History

World-Class Grades

Among Queensland’s Highest-Grade Historic Silver Producers

Historical reports describe Silver Spur as one of Queensland's highest-grade historic silver producers, with average mined grades around 800 g/t silver.

Historic mine plan showing high-grade silver shoots

800 g/t Historical Silver Grades

High-Grade Shoots (> 500 g/t Ag)

Geological Record

Underground Workings

Historical underground mine plan reconstructed from government records (60–500 ft levels).

Silver Spur Mine — Underground Workings (after Ball, 1918). Overall mine plan, long section looking west, and 3D isometric view looking north-west. Scroll to view full diagram →

Levels Shown 60 150 200 300 400 500

Shaft Details

Main Shaft

Depth to 500 ft Level (500 ft).
Timbered, 4 compartment.

Lawson’s Shaft

Depth to 400 ft Level (400 ft).
Timbered, 2 compartment.

Major Ore Bodies

No. 1 Ore BodyUpper levels — 60 & 150 ft
No. 2 Ore Body60–200 ft
No. 3 Ore Body150–300 ft
No. 4 Ore Body300–500 ft
South-east LodeLower levels
Nellie’s LodeLower levels

Key Points

Ore occurs in lenses along favourable horizons, controlled by faults.
Only a fraction of the ore-bearing country had been developed, especially below 200 ft.
Driving, crosscutting, raising and sinking along the Stokes Fault and parallel structures is recommended for future prospecting.
Considerable zinc bodies were left in stopes; mining them would likely expose more ore.

References

Historical Source

Ball, L.C. (1918). Underground mine plans reconstructed from Queensland Government geological survey records, covering the 60–500 ft levels of the Silver Spur workings.

Levels are approximately horizontal; refer to original government survey documentation for full technical detail.