Mount Read
Mount Read is located in Tasmania
Mount Read
Mount Read
Location in Tasmania
Highest point
Elevation1,123 m (3,684 ft)[1]
Coordinates41°50′24″S 145°32′24″E / 41.84000°S 145.54000°E / -41.84000; 145.54000 (Mount Read)[2]
Geography
LocationWest Coast, Tasmania, Australia
Parent rangeWest Coast Range

Mount Read is a mountain located in the West Coast region of Tasmania, Australia, and is at the north west edge of the West Coast Range.[3]

With an elevation of 1,123 metres (3,684 ft) above sea level, Mount Read has had as colourful a history, similar to that of Mount Lyell, with mines, settlements and other activities on its slopes for over a hundred years.

Geology

The main copper and gold ore bearing deposits in the West Coast Range are known to occur in the Mount Read Volcanics relating to the complex geology of the area.[4][5][6]

Mineralisation and deposits were being identified well beyond the life of the original mines utilised on Mount Read.[7]

To the south east of Mount Read are many features of glaciation[8] in the Tyndall Range as well as glacial lakes of Lake Westwood, Lake Selina, and Lake Julia.

Hercules Haulage

The Hercules Mine on Mount Read was connected by a 1,642-foot (500 m) haulage incline to Williamsford and then to the North East Dundas Tramway. The haulage was self-acting and 1-mile (1.6 km) long and 1,642 feet (500 m) high with a maximum gradient of 1 in 5.[9][10]

The mine was in production in the late nineteenth century.[11] It had a major strike in 1906.[12][13] The mine produced well into the mid twentieth century.[14] The mine site had ceased operation and was subject to cleanup processes in the early 2000s.[15][16]

The Hercules Gold and Silver Mining Company was an operating company that ceased in 1916.[17] The Mount Read and Rosebery Mines Limited started as an ex-Mount Lyell offshoot, absorbed by EZ by 1925.[18][19]

Mount Read township

The community, mainly known in early sources as the Mount Read township surrounding the Hercules minesite had various struggles for services and facilities.[20][21]

Situated at 1000 metres Mount Read (township) was the most elevated town which has existed in Tasmania[22]

Huon pine

Despite extensive historic mining and human activity on its slopes, Mount Read has unique and significant stands of Huon pine forests on its slopes.[23] The southern slopes of Mount Read have been identified as a special habitat[24][25] enclosed in the Lake Johnston Nature Reserve.[26]

Climate

Mount Read has an alpine subpolar oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification: Cfc), bordering on a tundra climate (Köppen climate classification: ET). It currently has a Bureau of Meteorology automatic weather station in place, and it scores well in extreme weather conditions. Its extreme rainfall records for Autumn 2006 put it on a par with the Lake Margaret rainfall – which was still apparently recorded till 30 June 2006 by Hydro employees, but not appearing on the BOM website. It has one of the highest annual rain day amount in the world at 282 days, topping Cherrapunji in India, but falling behind Mount Waialeale in Hawaii and López de Micay in Colombia, which have 335 and 315 rainy days respectively. Its monthly temperature averages are comparable to those of Reykjavik in Iceland. Snowfalls are highly frequent and often very heavy, occurring at all times of the year. The mean afternoon relative humidity is the greatest anywhere in Australia, particularly in the cooler months.

Climate data for Mount Read (1996–2022); 1,120 m AMSL; 41.84° S, 145.54° E
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 30.4
(86.7)		 29.5
(85.1)		 27.9
(82.2)		 20.6
(69.1)		 15.3
(59.5)		 11.4
(52.5)		 10.0
(50.0)		 12.5
(54.5)		 16.2
(61.2)		 22.6
(72.7)		 24.5
(76.1)		 27.6
(81.7)		 30.4
(86.7)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 14.4
(57.9)		 14.2
(57.6)		 12.0
(53.6)		 8.9
(48.0)		 6.4
(43.5)		 4.7
(40.5)		 3.7
(38.7)		 3.9
(39.0)		 5.6
(42.1)		 7.8
(46.0)		 10.8
(51.4)		 12.1
(53.8)		 8.7
(47.7)
Daily mean °C (°F) 10.1
(50.2)		 10.2
(50.4)		 8.6
(47.5)		 6.2
(43.2)		 4.3
(39.7)		 2.9
(37.2)		 2.0
(35.6)		 2.0
(35.6)		 3.0
(37.4)		 4.6
(40.3)		 7.0
(44.6)		 8.1
(46.6)		 5.8
(42.4)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 5.8
(42.4)		 6.2
(43.2)		 5.1
(41.2)		 3.4
(38.1)		 2.2
(36.0)		 1.0
(33.8)		 0.2
(32.4)		 −0.1
(31.8)		 0.4
(32.7)		 1.4
(34.5)		 3.2
(37.8)		 4.1
(39.4)		 2.7
(36.9)
Record low °C (°F) −1.2
(29.8)		 −0.8
(30.6)		 −4.7
(23.5)		 −4.5
(23.9)		 −3.9
(25.0)		 −5.2
(22.6)		 −5.0
(23.0)		 −5.5
(22.1)		 −5.1
(22.8)		 −5.0
(23.0)		 −4.5
(23.9)		 −2.3
(27.9)		 −5.5
(22.1)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 201.1
(7.92)		 174.4
(6.87)		 264.2
(10.40)		 283.7
(11.17)		 397.4
(15.65)		 341.1
(13.43)		 391.5
(15.41)		 336.3
(13.24)		 377.1
(14.85)		 397.6
(15.65)		 220.4
(8.68)		 292.2
(11.50)		 3,628.1
(142.84)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) 19.1 17.4 22.5 24.0 26.7 25.9 26.6 25.6 25.8 25.9 21.2 21.7 282.4
Average afternoon relative humidity (%) 76 75 84 88 94 92 95 93 91 84 77 80 86
Source: Bureau of Meteorology[27]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Mount Read, Australia". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 16 June 2015.
  2. ↑ "Mount Read (TAS)". Gazetteer of Australia online. Geoscience Australia, Australian Government.
  3. ↑ Baillie, Peter (2010). "The West Coast Range, Tasmania: Mountains and Geological Giants" (PDF). Papers and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania (reprint ed.). Hobart, Tasmania: University of Tasmania. 144: 1–13. doi:10.26749/rstpp.144.1. ISSN 0080-4703. S2CID 126902525. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 June 2015. Retrieved 18 June 2015.
  4. ↑ Corbett, K. D.; McPhie, Jocelyn (1993), "Mount Read volcanics and associated ore deposits, Tasmania", IAVCEI, Canberra 1993 : excursion guide, Australian Geological Survey Organisation, ISBN 978-0-642-19664-4
  5. ↑ Corbett, K. D.; Large, Ross R. (1990), "Excursion guide E1 : the Mount Read Volcanics and related ore deposits", Australian Geological Convention (10th ed.), Hobart, Tas.: Geological Society of Australia, retrieved 10 June 2015
  6. ↑ Collins, P. L. F.; Large, Ross R.; University of Tasmania (1986), "The Mount Read volcanics and associated ore deposits : a symposium, Burnie, November 1986", Department of Mines, Tasmania, Geological Society of Australia, Tasmanian Division, ISBN 978-0-7246-1955-9
  7. ↑ Large, R. R.; Zaw, K. (May 1992), The precious metal-rich South Hercules mineralization, Western Tasmania: a possible subsea-floor replacement volcanic-hosted massive sulfide deposit, retrieved 10 June 2015
  8. ↑ "Tourism Tasmania :: Media Site :: About :: Ancient Gondwana". Archived from the original on 16 February 2011. Retrieved 6 October 2010.
  9. ↑ "Hercules Mine". Light Railways (35): 22. Autumn 1971. Has the gradient average as 1 in 3.2, and a maximum of 1.5 with operating speed of 14 mph.
  10. ↑ Chynoweth, Wayne. "Hercules Mine". Light Railways (27): 25.
  11. ↑ "MEETING". The Mercury. Hobart, Tas. 25 March 1899. p. 1 Supplement: The Mercury Supplement. Retrieved 10 June 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
  12. ↑ "HERCULES MINE". The Daily Telegraph. Launceston, Tas. 23 March 1906. p. 2. Retrieved 10 June 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
  13. ↑ "STRIKE AT HERCULES MINE". The Barrier Miner. Broken Hill, NSW. 5 January 1906. p. 3. Retrieved 10 June 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
  14. ↑ Electrolytic Zinc Co. of Australasia. West Coast Department (1957), Operations of Rosebery and Hercules Mines, Tasmania, [Launceston, Tas.] [Electrolytic Zinc Company of Australasia Limited, West Coast Department], retrieved 10 June 2015
  15. ↑ Environmental & Technical Services Pty. Ltd; Pasminco Rosebery Mine (2000), Progress report on the environmental improvement program for the Hercules minesite, Williamsfordd, Pasminco, retrieved 10 June 2015
  16. ↑ Lockey, Jim; Pitt & Sherry; Zinifex Rosebery Mine (2005), Hercules mine : decommissioning and rehabilitation plan – public discussion draft, Pitt & Sherry, retrieved 10 June 2015
  17. ↑ The Hercules Gold and Silver Mining Company NG3247 [Records], State Library of Tasmania, retrieved 10 June 2015
  18. ↑ The Mount Read and Rosebery Mines Limited NG3248 [Records], State Library of Tasmania, retrieved 10 June 2015
  19. ↑ "MOUNT READ ROSEBERRY MINES". The Register. Adelaide. 25 September 1916. p. 8. Retrieved 10 June 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
  20. ↑ "Mount Read". Zeehan and Dundas Herald. Tas. 17 June 1901. p. 2. Retrieved 10 June 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
  21. ↑ "MOUNT READ POST OFFICE". Zeehan and Dundas Herald. Tas. 27 March 1908. p. 2. Retrieved 10 June 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
  22. ↑ page 148, photo caption for image number 73, titled Mount Read township, circa 1897. noting photos of the township also at images 68, Mount Read township in 1898, and 67 A snowy day at Mount Read, 1896 the last from the Zeehan and Dundas Herald, 25th December 1896
  23. ↑ "Tasmania's Huon Pine: Stories From A Living Fossil | What to do near Gordon River Cruise". Gordon River Cruise. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
  24. ↑ Anker, Sharon A.; Colhoun, Eric A.; Barton, Charles E.; Peterson, Mike; Barbetti, Mike (2001). "Holocene Vegetation and Paleoclimatic and Paleomagnetic History from Lake Johnston, Tasmania". Quaternary Research. 56 (2): 264–274. Bibcode:2001QuRes..56..264A. doi:10.1006/qres.2001.2233. S2CID 129934181.
  25. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 10 March 2015. Retrieved 9 June 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  26. ↑ "Huon pine "in the flesh"". Tasmania's Special Timbers. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
  27. ↑ "Climate statistics for Mount Read". Bureau of Meteorology. Retrieved 26 January 2015.

Further reading

  • Blainey, Geoffrey (2000). The Peaks of Lyell (6th ed.). Hobart: St. David's Park Publishing. ISBN 0-7246-2265-9.
  • Pink, Kerry. The west coast story : a history of Western Tasmania and its mining fields Rev. ed. Zeehan, Tasmania : West Coast Pioneers' Memorial Museum, 1984. ISBN 0-9598295-2-0
  • Rae, Lou (2001). The Abt Railway and Railways of the Lyell region. Sandy Bay: Lou Rae. ISBN 0-9592098-7-5.
  • Whitham, Charles (2003). Western Tasmania – A land of riches and beauty (Reprint 2003 ed.). Queenstown: Municipality of Queenstown.
  • Whitham, Lindsay (2002). Railways, Mines, Pubs and People and other historical research. Sandy Bay: Tasmanian Historical Research Association. ISBN 0-909479-21-6.
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