Bow Bells Gold Mine (Moondine), Warrawoona Gold Project, Marble Bar, East Pilbara Shire, Western Australia, Australiai

Regional Level Types
Bow Bells Gold Mine (Moondine)	Mine
Warrawoona Gold Project	Group of Mines
Marble Bar	- not defined -
East Pilbara Shire	Shire
Western Australia	State
Australia	Country

GML 505. 12 acres. One of the major mines on the field. The original prospectors were Royers, Barnes and Burroughs in 1898. From 1901 to at least 1908, the British Exploration Company of Western Australia controlled the lease. This company limped along producing some crushings, and erecting a small battery, but the mine was never profitable. Later the mine was named Moondine, with 29 tonnes of ore extracted for 235 ounces.

There are seven reefs on the property. The two most important are the Northern and Horseshoe Reefs. The Northern contained No. 3 shaft, down 80 feet from the surface on a reef dipping steeply north-east. At the surface the reef is 12 inches thick. Another shaft on the reef was down to 45 feet. The reef pinches at depth.

The Horseshoe Reef named after its shape, was worked by the main shaft at a fork in the reef. The northern fork continues for 260 feet length, then tapers to thin veins of quartz for 150 feet, turns south for 50 feet and gradually dis-appears. The main shaft was down to 106 feet depth. The southern leg of the fork, the reef is 3 feet thick.

Government geologist, Gibb-Maitland inspected the property in 1908, and goes into some details regarding further workings, of which a brief summary is mentioned here.

There was a further tunnel and shaft on the north leg of the main reef. The tunnel also cut the Middle Reef 23 feet in, the reef 6 inches wide, dipping north-east. Drives had been dug north and south for 60 feet, then stoped to the surface.

At the foot of the main shaft down 77 feet, the reef is 10 feet thick as a large bulge, of quartz with small sericite scales, and irregular patches of serpentinite.

Little in the way of old workings can be seen.

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References