824 DIAMOND-DEPOSITS OF COPETON, N.S.W., 



rences. Moreover, the level of the gravels, at the Round Mount, is 

 lower than that of the Soldier Hill deposits. It has also been 

 pointed out that another mass of redistributed gravels occurs at 

 the Koh-i-noor Mine, which lies between the Round Mount and the 

 Star of the South Mine. There can, then, be little doubt that the 

 part of the lead, flowing from Oakey Creek, continued through the 

 Round Mount, and joined the main stream at a point between the 

 Deep Shaft, and the Star of the South Mine. The position of the 

 surface-gravels at the Sandy block, just west of the Round Mount, 

 is doubtless due to the presence of a tributary joining the Oakey 

 Creek branch at the Round Mount. 



In addition to the occurrences just described, which have now 

 been linked up into a continuous river-system, there are a few 

 isolated patches of gravels which deserve a short description. 



The Lone Star is the name given to a mine, which comprises two 

 small basalt-capped hills overlying the ^anite and slate junction 

 to the north of Cope's Creek. The gravels here underlie the 

 basalt, but are at an elevation of 2,380 feet, which is consider- 

 ably above that of the Tertiary system previously described. The 

 lead at this point trends in a north-westerly direction. Mining is 

 carried on chiefly for tinstone, but a few diamonds are almost 

 invariably found in each washing. At about three miles to the 

 north-west, another outcrop of gravels was noted; it is probable 

 that these all belong to the same stream-course, and that this was 

 a tributary to the main Copeton lead, which flowed north after 

 crossing the present position of Cope's Creek. The general fall 

 of the country was in this direction, as the Tertiary lead at In- 

 verell is at an elevation of about 1,700 feet, and the level at 

 Gragin, still furtlier to the north-west, is about 1,400 feet. 



Another isolated area of diamond-bearing gravels, is that situ- 

 ated at Staggy Creek, about 7 or 8 miles to the north-west of the 

 Oakey Creek occurrence. The gravels are exposed at the surface, 

 and no basalt is present. The deposit consists, for the greater 

 part, of quartz-pebbles and boulders, ranging from 5 mm. to 20 

 cm. in diameter. A relatively large amount of tourmaline is pre- 

 sent, and many of the larger quartz-boulders contain pencil-tour- 



