Geology of Goodluck Mine
The Goodluck Adit.
The Goodluck Adit was commenced in October 1830. It was driven into the south side of the Via Gellia, in the vicinity of an earlier abandoned trial level, approximately 200 feet above the valley floor. The adit was driven through the Hoptonwood d2 series of limestone, in a south - easterly direction, for 530 feet, until it intersected the Goodluck Vein, about 60 feet below the Lower Matlock Lava bed. This over lay of basalt, or "toad stone", as it was called by the miners, is impervious, and prevents the surface water from percolating through the limestone beds into the workings below, except where the lead miners have breached the lava bed with their earlier exploratory shafts from their workings of the veins found from the surface in the over laying Matlock Limestone beds.
The Workings.
The present day workings are rake type vein workings, the predominant ones ranging north - east to south - west, and parallel to the Goodluck Vein, but with smaller veins and scrins intersecting them in a north - west to south - east directions. This latter mineralisation is probably due to the effects of the Gulph Fault and its lesser faults, which run through the workings, and can be identified at diferent locations within the workings. One section of the Gulph Fault appears as a large open natural rift, while in another part, the miners have driven a long level through decomposed basalt, which has been displaced from the Matlock Lava bed above. The displacement of the Gulph fault is approximately 580 feet.
The commonest mineralisation within the veins, is galean, barytes, calcite, and some traces of fluorspar, mainly at the north - easterly ranges of the veins. Isolated pockets of other minerals have been identified in various parts of the mine workings, but not of any significant quantity to justify them being extracted.
Working the Veins.
Minerals identified in the Goodluck Mine.
Auri - Chalcite ....................... (ZnCu)5((OH)3CO3)2
Azurite .................................. Cu3(CO3)2(OH)2
Barytes .................................. BaSO4
Calcite ................................... CaCO3
Fluorite ................................... CaF2
Galena .................................... PbS
Iron Pyrites ............................. FeS2
Limonite ................................. FeOOH
Malachite ................................ Cu2CO3 2H2O
Selenite ................................... CaSO4 2H2O
Wad ......................................... MnO2 nH2O
© R. Amner. 2002.