This is another old mining area I haven’t visited, or if I
have I didn’t know its name and it has faded from memory. There are quite a few
mineral deposits in the area, of which Gaden’s appears to be the best known. It
has been the site of several Emmaville Gemfest field trips and I am indebted to
Jewellery Pirate for information and photographs from his Blog (here). (missing)
If you examine the satellite
image from Google Earth you will see the site of Gaden’s Lode marked in
pink in the centre (source: Mindat).
The most notable feature on the image is the joint pattern in the Mole Granite
which occupies a broad swathe of country across the centre. Observe how these
joints disappear around Torrington/Torrington State Forest where the granite is
still covered by part of its original “roof”. This is the Torrington Pendant of
older sedimentary rocks. The joints have controlled the deposition of ore
bodies both in the granite and in the adjacent areas where the granite is still
concealed by these older rocks.
The map was
extracted from the Grafton-Maclean Metallogenic Map; the numbers locate the
various mines and prospects. I know that some of the numbers are hard to read
and I can’t interpret them all, but here is a list of those I can (lowest to
highest) with some information (from Mindat) about each, where there is any. The names in brackets are alternative names
or nearby mines/prospects.
0300 Chinaman’s Gully Sn vein (Murphys lode; Suicide
tunnel). Operated as underground workings, adits, shafts and shallow
pits. Production from 1878 to 1965. Chinaman’s Gully alluvials: Dredging
operations until the late 1960s.
0312 Gaden’s Lode Sn W Cu U monazite vein (Gaydens
lode; Garths lode; Garths wolfram lode; Garths uranium lode). Operated
as underground workings, open cut, shafts, adits and shallow pits from 1877 to the
late 1960s.
0313 Stormer’s Lode Sn fluorite Cu U vein (Garths
lode; Garths wolfram mine; Garths uranium mine; Gadens uranium mine; Gadens
lode; Gaydens lode; Gardens lode). Operated as shallow pits, open cut,
shafts and adits 1913 to 1954.
0314 Garth’s Lode Sn vein.
0315 Heiser’s Lode U Sn vein (Garths lode; Fish &
Chips). Operated as shafts and pits 1877 to 1968.
0330 Stevens and Charlton vein Sn W (Stormers
reef). Operated as shafts and shallow pits 1887 to 1970.
0331 Mineral Tunnel Sn As Zn Pb vein. Operated as
adits, shafts and open cut 1889 to 1893. Also alluvials.
0332 Suicide Tunnel Sn vein. Operated as underground
workings, shaft and shallow pits 1889 to 1893. Located slightly West of Mineral
Tunnel workings.
0329 McKinnon’s Reef vein Sn W As Cu Bi (Paradise
lodes; Blue lode; Murphys lode; Garths tin lode; Mineral lode). Operated
as underground workings, open cut, shafts, adits and shallow pits 1878 to 1950.
0754 Small prospect Sn vein.
0755 Mineral tunnel alluvials Sn placer.
0757 Minor Lode Sn vein.
0758 Hill Crest deposit beryl pegmatite. Operated as
shafts from 1890 to 1890. (This may be a wrong
identification)
 |
| Ore minerals in Gaden's Mine (photo Jewellery Pirate) |
There are three principal types of ore bodies in the area: tin (Sn) veins, which consist largely of
quartz and cassiterite, polymetallic
veins which contain a wide variety of sulphides such as pyrite,
chalcopyrite and arsenopyrite as well as cassiterite and wolframite, and pegmatites, which frequently contain
fluorite, topaz, tourmaline and beryl as well as some of the ore minerals
already mentioned. All types occur in this location.
Where is this mineral collectors’ paradise? You are 50 years
late for the easy pickings, but if you are diligent in searching out the
locations listed above (not forgetting the alluvial deposits) you are sure to
find something of interest.
The area lies between Flagstone and Paradise Creeks. Coming
along the Gulf Road from Emmaville see Jewellery Pirate’s
Blog here. (missing).Thank you Captain for the photographs I’ve used here. Another
useful reference is Geo-Log 2011 – a
publication by the Amateur
Geological Society of the Hunter Valley, beginning on page 42 (here). (missing - try searching for it on Google).The whole
publication is worth reading, as are the other Geo-Logs in the series.
 |
| Dump at Gaden's Mine (photo Jewellery Pirate) |
The track to Gaden’s branches off to the
right just after the Torrington State Conservation Area is reached. This is
after you have crossed Flagstone Creek. Naturally the track condition is going
to vary according to weather conditions but it’s unlikely to be drivable by 2
WD vehicles. Searching DIGS
(here) will produce many reports on the area which are easily downloaded.
 |
| Photo Jewellery Pirate |
Of special
interest are the references to radioactive minerals from some of these mines
 |
| Photo Jewellery Pirate |
and prospects.. During and after WorldWar 11 there was a lot of prospecting for
uranium minerals in particular when it was commonly believed that the world
would soon be using nuclear energy as its major power source, as well as for
making nuclear weapons. (The extensive uranium deposits in the Northern
Territory and South Australia had not then been discovered.) The publication “Radioactive Prospects in NSW” (here)
dates from this time. It should be noted that monazite, which contains the
radioactive metal thorium, is also found in this area.
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