Mercury mining took place in Ivanhoe between the time of the discovery of cinnabar ore in the 19th century and the mid-1940s.
A rare dimorph of cinnabar, metacinnabar, has also been reported in the Ivanhoe district.
[3] The rare mineral, Ammonioalunite, has been discovered in a fossil hot spring deposit in Ivanhoe.
While the two created the Ivanhoe Springs Mining Company to extract the mercury, the operation lasted only until 1918.
[3] Although mining operations were revived post-World War II, the amount of mercury produced was minuscule compared to what it was prior.