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The country rock is of metasediments cut by ENE to WSW trending rhyolite dykes dipping mainly to the north, and fissure lodes of a similar trend but dipping both north and south. Many of the mines in the area have been the subject of supergene enrichment producing rich copper ores. Substantial amounts of placer tin have been recovered from the Carnon Valley and have also been recovered from Restronguet Creek by underground mining from well below sea level. |
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Other ores of lead and zinc with minor wolfram and small amounts of gold have also been produced. North-south crosscourses crosscut the district and are clay filled and occasionally mineralized with galena and marcasite. |
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Wheal Jane mine was reopened in 1966
although early production had taken place at
outcrop in small opencast operations from as early as 1740. The main part of mineralization, occurring mainly on the footwall, is closely associated with a ENE-WSW trending rhyloite dykes which extends for over 3 km and includes the Mount Wellington Mine. However, one part of the lode system is entirely in metasediments. The mine produced not only tin but also a large tonnage of zinc concentrates and minor copper with contained silver. |
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The rhyolite dykes in the mine often have chilled margins and the occasional xenolith of granite indicates the near proximity of granite at depth. A concealed granite ridge probably extends out from Carn Marth.
The mineralization is polyphase, in a shear zone, and is extensively brecciated. The average ore grade was 1.0 %Sn but with zinc grades exceeding 5%.
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Three main phases of mineralization recognised are: 1) Greisen mineralization with wolframite, cassiterite and lollingite. 2) An early phase of tourmalinite-tin mineralization. This has been recognised in the footwall of the dyke and may predate some dyke emplacement and occurs as breccias. 3) Chlorite-sulphide assemblage of abundant pyrite and sphalerite and minor chalcopyrite, stannite and arsenopyrite with fluorite, quartz and chlorite as gangue minerals. A deep phase of oxidation has been recognised in the mine by the discovery of silica bubbles containing copper rich fluids, a vapour phase, and detached relic fluorite crystals. |
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In the Carnon Valley below Wheal Jane Mine cassiterite has been recovered from gravels deposited by rivers at periods of lower sea level. These are now covered by estuarine silty-clays and tailings from mining operations up-stream.
Mining operations here commenced in prehistory and continued up to the 1980s.
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The minerals were found near the contact zone with granite in the zone of oxidation and supergene enrichment. As the ore was rich in both copper and arsenic, many arsenates of copper, iron and lead have been found. Little remains of the surface workings today, the dumps having been removed to recover the cassiterite contained in them.
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For more information on Wheal Gorland and historic photographs please see this link
Other virtual geological field excursions in PDF files are for:
West Penwith, (2.83MB)
Marazion to Porthleven, (1.22MB)
Porthleven to Polurrian, (0.67MB)
The Lizard, (2.11MB)
St Austell Area, (1.40MB)
East Cornwall, South Devon and Dartmoor. (1.73MB)
Click on the one you wish to visit and download.
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