Garie Beach

Where is pegmatite mined in Western Australia?

.The characteristics of a rock that classifies it as "pegmatite" .the usual compostition of pegmatites .the special conditions required for pegmatite to form . why rare and valuable minerals sometimes form in pegmatites .3 locations in Western Australia where there are valuable pegmatites . The minerals mined from each of these pegmatites either presently or in the past and what these minerals are used for

Public Comments

1. You have asked for quite a bit of information in one question. However, try this site: http://econgeol.geoscienceworld.org/cgi/content/abstract/90/3/616
2. Wow! Let me try...... 1. Pegmatite is a very coarse-grained igneous rock that has a grain size of 20 mm or more; such rocks are referred to as pegmatitic. 2. Most pegmatites are composed of quartz, feldspar and mica; in essence a "granite". 3. Crystal size is the most striking feature of pegmatite, with crystals usually over 50mm in size. However, individual crystals over 10 meters across have been found, and the world's largest crystal was found within a pegmatite. 4. Metamorphism and magmatism both contribute toward the conditions necessary for pegmatite genesis. 5. Pegmatites are important because they often contain rare earth minerals and gemstones, such as aquamarine, tourmaline, topaz, fluorite, and apatite, often along with tin and tungsten minerals, among others. For example, beautiful crystals of aquamarines and topaz can be found in pegmatites in the mountains of Colorado and Idaho. 6. Pegmatites are the primary source of lithium either as spodumene, lithiophyllite or usually from lepidolite (Li-mica). The majority of the world's beryllium is sourced from non-gem quality beryl within pegmatite. 7. Tantalum, niobium, rare-earth elements are sourced from a few pegmatites worldwide, notably the Greenbushes Pegmatite (Australia) 8. Garnet, commonly almandine or grossular, is a common mineral within pegmatites intruding mafic and carbonate-bearing sequences. Pegmatites associated with granitic domes within the Archaean Yilgarn Craton ( Australia) intruding ultramafic and mafic rocks contain red, orange and brown almandine garnet. 9. Australia mining- Australia is the world’s largest producer of both gem or near-gem and industrial-grade diamonds, producing about two-fifths of the global total. Titanium and zircon are recovered from the beach sands of southern Queensland, New South Wales, and Western Australia. Queensland, New South Wales, and Tasmania are the main tin-producing states, and tungsten concentrates are mined on King Island in the Bass Strait.