81 
SILVER LODES, OMEO. 
By E. J. Dunn, F.G.S., late Director, Geological Survey. 
About miles at W. 15° south from Omeo, and on the same level are 
the silver lodes opened up by Mr. 0. W. Forsyth on Lightning Creek. The 
first lode is about 5 chains north-east from the corner of O’Connell’s paddock. 
The country rock is mica-schist, probably of pre-Cambrian age. It is from 
3 to 6 inches thick, and, like the other lodes here, strikes north. The lode 
consists of quartz permeated with fine sulphides of iron, &c. About 100 feet 
west of this lode is a second vein 10 inches thick that carries silver-lead 
ore (sulphide). Smaller veins of quartz and sulphide occur between these 
lodes. About 30 feet west of the 10-inch lode is another of equal thickness ; 
it is in decomposed metamorphic rock. Fifteen feet further west is a lode 
1 ft. 6 in. thick, which, Mr. Forsyth states, carries both gold and silver. This 
lode on the top of the spur junctions with two others that range from 8 to 
18 inches thick, and that carry sulphide ore. 
About 200 feet further west, on the top of the ridge, is a lode 15 inches 
thick, and widening to 2 feet thick at the bottom' of the hill near Livingstone 
Creek. This lode carries good looking ore for 200 feet in length. Native 
silver in small grains occurs in the loam and in the surface stone. 
All of these lodes intersect a ridge that rises about 130 feet above Living¬ 
stone Creek. They run for about 200 yards in length through metamorphic 
country. Along the course of Livingstone Creek the rock is principally 
mica-schist, striking N. 45° W. and dipping south-west. 
So far merely surface excavations have been made, but the best method 
of exploiting the lodes would be by driving along them just above high- 
water mark. 
From the attached list of assays it will be seen that these lodes carry 
rich ores of silver, and they deserve to be well opened up. 
Besides this group of lodes, others are known in the neighbourhood, and 
if a good mine were established it is probable that many discoveries would 
follow, for there is an immense area of country favorable for such ores around 
Omeo. In connexion with the discovery of these silver lodes, it is deserving of 
notice that the alluvial gold of the Omeo district is remarkable for the proportion 
of silver in it, which reduces the value in some cases to below £3 per ounce. 
Mr. Forsyth, a keen prospector, was looking for gold, and sent samples 
of the ore to the laboratory for assay, and in this way its value in silver was 
ascertained. 
The following table shows the results of assays made at the Geological 
Survey Laboratory. The samples were submitted by Mr. Forsyth:— 
No. 
Gold, 
per ton. 
Silver, per ton. 
oz. 
dwfc. 
gr. 
oz. 
dwt. 
gr. 
429 
1 
0 
8 
420 
0 
8 
479 
0 
17 
0 
313 
6 
3 
541 
0 
6 
12 
278 
1 
4 
542 
1 
18 
18 
10 
14 
13 
603 
0 
3 
6 
0 
19 
6 
604 
0 
4 
14 
0 
14 
16 
605 
0 
2 
15 
54 
16 
22 
606 
0 
3 
22 
14 
18 
19 
607 
0 
1 
7 
60 
12 
1 
608 
1 
5 
11 
8 
10 
£0 
609 
0 
2 
22 
3 
6 
4 
638 
0 
2 
15 
80 
0 
15 
639 
0 
16 
0 
144 
16 
21 
[27.2.12.] 
