Mount Gee

at Mount Gee Mount Gee is a mountain peak located in the northern Flinders Ranges within the Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary, and is part of the Mount Painter inlier. Both peaks are situated within the Arkaroola Protection Area, and the area is known for being a former site of mining exploration, in particular uranium. Radium was discovered at Radium Ridge, near Mount Painter, in 1910, with uranium discovered as a by-product of the ore. Mining continued intermittently in the area until the early 1960s. Mount Gee, which is part of the "Mount Painter field", came to prominence in 2008–2011 because of uranium exploration occurring in an area that was commonly (and mistakenly) believed at that time to be protected from all mineral exploration. This situation was altered when the Government of South Australia created the Arkaroola Protection Area under the Arkaroola Protection Act 2012, which prohibits all mining activity in the Arkaroola Protection Zone.

at Mount Gee]] Mount Gee is a mountain peak located in the northern Flinders Ranges within the Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary, and is part of the Mount Painter inlier. Both peaks are situated within the Arkaroola Protection Area, and the area is known for being a former site of mining exploration, in particular uranium. Radium was discovered at Radium Ridge, near Mount Painter, in 1910, with uranium discovered as a by-product of the ore. Mining continued intermittently in the area until the early 1960s. Mount Gee, which is part of the "Mount Painter field", came to prominence in 2008–2011 because of uranium exploration occurring in an area that was commonly (and mistakenly) believed at that time to be protected from all mineral exploration. This situation was altered when the Government of South Australia created the Arkaroola Protection Area under the Arkaroola Protection Act 2012, which prohibits all mining activity in the Arkaroola Protection Zone. ==Location history== Mount Gee and Mount Painter are both located in the Arkaroola pastoral lease, which was created in 1937 from an amalgamation of three leases. It was run as a sheep station, but, being located on a mountainous region and the worst pastoral land, it was difficult to raise and muster sheep. As of July 1946, Bentley Greenwood, brother of Gordon Arthur Greenwood, was running Arkaroola Station. Arkaroola Station was purchased by Reginald and Griselda Sprigg in 1967 for the purposes of "wildlife preservations and conservation of the environment", with this objective being recognised by the South Australian Government initially in 1969. From 2012 the pastoral lease, including the two peaks, along with some other land, was proclaimed under new legislation as the Arkaroola Protection Area, and mining was completely prohibited in this area. ==Geological significance== The oldest rocks of the Adelaide Rift Complex, as well as the oldest example of complex life, a type of marine sponge that lived in deep water, are in the Arkaroola Reef. The melting of Mesoproterozoic rocks created a unique Phanerozoic fossil "plumbing system" at Mount Gee which once had hot geysers similar to Yellowstone National Park in the US. The Paralana Hot Springs on Wooltana Station are a remnant of this geothermal system. ==Protection== Following the public outcry that resulted from Marathon Resources' misconduct in the Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary – including the illegal dumping of waste in several shallow pits and the alleged excavation and removal of mineral specimens unrelated to the mineral exploration program – the South Australian Government later promised to introduce legislation to ban all mining activities in the sanctuary. The Arkaroola Protection Act 2012 prohibits any mining in the entire Arkaroola Protection Zone, which includes Mt Gee and the Mt Painter inlier. Arkaroola was listed on the state heritage register on 17 July 2012, for its "outstanding scientific, environmental, cultural and social values", as one of the most diverse landscapes in South Australia. Of particular geological value, Mount Gee and Mount Painter are located where Precambrian and earlier periods in the formation of the Earth's crust, including "hot rocks" can be seen and researched. ==Footnotes== ==Further reading== Mawson's report – Includes details of Mount Painter–Mount Gee geology and uranium deposits

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