The Meekatharra gold mining areas are within a greenstone belt. This greenstone belt lies in the northwest corner of the Yilgarn Craton. It is a huge geological region that is more than 700km across. The geology within this greenstone sequence is variable and complex. It has been intensely structurally deformed by intruding granitoids and by tectonic events. This has provided an extensive plumbing system for gold bearing fluids to exploit. As a result there are multiple huge gold deposits ranging from massive ore-bodies to narrow high-grade veins throughout the region.
The Paddy’s Flat area lies within this greenstone belt and is about 521m above sea level. When a rich vein of gold was found it was the first discovery of gold on Paddy’s Flat. The many resulting shaft mines which stretched out to the east, north and south became the heart and soul of life in Meekatharra. However, by 1939 and with the outbreak of WW2, most mines had shut down. It seemed that Paddy’s Flat had surrendered all of its gold and mining was over.
Then in 1980 several mines were reopened to be reworked using modern heavy earthmoving machinery. It was believed Paddy’s Flat still had much gold to be extracted. The old shafts provided an ideal means to survey the depths below the flats and results were encouraging.
The era of big machinery making big holes in the ground and producing big returns had arrived. Modern mining from the 1980’s to present has exploited the region in the form of underground mining and open pit operations. However, like all “gold rushes” it eventually ran its course and most of the mines now operate on a care-and-maintenance basis.
The initial attraction of gold is its colour, an eye-catching and characteristic bright yellow with a soft metallic glint. Gold’s pleasant ‘feel’, a combination of its density (19.3 grams per cubic centimetre when pure) and coldness, cannot be duplicated by any other metal.
Gold is a very rare substance making up only five ten-millionths of the Earth's outer layer. Its rarity and its physical properties have made it one of the most prized of Earth's natural resources.
Gold is a heavy metal - it weighs over nineteen times more than water, and is almost twice as heavy as lead. If you had enough gold to fill a one litre milk carton it would weigh 19.3 kilograms. The same volume of milk weighs only one kilogram.
The Meekatharra gold area is estimated to still have a reserve balance of 752,000oz of high-grade gold.... just waiting for someone to rework it yet again.
You may log this Earthcache straight away but then please email your answers to the questions to the CO. We will contact you ONLY if your answers need extra work. Logs with no answers sent will be deleted.
The answers can be found by observation, reading the information boards and a bit of research. Please do not post your answers after you have received permission to log. Photos of you in the area are most welcome but no spoilers please.
Q1. In which year was gold discovered on Paddy’s Flat and by whom?
Q2. What is the chemical symbol for gold?
Q3. What kind of mine is Paddy’s Flat in front of you?
A - shaft
B - underground
C - open-cut
D - trench
Q4. What are the four most predominant colours you can see in the cutting here?
Q5. One of the minerals in the cutting is fuchsite. Which colour is it?
Remember to take only photos and leave no trace of your time here. We hope you enjoy your visit to this interesting gold mining region.