Orlando Mine (Orlando West), Tennant Creek, Barkly Region, Northern Territory, Australiai

Regional Level Types
Orlando Mine (Orlando West)	Mine
Tennant Creek	Creek
Barkly Region	Region
Northern Territory	Territory
Australia	Country

A copper and gold mine 27.2 km (17miles) N.W. from Tennant Creek.

The tenement titles are MCC 977 to 980 and entitled Orlando West.

The gold-copper ore of the Orlando mine, Northern Territory, is a pipelike deposit that follows a shear zone within a gravity slide. Lithologic and structural units within the gravity slide reflect different degrees of fluidity and fragmentation, which depended, in turn, on grain size and depth of burial at the time of sliding. Structural features include flowage folds, rafted blocks, breccias, and pelletoid conglomerates. Minerals associated with the ore body include chlorite, magnetite, chalcopyrite, pyrite, bismuthinite, and gold. Other mineralized zones are characterized by talc, magnetite, carbonate, and galena-sphalerite.
R. D. McNeil
Economic Geology; March 1966; v. 61; no. 2; p. 221-242; DOI: 10.2113/gsecongeo.61.2.221

While often referred to as a new deposit discovered by Peko Wallsend, with mining beginning in 1962, records of leases in the Orlando vicinity was found from 1935. However, little information was uncovered other than names.

W. Ash/J. Stewart/C. Patrick, R. Webb/C.K. Hamilton/C. Martin north of Orlando, E.A. Richards/C. Patrick north-east of Orlando 1935. Alex Miller, H.G. Kirkpatrick, John Norman Nelson 1936. Jeffrey Alexander Miller/Alexander Bell Scott as Orlando East 1940. Forfeiture of lease 1944 from Alfred William Laurence and Joshua George Pridmore. Thomas Mason Simpson as the Orlando Central lease 1945.

Currie Gold Mines NL was formed in Adelaide in 1950, to take over a number of leases including Orlando. In 1953, the Red Terror Gold Mines NL took out an option over the deposit. Peko Wallsend began drilling in 1957, the first hole uncovering gold grades at 30 dwt at a depth of 26 feet. A shaft was begun but the next seven drill holes brought negative results. After much trouble an economical gold/copper deposit was uncovered. Production started on 08 August 1962.

An abandoned pit remains at the site. To reach travel about 26 kilometres from Tennant Creek along the Warrego Road. Where it turns from north-west to west, travel north 500 metres to a large east-west open pit. The mine has produced 0.736 Mt ore at 7.9 g/t Au and 3.1% Cu.

Occasional pyromorphite, native copper, and malachite specimens are seen from the location.

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality

References