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The Mud Tank Carbonatite, Strangways Range, central Australia

Created 16/10/2025

Updated 16/10/2025

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The Mud Tank Carbonatite at the eastern end of the Strangways Range, about 100 km northeast of Alice Springs, was the first to be recognised in Australia. Crystalline carbonate rocks containing apatite, magnetite and zircon occur in a northeast-trending zone about 2 km long and up to 700 m wide, and in a second, much smaller, lens about 2 km to the southwest. The rocks show banding, owing to differences in texture and composition, and can be broadly divided into crystalline carbonate rocks with subordinate apatite, magnetite, phlogopite, chlorite, and soda-amphibole; foliated micaceous carbonate rocks rich in pale brown phlogopite; and feldspathic carbonate rocks with various amounts of sodic plagioclase, clinopyroxene, green-brown amphibole, and brown biotite. This last group is considered to be largely of hybrid origin. Calcite and dolomite occur in various proportions in all the rock types. Country rocks are schists and gneisses of the Early Proterozoic Arunta Block. Trace element concentrations, particularly of niobium and rare earths, are within established ranges for carbonatites, but well below economic values. On the other hand, zircon crystals of gem quality are present in the soil and colluvium overlying the carbonatite, and vermiculitic mica has developed in the weathered zone within about 40 m of the surface.

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Additional Info

Field Value
Title The Mud Tank Carbonatite, Strangways Range, central Australia
Language eng
Licence Not Specified
Landing Page https://data.gov.au/data/dataset/4740249d-8588-4a08-bad6-89eac1ff52f3
Contact Point
Geoscience Australia Data
clientservices@ga.gov.au
Reference Period 20/04/2018
Geospatial Coverage
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
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  "type": "Polygon"
}
Data Portal Geoscience Australia

Data Source

This dataset was originally found on Geoscience Australia "The Mud Tank Carbonatite, Strangways Range, central Australia". Please visit the source to access the original metadata of the dataset:
https://ecat.ga.gov.au/geonetwork/srv/eng/csw/dataset/the-mud-tank-carbonatite-strangways-range-central-australia