According to the U. Signs of the industry are apparent in this natural-color satellite image, where mining pits appear white. Rain has collected in many of the pits, forming ponds with a crystal blue color.
Some of the forested areas around the active pits were mined in previous decades but have since been replanted with trees and other vegetation.
Kaolin mining has a long history in the U. Before Europeans arrived, the Cherokee people used the white clay in their homes and in pottery. Exploration and resource drilling on north-western Eyre Peninsula has outlined very large kaolin- halloysite resources in the Poochera district, including the Careys Well, Karcultaby South, Tootla, Tomney, and Condooringie Well deposits.
Of these, weathered Hiltaba Suite granite in the Carey Well area, 15 km southwest of Poochera, has returned the highest quality kaolin, with a resource of Testwork from samples from all deposits has confirmed that kaolin from all deposits is pure, and exceptionally white, and has potential for use in high value kaolin markets. There is potential to considerably expand the resource size throughout Eyre Peninsula. Small, high-grade kaolin deposits are mined at Williamstown and Birdwood, 40 km northeast of Adelaide.
Other deposits in weathered Adelaidean rocks have been mined at Bradbury and Woodside, and in weathered Cambrian schist at Cromer. During the s, high-grade kaolin masses were encountered during underground mining and prospecting for gold north of Birdwood township.
Since , kaolin has been mined on a small scale for ceramics, refractory bricks, industrial fillers, and cement manufacture. Kaolin formed by deep weathering of a 30 m thick quartz—biotite schist unit at the top of the Adelaidean Saddleworth Formation.
The bulk of the ore is pale yellow to white sandy kaolin used in general cement manufacture. Variable and unpredictable iron-oxide-stained patches dictate selective mining to produce white kaolin which is used in white cement manufacture by Adelaide Brighton Cement Ltd at Angaston and for filler applications.
Other kaolin deposits in weathered Adelaidean sedimentary rocks have been mined at Woocalla north of Port Augusta and Booleroo Centre southeast of Port Augusta. In the Adelaide region, sedimentary kaolin was deposited in river channels and lakes draining into a much larger Gulf St Vincent which formed in early Tertiary times.
In deposits at Gordon, Ringwood, Mount Egerton, South Yarra and Northcote all mined out and Ballarat, dyke rocks have been altered to white kaolinite to depths of m.
As these rocks are quartz-free they produce almost pure kaolinite, but are costly to mine. These deposits have a high content of quartz, making them of little use except in the production of pale bricks. There are high-grade transported kaolinitic clays at Axedale, Campbellfield, Hallora and Heyfield, and in the Latrobe Valley. The known Latrobe Valley deposits are at the base of the Morwell and Yallourn open-cut coal mines.
Extensive kaolin 'ball clay' from these mines has been worked for use in white ceramics. It is likely that there are other significant kaolinite resources in the Latrobe Valley sequence.
View the full list of industrial minerals. Geological and mining history of Victoria. Author Paul A. Schroeder , University of Georgia. Originally published Dec 12, Last edited Jul 31, Hard Kaolin Image from James St. Article Feedback Why are you reaching out to us? Share this Article. Facebook Twitter Email.
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