Secondary minerals from the central Cobar mines

The oxidised zone mineralogy of mines in the central Cobar field, ranging from the CSA in the north to the Queen Bee in the south, is reviewed. Some information concerning the deposits can be gleaned from the literature, but few secondary minerals have been reported from the district. Fine examples of azurite, native copper and, particularly, malachite were recovered during early mining of the deposits, notably at the Great Cobar and CSA mines. Recent studies of the new Cobar orebody have revealed an exotic assemblage of secondary lead and copper arsenates on which is superimposed a later malachite-azurite assemblage.