98 
felspar and mica, some pyrites, and Ticre and there riridite and chlorite from the 
decomposition of some of the original constituents of the rock. This rock occupies 
a small area of about 3 square miles. The reefs generally have a north-west 
hearing and are perpendicular, or have a slight underlie to the east or south- 
east. The ores from these reefs are complex; in the Mariner’s Eeef, for instance, 
at a small depth the ore consists of iron, copper, arsenical pyrites, silver-lead ore 
(galena), and a small amount of sulphide of antimony. The gold in this ore was equal 
to a little over 1 oz. per ton, the silver to about 25 oz. per ton. Copper, as carbonate 
or sulphide, is met with, sometimes suiRciently rich to smelt ; 50 tons from the 
Eose, Shamrock, and Thistle Eeef were sold to the Mount Coora Copper Mining 
Company. 
“ Outside this area of porphyrite, northward towards Mount Coora, are altered 
rocks consisting of serpentine and of an altered volcanic rock, probably an altered 
dolerite. The whole area was most probably of the same volcanic rocks, parts of which 
have undergone a greater change. It is in these rocks that the Mount Coora and 
Mount Clara copper lodes occur. • 
“ The Black Snake is now almost entirely deserted. This state of affairs 
is due, in my opinion, not so much to the poverty of the reefs, as to the fact that 
the land, having become private property, is closed to general enterprise. This 
field has, moreover, got a bad name owing to the investment of a large amount of 
capital in erecting furnaces and extravagant crushing plants instead of in the mines 
tll 61 IlS©l VGS ^ 
In his “Eeport on the Geology and Mineral Eesources of the Districts of Kilkivan 
and the Black Snake,” + Mr. Hands describes the Eise and Shine (which has given 
2,7G0 oz. of gold from 1,336 tons of stone), Morning Star, Welcome, Perseverance, and 
New Tear’s Eeefs at Kilkivan, and the Eose, Shamrock, and Thistle, Tableland, New 
Zealand, Black Snake, Homeward Bound, Mariner’s, and Victoria Eeefs at Black Snake. 
Of the Black Snake Eeefs, Mr. Bands observes : “ Judging from specimens of ore I saw, 
and also from assays of samples, there can be no doubt as to the high value of the ores 
in this district, and as the reefs generally are of a good average width, some of them, at 
any rate, should pay well to work. The ore would require special and expensive treat- 
ment to extract the gold and other metals of commercial value, and it would probably be 
found advisable to merely concentrate them on the field and send them elsewhere for 
treatment.” , 
Important copper lodes occur in the Black Snake District at Mount Coora and 
Mount Clara and other localities, but are not now worked 
KILKIVAN MERCURY MINES AND MOUNT COORA COBALT MINE. 
Mr. Bands reported as follows, on the Queensland and Wolf Cinnabar Lodes at 
the end of 1886 : — 
“ The matrix of the lodes consists of quartz and calcite. Both lodes are looking 
well, showing cinnabar all through the stone. 
“ At the Queensland Lode the shaft is down 42 feet. The lode runs north and 
south. At the bottom of the shaft the lode is divided into two parts by a ‘ horse of 
mullock. On the eastern or foot wall is a small vein of quartz which is very rich in ore , 
next to this is about 8 inches of quartz and calcite with ore throughout it, while on 
the hanging-wall is another mass of vein-stuff containing cinnabar. A little to the 
* VV. H. Rands, in Reiiort of Department of Mines for 1885, 
f Brisbane : by Authority ; 188G. 
