Tennant Creek is the largest town in the Barkly Region, with a population of 3062 (est. 2015), and is an important wayside stop for travellers along the Stuart Highway. The town contains an excellent gold mining history and mineral display museum called Battery Hill, and aboriginal art is available for sale from galleries in the town.

There are a number of important gold-copper-bismuth mines in this district, with mineralisation hosted by hematitic ironstones. Host rocks : Proterozoic detritic sediments. Mineralization genesis is due to the mixing of connate sedimentary basin fluids with magmatic fluids.

The Tennant Creek district is a large (100 km x 80 km) historic mining district that has produced ∼ 157 t Au and 350 000 t Cu since 1932. The Au-Cu-Bi mineralization is often hosted in hydrothermal magnetite-hematite-chlorite-rich ironstones, as it is the case for the Mauretenia and Hermitage deposits.

Gold, along with copper and bismuth, continues to yield significant output from Tennant Creek, notably at the Warrego mine; the Gecko mine, which was the site of a significant find in 1979, was put on a care-and-maintenance basis in 1986. But a new gold mine was opened at Argo in the same area.

In 1874, gold was reported from the Last Hope area north-west of Tennant Creek. Government geologist, Brown, reported panning gold in the Bishops Creek in 1894. Davidson's gold expedition through central Australia in 1905 found little gold around Tennant Creek. Its remoteness, and lack of water discouraged further investigation, and the area was forgotten about as a possible gold producing region.

Prospectors in 1925 turned their attention to the quartz-hematite ironstone bodies in the area with more success, finding gold nine kilometres south-west of the Tennant Creek telegraph station. Payable gold was found at these abandoned workings in 1932. Further numerous ironstone associated gold deposits were uncovered across 1933-34, including Nobles Nob and Eldorado.

One prospector found so much gold, he went on a year long trip around Australia, with an orchestra in tow to keep him entertained at night. After this the money ran out, and he returned to a poverty stricken life living in a shack and prospecting.

There was 113 gold mines operational in the district prior to the outbreak of World War Two. It is considered the last great gold rush in Australia's history. Mindat only lists the most major mines where information can be found.

Fossils

There are 20 fossil localities from the PaleoBioDB database within this region.

These data are provided on an experimental basis and are taken from external databases. Mindat.org has no control currently over the accuracy of these data.

Occurrences	20
Youngest Fossil Listed	485 Ma (Early/Lower Ordovician)
Oldest Fossil Listed	516 Ma (Cambrian)
Stratigraphic Units	Unit No. Occurrences Age Tomahawk - Lower beds 5 494 - 485.4 Ma (Cambrian) Gum Ridge 5 513 - 501 Ma (Cambrian) Montejinni Limestone 10 516 - 513 Ma (Cambrian)
Fossils from Region	Click here to show the list.
Accepted Name Hierarchy Age Porifera phylum Animalia : Porifera 516 - 501 Ma Cambrian Chancelloriida order Animalia : Problematica : Coeloscleritophora : Chancelloriida 513 - 501 Ma Cambrian Mictosaukia genus Animalia : Arthropoda : Trilobita : Asaphida : Saukiidae : Mictosaukia 494 - 485.4 Ma Cambrian Echinodermata phylum Animalia : Echinodermata 516 - 501 Ma Cambrian Linguliformea subphylum Animalia : Brachiopoda : Linguliformea 516 - 501 Ma Cambrian Cymatopegma semiplicatum species Animalia : Mollusca : Ribeiriidae : Cymatopegma : Cymatopegma semiplicatum 494 - 485.4 Ma Cambrian Kimopegma pinnatum species Animalia : Mollusca : Technophoridae : Kimopegma : Kimopegma pinnatum 494 - 485.4 Ma Cambrian Guduguwan hardmani species Animalia : Hyolitha : Orthothecida : Circothecidae : Guduguwan : Guduguwan hardmani 516 - 501 Ma Cambrian
Fossil Localities	Click to show 5 fossil localities

Localities in this Region

Other Regions, Features and Areas that Intersect

References