Calcite is a common mineral and is found worldwide due to it being a primary component of many other rocks such as limestone and marble. It is a softer mineral that scratches easily and is often found colourless or with a cream/white shade but may show up in colours such as red, yellow, green, and violet. In sedimentary rocks calcite is often found in the form of invertebrate shells, making it an important biomineral. Calcite is used in many industries such as farming, building, and medicine. This particular specimen was found at Broken Hill mine in Broken Hill, New South Wales, Australia. Broken Hill mine is one of the largest mines working silver and lead in Australia and at its peak employed 6500 staff across 7.5km long of land. The site was founded in 1883 by Charles Rasp, where Rasp and 6 other men from various backgrounds came together to form the first BHP mine. It has become one of the most popular mining sites due to its abundance and longevity. The ore body was created 1685 million years ago due to volcanic activity causing heated seawater to flow up through the seafloor where it mixed with the cold water creating black sulphide precipitates. These then settled back onto the seafloor forming sediment layers rich in minerals. Over time the land eroded until it was discoverable by humans.Historically this specimen is significant due to the origin of its location. Broken Hill mine has a long history in both its location and its findings and has resulted in a variety of minerals being discovered at its site. It is beneficial in the understanding of the Australian landscape over millions of years. Due to its properties, calcite today is used in a multitude of different industries such as agriculture, construction, medicine, and farming.A small sized calcium, carbon and oxygen made mineral specimen in shades cream and greycalcite, mineral, limestone, marble, sedimentary, invertebrate shells, biomineral, farming, medicine, broken hill, broken hill mine, new south wales, charles rasp, syndicate of seven, volcanic activity, black sulphide precipitates, calcite crystals, beechworth museum, indigo shire, beechworth

This specimen is from Broken Hill, NSW. Galena is a natural mineral form of lead sulphide and is often found associated with sphalerite, calcite, and fluorite. Galena is an important lead ore mineral, and, in some regions, it is also an important mineral associated with silver ore. Sphalerite is a sulphide mineral that is the main ore of zinc. Rhodonite is an uncommon mineral once used as an ore of manganese in India, however today the scarcity and fragility of the crystals mean it is primarily used as lapidary materials or mineral specimens. In 1883, Charles Rasp who was a boundary rider at the time, discovered what he thought were deposits of tin but were in fact samples of silver and lead. He and six others went on to set up the first mining company in Broken Hill (BHP). The ore body became the largest and richest of its kind in the world mining ore worth more than 42,000 pounds in its first year. Many of these specimens were sent to research and collecting organisations across Australia, including the Burke Museum, to educate and encourage further study. Galena contains lead and silver, Sphalerite contains zinc. This specimen is part of a larger collection of geological and mineral specimens collected from around Australia (and some parts of the world) and donated to the Burke Museum between 1868-1880. A large percentage of these specimens were collected in Victoria as part of the Geological Survey of Victoria that begun in 1852 (in response to the Gold Rush) to study and map the geology of Victoria. Collecting geological specimens was an important part of mapping and understanding the scientific makeup of the earth. Many of these specimens were sent to research and collecting organisations across Australia, including the Burke Museum, to educate and encourage further study.A hand-sized piece of Sphalerite and Galena with Rhodonite crystalsburke museum, beechworth, geological, geological specimen, galena, rhodonite, sphalerite, silver ore, manganese, lead sulphide, lead ore, zinc ore, lapidary, mineral specimen, broken hill, nsw

The Ballarat School of Mines was the first School of Mines in the southern hemisphere. Its Museum was established in 1872. Donation 600, 4 July 1882, H. Sutton, Ballarat. Nature of Donation: 13th Annual report of the Aeronautical Society of Great Britain 2 papers 'from the proceedings of the Royal Society', Nos 217 & 218 - 1882 communicated by the President :on a new electrical Storage battery" by Henry Sutton, Ballarat, Victoria Donation 976, 8 May 1884, H. Sutton, Ballarat. Nature of Donation: * 1 volume "Pluttner on the Blowpipe: (Pluttner's manual of qualitative & quantitative analysis of the blowpipe. Donation 1682, 28 Feb 1887, James Lamb, Ballarat. Nature of Donation: Copy of "The Ballarat Times" newspaper of 3 December 1854, framed, and protected on both sides with glass. Donation 1712, 28 April 1887, Marg. Guerin, Ballaarat. Nature of Donation: Specimens nos (797-806) 797-801 from the New Reform Mine Luchnow, NSW (797) Serpentine with vein of quartz and calcite (798) Surpentine passing into silicous ferruginoous gossan; with drives of rock crystal (&99) Diorite with vein of calcite (800) Auriferous vein stuff (801) Auriferous arrenopyrite with calcite (802) noble opal filling cavities in decomposed traclyte (803-805) from Mr McDonald, NSW (806) arutute (carbonate of lead) in long schombie purni (?) Donation 1730, 23 May 1887, Miss Guerin, Ballaarat. Nature of Donation: Copy of the Victorian Review No 74 December 1 1885, Copy Wide Awake Vol 1 No 6 May 21st 1887Large rough calf covered book recording museum, laboratory and library donations to the Ballarat School of Mines. 4835 donations are recorded.Marbled end papers. Labels on spine and front cover.ballarat school of mines, ballarat school of mines museum, benjamin hepburn, ce clarke, j noble wilson, m hamburger, d christy, edwin jewell, ellery, john gray, go preshaw, cf crouch, henry brind, james darby, rm serjeant, george day, jf watson, stoddart, j hicks, hicks, james hector, sleep, jj sleep, james pearce, henry obree, newman, william tarrant, beilby, william bradford, george lansell, watson, edward gazzard, e morey, john lynch, j hector, rivett bland, bland, costin, whittle, crowther, mitchell, ferdinand krause, krause, joseph mitchell, john walker, bailey, duncan, mica smith, alfred mica smith, james buchanan, buchanan, whitehouse, dr bunce, bunce, james bklack, james bickett, js north, joseph flude, alfred lester, wagemann, fw niven, edwards, william evett, john addis, al elphinstone, henry sutton, ol olden, bh cross, robert hamilton, hancock, ferdinand von mueller, von meuller, berchevaise, j whitehouse, serjeant, henty, james shugg, john ross, james oddie, ralph tate, henry watts, wh wooster, wooster, luplau, rosenblum, heddington, albert furmedge, buley, robert wilson, e. rowlands, ne hall, henry pearce, lee young, nicholls, dusontory, daniel brohpy, brophy, klug, james donaldson, john cherry, ce jones, john feilds, thomas williams, enscoe, e price, shoppee, jacob drew, george wyatt, dimmock, james orr, john hardy, george wyatte, thomas rogers, james lamb, doepel, margaret guerin, bella guerin, guerin, george binns, william laplau, captain baker, baker, crisp, barnard, haffie, bateman, chalmers, richard parker, adam adamson, jn wilson, john noble wilson, papenhagen, towl, government astronomer, royal society, minister of mines, thoams blackett, burbury, denny, thys, p gay, james law, woolnough