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COPPER LODES AT SARDINE CREEK AND SNOWY RIVER. 
By E. J. Dunn , F.G.S., Director , Geological Survey . 
The Sardine Creek Copper Lode. 
The Booth’s Fancy mine is situate on Copper Creek, a branch of 
Sardine Creek. Fourteen miles from Orbost on the road to Bonang is 
Calico Elat, the settlement nearest to the mine and the camp is 2 miles 
about N. 20 deg. W. in a direct line from Calico Flat. 
The country rock where the lode has been found is grano-diorite with a 
small outlier of Heathcotian just where the shaft is sunk. These are cherty 
beds which strike N. 30 deg. E. and dip westward at 25 deg. Small quartz 
veins intersect the highly jointed rock. The strike of the copper lode is 
N. 5 deg. W. and its dip 70 deg. W. The lode has been opened along its 
length for about 70 feet partly by a tunnel driven northward for 50 feet. 
A shaft has been sunk right in the bed of the creek to* a depth of 10 feet. 
At the bottom, in the south end of this, the lode is 12 inches thick; at the 
north end it is 7 inches thick. The ore appears to* pitch northward. At 
the north end of the drive the lode is 8 inches thick. The footwall in the 
drive is granitic and very well marked. Lodes in this grano-diorite are 
likely 10 be very persistent and a shaft should be sunk a little further south 
so as to be out of the way of the water channel. The present shaft will 
have to be filled in and carefully puddled or it will be a source of trouble 
later on. The lode material consists of very good looking copper pyrites 
with iron pyrites and some galena. The lode appears to be persistent and 
is worth tracing out further, but the principal work to be done here is to 
sink on it and prove what it is like at a greater depth. At least 50 feet 
should be sunk here before the lode is driven upon. The nearness to the 
coast is a great advantage and a concentrating plant of a simple character 
should be erected to make the ore available for shipment to the smelting 
works. 
McDougall’s Copper Lode, Wallaby Creek. 
McDougall’s copper lode is ij miles south of Granite Creek in a creek 
about half-a'-mile east of the Orbost-Bonang road at an altitude of about 500 
feet above sea-level. The country rock is grano-diorite in the creek bed with 
Ordovician on the surrounding hills. The strike of lode is S. 20 deg. W. 
and its dip is eastwards. Dark chloritic quartz up to a few inches thick 
with copper pyrites disseminated through it occurs here, and is traceable 
for 2 or 3 chains. It would be advisable to trace out the direction further 
so as .to find the site where the lode is strongest and then to open it out a 
little by sinking a few feet on it. A thin lode might pay in such a con¬ 
venient site. The road is about 400 feet above the level of the outcrop in 
the creek bed. 
John McRae’s Copper Lode, Snowy River. 
Samples of a copper lode situate about 16 miles from Orbost on the 
Snowy River were shown to me by Mr. John McRae. The lode material 
is the same as in the other cases, consisting of quartz with much chloritic 
material and copper pyrites disseminated through it. Only surface stones 
knocked off the outcrop were obtained, but some shallow trenches should 
be cut across the lode and a shaft should be sunk on the best portion of 
the outcrop so as to get below water level. Another lode is reported near 
this one. 
[Report sent in 18.3.0 7.] 
