Taronga tin project (Taronga prospect; Grampians lodes; Grampians prospect; Halls Grampians lodes), Emmaville, Gough Co., New South Wales, Australiai

Regional Level Types
Taronga tin project (Taronga prospect; Grampians lodes; Grampians prospect; Halls Grampians lodes)	Project
Emmaville	Village
Gough Co.	County
New South Wales	State
Australia	Country

The Taronga tin mineralisation lies within a sedimentary rock sequence.
The Taronga tin mineralisation is sheeted vein style cassiterite hosted within a metamorphosed Permo-Carboniferous siltstone sequence which is gently folded due to minor regional deformation. The mineralisation is located on a large dome-like structure which most likely formed due to post intrusion folding. The host sediments are metamorphosed due to their close proximity to an underlying granitic body. The cassiterite-bearing sheeted veins are crossed by quartz veins formed later in the mineralising sequence. These veins are of a stockwork nature and contain associated metals such as tungsten, molybdenum (in the form of wolframite and molybdenite respectively) and bismuth.

The area of tin mineralisation at Taronga is comprised of two major zones known as the Northern Zone and the Southern Zone.
In the Northern Zone cassiterite mineralisation in the form of a complex series of subjacent vein swarms, occurs in two locations over combined widths ranging between 10 metres and 80 metres extending over strike distances of 600 to 650 metres. In the Southern Zone mineralisation occurs in four main vein swarms with individual widths ranging between eight and ten metres and extending over distances of between 150 and 550 metres.
Tin occurs as cassiterite predominately in small vein fillings along joints and also in incipient fractures in the silicified host siltstone. The cassiterite is associated with sulphides, predominantly arsenopyrite. It has a relatively coarse grain size of between 0.1 and 3.0mm. There is a greater proportion of coarse cassiterite in the Southern Zone, 40% of which exhibits strong greisenisation. Both zones have a sphalerite rich halo. Sulphides comprise 5% to 8% of the total mineral assemblage and consist of (in
approximate order of decreasing abundance) arsenopyrite, chalcopyrite, covellite, chalcocite, sphalerite and galena, with traces of molybdenite and bismuth.

The mineralisation does not appear to have been mined to date, but about 3000t of ore and waste has been removed in bulk sampling. As part of a feasibility study composed by the Taronga JV in February 1982 it was estimated that the Taronga tin mineralisation contained 31 million tonnes of cassiterite mineralised material with an average grade of 0.165% Sn, based on a break even cut-off grade of 0.1% Sn, for a contained 51,000 tonnes of Sn.

Located approximately 8 km North-West of Emmaville

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality

References