm across, as twins and in clusters in one of the larger lakes.
Select Mineral List Type
Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Chemical ElementsDetailed Mineral List:
| ⓘ Glauberite Formula: Na2Ca(SO4)2 References: |
| ⓘ Gypsum Formula: CaSO4 · 2H2O |
| ⓘ Halite Formula: NaCl References: |
List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification
| Group 3 - Halides | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ⓘ | Halite | 3.AA.20 | NaCl |
| Group 7 - Sulphates, Chromates, Molybdates and Tungstates | |||
| ⓘ | Glauberite | 7.AD.25 | Na2Ca(SO4)2 |
| ⓘ | Gypsum | 7.CD.40 | CaSO4 · 2H2O |
List of minerals for each chemical element
| H | Hydrogen | |
|---|---|---|
| H | ⓘ Gypsum | CaSO4 · 2H2O |
| O | Oxygen | |
| O | ⓘ Glauberite | Na2Ca(SO4)2 |
| O | ⓘ Gypsum | CaSO4 · 2H2O |
| Na | Sodium | |
| Na | ⓘ Glauberite | Na2Ca(SO4)2 |
| Na | ⓘ Halite | NaCl |
| S | Sulfur | |
| S | ⓘ Glauberite | Na2Ca(SO4)2 |
| S | ⓘ Gypsum | CaSO4 · 2H2O |
| Cl | Chlorine | |
| Cl | ⓘ Halite | NaCl |
| Ca | Calcium | |
| Ca | ⓘ Glauberite | Na2Ca(SO4)2 |
| Ca | ⓘ Gypsum | CaSO4 · 2H2O |
Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality
Australia
- Delamerian OrogenOrogen
- Murray BasinBasin
- Victoria
- Murray-Sunset National ParkNational Park
Australian PlateTectonic Plate
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References
