History · Geology
About Broken Hill
Broken Hill in New South Wales, Australia, is one of the world’s largest and richest Pb-Zn-Ag deposits — and the type locality for the “Broken Hill type” (BHT) stratiform mineralization style. Mining since 1883 has produced over 200 Mt of ore at average 10% Pb + 8% Zn + 100 g/t Ag.
Geology
The orebody is a Mesoproterozoic (~1685 Ma) high-grade metamorphic Pb-Zn-Ag sulfide-silicate deposit in the Willyama Supergroup. Granulite-facies metamorphism produced unusual silicate paragenesis (Broken Hill rhodonite, garnets) alongside coarse galena-sphalerite.
Notable Minerals
Galena (coarse cubic crystals), sphalerite, pyromorphite (yellow-green hexagonal “moss”), mimetite (yellow-orange), cerussite (gem-clear twins), smithsonite (Mn-rich pink and gem-clear), rhodonite (gem cabochon-grade), spessartine and andradite (deep red garnets), willemite (similar paragenesis to Franklin NJ), franklinite, native silver. Many BHT-specific Mn-rich species occur.
Collector Notes
Broken Hill Mn-rich smithsonite and gem rhodonite from the Block 14 / British Mine workings are global classics. The locality’s Pb-Zn paragenesis offers a southern-hemisphere counterpart to Franklin (NJ) and Tsumeb (Namibia).
Minerals Produced Here
- Andradite (钙铁榴石)
- Boleite (碱铜铅矿)
- Cerussite (白铅矿)
- Franklinite (锌铁尖晶石)
- Gahnite (锌尖晶石)
- Galena (方铅矿)
- Libethenite (橄榄铜矿)
- Mimetite (砷铅矿)
- Pyromorphite (磷氯铅矿)
- Rhodonite (蔷薇辉石)
- Silver (Native) (自然银)
- Smithsonite (菱锌矿)
- Spessartine (锰铝榴石)
- Sphalerite (闪锌矿)
- Willemite (硅锌矿)
