Garibaldi mine, Nthn Rivers

[john hiles]

Hello Steve,

I have just applied to join the group. Hopefully I am successful. Meanwhile I have tried on a number of occasions to access the information regarding the Garibaldi mine site near Lionsville, NSW on your personal web site but keep getting sent to some group up in Sthn Qld. Any info would be appreciated. I ran into a fellow member of the local Lismore club and he seems interested to get out there sometime.

Also if someone in the group or perhaps yourself could answer the following. Browsing the Trinity Minerals site I came across John Veevaert's report on the 2006 Bologna Show and saw a picture of a rubellite tourmaline purportedly from Kangaroo Island, Sth Aust. I contacted the sellers and they could not guarantee 100% that this was the case as the specimen came out of an old collection bought in Sth Africa would you believe. Could anyone clear this up for me. Was rubellite of this size ever found in the tourmaline deposits of K. I.

Thanks, John Hiles, Ballina NSW

[steve]

Hi John

Successful, yes. Welcome on board.

The link to the Garibaldi Mine article is broken as the Australian Mineral Collector's site (in Queensland) has had to change to a new hosting service. I didn't realise that this had happened. I'll have to fix the link.

The new link to the Garibaldi Mine article is http://www.mineral.org.au/news/garibaldi.html

I'm not sure if it will help as there are a number of Garibaldi Mines and it may not be the right one. The article refers to Tabulam, and there are three listed in the Mineral Deposits of New South Wales book. These are Hillgrove, Lionsville and Young. Lionsville may be the same mine as in the Tabulam article.

Rubellite is a pink or red form of elbaite, a lithium tourmaline. The Catalogue of South Australian Minerals lists elbaite as gem quality green elbaite (verdelite) with rubellite, undicolite (dark blue elbaite) and watermelon tourmaline in pegmatite from Kangaroo Island but does not describe the crystal size.

Hope this helps a bit.

Regards
Steve

[Mark Willoughby]

Howdy all,
In regard to the Rubellite from Kangaroo Island, although the size of the
specimens there is generally rather small, specimens to the size of the one
mentioned do occur, the South Australian Museum has at least one that I know
of that is of similar size!
I hope this helps.
Cheers Mark.

[rockhead]

Hello Steve and Mark,
Thanks for the prompt replies. Yes Tabulum and Lionsville are names for
townships up here on the far north-east of NSW. The Garibali mine is
closer to Lionsville but I have know doubt that it is the same one as
mentioned at Tabulum. Will let you know how things go when I get up
there - soon hopefully. Mark, I presume you went to the site where the
rubellite was pictured and thanks for clearing that up for me. Guess
the option is whether to go ahead and buy it, if it is still available!
I might see if I can contact someone at the Museum too.
OK.Thanks and cheers for now. John Hiles