Phosphate Hill, Mansfield, Mansfield Shire, Victoria, Australiai
| Regional Level Types | |
|---|---|
| Phosphate Hill | Hill |
| Mansfield | - not defined - |
| Mansfield Shire | Shire |
| Victoria | State |
| Australia | Country |
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Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):
37° 3' 37'' South , 146° 2' 16'' East
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):
Type:
Köppen climate type:
Nearest Settlements:
| Place | Population | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Mansfield | 4,052 (2012) | 4.6km |
| Alexandra | 2,656 (2013) | 32.4km |
| Mount Buller | 251 (2009) | 36.6km |
| Marysville | 519 (2012) | 56.1km |
Mindat Locality ID:
15551
Long-form identifier:
mindat:1:2:15551:6
GUID (UUID V4):
92c42b16-0459-470a-9815-ad0a64277278
Located 5km W of Mansfield, the Phosphate Hill deposit was first reported in 1904 while mapping for the Geological Survey was being carried out in the Mansfield district. The surface outcrop discovered contained radiating crystals of wavellite and a thin vein of pale blue turquoise. Preliminary excavations provided disappointing results, however in 1913 the workings were extended and proved to be economic. Between 1915 and 1919 most of the phosphate rock was extracted from open cuts and trenches. Material was also produced from several shafts which had proved the existence of phosphate rock to a depth of 27 metres. Between 1916 and 1926, 16 270 tonnes of rock containing 16% phosphate were extracted for low grade fertiliser. Operations ceased soon after due to deterioration in phosphate grade.
The main phosphorite horizon is about 3 metres thick and is overlain by a band of black chert forming prominent outcrops which act as an indicator for the phosphatic bed. The phosphate-bearing rocks in the excavations are generally pale grey and friable with a granular, sandy texture but may also be dense and fine-grained.
Select Mineral List Type
Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Chemical ElementsDetailed Mineral List:
| ⓘ Cacoxenite Formula: Fe3+24AlO6(PO4)17(OH)12 · 75H2O Description: "Cacoxenite is reasonably common at Phosphate Hill where it is usually found in veins, fractures or small vughs in black shale or grey phosphorite. It generally occurs as minute golden-yellow spherules up to 0.2mm across, consisting of radiating acicular crystals, or as fibrous silky yellow coatings associated with fluorapatite and wavellite." |
| ⓘ Faustite Formula: ZnAl6(PO4)4(OH)8 · 4H2O Description: "At Phosphate Hill faustite occurs as pale green crystal aggregates up to 0.2mm across, enclosed in wavellite forming thin seams in dark grey chert. Microprobe analysis shows the faustite to contain significant copper." |
| ⓘ Fluellite Formula: Al2(PO4)F2(OH) · 7H2O Description: "Although this mineral is relatively rare at Phosphate Hill, it may be found in seams and fractures in greyish phosphorite where it usually occurs as sparkling drusy crusts of colourless, transparent, dipyramidal crystals less than 0.5mm across. Occasionally the fluellite may be found overlying or mixed with brown or white clay. Fluellite generally occurs alone, but a few specimens with wavellite and quartz have been found." |
| ⓘ Fluorapatite Formula: Ca5(PO4)3F Description: "Fluorapatite is the major mineral at Phosphate Hill, forming 60-70% of the phosphorite, in which it replaces shelly fragments and forms the fine-grained matrix." |
| ⓘ Gypsum Formula: CaSO4 · 2H2O Description: "Gypsum at Phosphate Hill appears to have formed as a post-mining mineral and is found in near-spherical masses of small, colourless to white crystals forming coatings on black slate." |
| ⓘ Opal Formula: SiO2 · nH2O Description: "A rare mineral at Phosphate Hill, hyalite occurs as thin, lustrous mammillary coatings on phosphorite. The crusts are transparent and often crazed. Hyalite is sometimes found with strengite-variscite globules, cacoxenite and wavellite." |
| ⓘ Opal var. Opal-AN Formula: SiO2 · nH2O Description: "A rare mineral at Phosphate Hill, hyalite occurs as thin, lustrous mammillary coatings on phosphorite. The crusts are transparent and often crazed. Hyalite is sometimes found with strengite-variscite globules, cacoxenite and wavellite." |
| ⓘ Planerite Formula: Al6(PO4)2(PO3OH)2(OH)8 · 4H2O Description: "Microprobe analysis shows that some of the turquoise is depleted in copper and may be grading to planerite." |
| ⓘ Pyrite Formula: FeS2 Description: "At Phosphate Hill, nodules of decomposed pyrite up to 10mm in diameter may be found in the phosphorite." |
| ⓘ Quartz Formula: SiO2 Description: "Quartz is sometimes found as colourless crystals up to 3mm in length associated with green and white wavellite." |
| ⓘ Strengite Formula: FePO4 · 2H2O Description: At Phosphate Hill strengite forms "pale grey, translucent, waxy globules and botryoidal coatings overlying cacoxenite on some fracture surfaces in the phosphorite. The globules, which may be up to 0.5mm across, have a very fine-scale concentric banded structure." |
| ⓘ Turquoise Formula: CuAl6(PO4)4(OH)8 · 4H2O Description: "Turquoise is uncommon at Phosphate Hill, but occurs as white to pale blue veinlets in the phosphorite and chert. In some specimens of weathered phosphorite, pale blue turquoise has pseudomorphed small wavellite rosettes." |
| ⓘ Variscite Formula: AlPO4 · 2H2O Description: "As well as forming a solid solution series with strengite in the grey globules, variscite occurs rarely as thin greenish white films less than 0.5mm thick in black chert. It may be intimately mixed with wavellite." |
| ⓘ Wavellite Formula: Al3(PO4)2(OH,F)3 · 5H2O Description: "Wavellite is the most prominent phosphate mineral at Phosphate Hill. It is best developed in the phosphorite, where it occurs in seams, veinlets and cavities. Spherical aggregates of tightly packed acicular wavellite crystals may be up to 9mm across. The crystals are flattened in section and show wedge-shaped terminations. Isolated, open radiating sprays are uncommon and the aggregates are usually intergrown to form globular crusts. When broken these show the typical structure of fibrous radiating crystals forming shallow discs or low-angle cones. Wavellite crystals are usually colourless, but the crusts may be greyish white or pale green. Blocky water-clear wavellite crystals up to 0.5mm long occur with cacoxenite and strengite-variscite. Wavellite is occasionally pseudomorphed by pale blue-green turquoise and may be intimately mixed with variscite in thin seams in chert." |
Gallery:
List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification
| Group 2 - Sulphides and Sulfosalts | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ⓘ | Pyrite | 2.EB.05a | FeS2 |
| Group 4 - Oxides and Hydroxides | |||
| ⓘ | Quartz | 4.DA.05 | SiO2 |
| ⓘ | Opal | 4.DA.10 | SiO2 · nH2O |
| ⓘ | var. Opal-AN | 4.DA.10 | SiO2 · nH2O |
| Group 7 - Sulphates, Chromates, Molybdates and Tungstates | |||
| ⓘ | Gypsum | 7.CD.40 | CaSO4 · 2H2O |
| Group 8 - Phosphates, Arsenates and Vanadates | |||
| ⓘ | Fluorapatite | 8.BN.05 | Ca5(PO4)3F |
| ⓘ | Strengite | 8.CD.10 | FePO4 · 2H2O |
| ⓘ | Variscite | 8.CD.10 | AlPO4 · 2H2O |
| ⓘ | Cacoxenite | 8.DC.40 | Fe3+24AlO6(PO4)17(OH)12 · 75H2O |
| ⓘ | Wavellite | 8.DC.50 | Al3(PO4)2(OH,F)3 · 5H2O |
| ⓘ | Faustite | 8.DD.15 | ZnAl6(PO4)4(OH)8 · 4H2O |
| ⓘ | Planerite | 8.DD.15 | Al6(PO4)2(PO3OH)2(OH)8 · 4H2O |
| ⓘ | Turquoise | 8.DD.15 | CuAl6(PO4)4(OH)8 · 4H2O |
| ⓘ | Fluellite | 8.DE.10 | Al2(PO4)F2(OH) · 7H2O |
List of minerals for each chemical element
| H | Hydrogen | |
|---|---|---|
| H | ⓘ Cacoxenite | Fe243+AlO6(PO4)17(OH)12 · 75H2O |
| H | ⓘ Fluellite | Al2(PO4)F2(OH) · 7H2O |
| H | ⓘ Faustite | ZnAl6(PO4)4(OH)8 · 4H2O |
| H | ⓘ Gypsum | CaSO4 · 2H2O |
| H | ⓘ Opal var. Opal-AN | SiO2 · nH2O |
| H | ⓘ Opal | SiO2 · nH2O |
| H | ⓘ Planerite | Al6(PO4)2(PO3OH)2(OH)8 · 4H2O |
| H | ⓘ Strengite | FePO4 · 2H2O |
| H | ⓘ Turquoise | CuAl6(PO4)4(OH)8 · 4H2O |
| H | ⓘ Variscite | AlPO4 · 2H2O |
| H | ⓘ Wavellite | Al3(PO4)2(OH,F)3 · 5H2O |
| O | Oxygen | |
| O | ⓘ Cacoxenite | Fe243+AlO6(PO4)17(OH)12 · 75H2O |
| O | ⓘ Fluellite | Al2(PO4)F2(OH) · 7H2O |
| O | ⓘ Fluorapatite | Ca5(PO4)3F |
| O | ⓘ Faustite | ZnAl6(PO4)4(OH)8 · 4H2O |
| O | ⓘ Gypsum | CaSO4 · 2H2O |
| O | ⓘ Opal var. Opal-AN | SiO2 · nH2O |
| O | ⓘ Opal | SiO2 · nH2O |
| O | ⓘ Planerite | Al6(PO4)2(PO3OH)2(OH)8 · 4H2O |
| O | ⓘ Quartz | SiO2 |
| O | ⓘ Strengite | FePO4 · 2H2O |
| O | ⓘ Turquoise | CuAl6(PO4)4(OH)8 · 4H2O |
| O | ⓘ Variscite | AlPO4 · 2H2O |
| O | ⓘ Wavellite | Al3(PO4)2(OH,F)3 · 5H2O |
| F | Fluorine | |
| F | ⓘ Fluellite | Al2(PO4)F2(OH) · 7H2O |
| F | ⓘ Fluorapatite | Ca5(PO4)3F |
| F | ⓘ Wavellite | Al3(PO4)2(OH,F)3 · 5H2O |
| Al | Aluminium | |
| Al | ⓘ Cacoxenite | Fe243+AlO6(PO4)17(OH)12 · 75H2O |
| Al | ⓘ Fluellite | Al2(PO4)F2(OH) · 7H2O |
| Al | ⓘ Faustite | ZnAl6(PO4)4(OH)8 · 4H2O |
| Al | ⓘ Planerite | Al6(PO4)2(PO3OH)2(OH)8 · 4H2O |
| Al | ⓘ Turquoise | CuAl6(PO4)4(OH)8 · 4H2O |
| Al | ⓘ Variscite | AlPO4 · 2H2O |
| Al | ⓘ Wavellite | Al3(PO4)2(OH,F)3 · 5H2O |
| Si | Silicon | |
| Si | ⓘ Opal var. Opal-AN | SiO2 · nH2O |
| Si | ⓘ Opal | SiO2 · nH2O |
| Si | ⓘ Quartz | SiO2 |
| P | Phosphorus | |
| P | ⓘ Cacoxenite | Fe243+AlO6(PO4)17(OH)12 · 75H2O |
| P | ⓘ Fluellite | Al2(PO4)F2(OH) · 7H2O |
| P | ⓘ Fluorapatite | Ca5(PO4)3F |
| P | ⓘ Faustite | ZnAl6(PO4)4(OH)8 · 4H2O |
| P | ⓘ Planerite | Al6(PO4)2(PO3OH)2(OH)8 · 4H2O |
| P | ⓘ Strengite | FePO4 · 2H2O |
| P | ⓘ Turquoise | CuAl6(PO4)4(OH)8 · 4H2O |
| P | ⓘ Variscite | AlPO4 · 2H2O |
| P | ⓘ Wavellite | Al3(PO4)2(OH,F)3 · 5H2O |
| S | Sulfur | |
| S | ⓘ Gypsum | CaSO4 · 2H2O |
| S | ⓘ Pyrite | FeS2 |
| Ca | Calcium | |
| Ca | ⓘ Fluorapatite | Ca5(PO4)3F |
| Ca | ⓘ Gypsum | CaSO4 · 2H2O |
| Fe | Iron | |
| Fe | ⓘ Cacoxenite | Fe243+AlO6(PO4)17(OH)12 · 75H2O |
| Fe | ⓘ Pyrite | FeS2 |
| Fe | ⓘ Strengite | FePO4 · 2H2O |
| Cu | Copper | |
| Cu | ⓘ Turquoise | CuAl6(PO4)4(OH)8 · 4H2O |
| Zn | Zinc | |
| Zn | ⓘ Faustite | ZnAl6(PO4)4(OH)8 · 4H2O |
Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality
Australia
- Great Dividing RangeMountain Range
- Lachlan OrogenOrogen
- Melbourne-Mathinna ZoneZone (Tectonic)
- Victoria
- Selwyn ProvinceGeologic Province
Australian PlateTectonic Plate
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