The 'lost' mines of Kingsgate, New South Wales

Some 30 'Kingsgate'-style quartz pipes, some of which carry Mo and Bi mineralization, are known to the immediate south of the Yarrow River but separate from the main Kingsgate mining field in New South Wales. Mining in the area commenced around the same time as at Kingsgate, but the deposits have been largely overlooked. Many of the pipes are barren of metallic minerals but carry sheared and healed quartz specimens. The principal Mo mine in the area, Maurer's Claim, is characterized by unusual, flattened, and doubly-terminated, smoky quartz crystals. These, together with molybdenite crystals, were commented on by some of the earliest writers on Kingsgate and the deposits were investigated for quartz during World War II. Some quartz crystals recovered during the last 15 years contain spectacular inclusions of bismuthinite.