Waitahuna River Cu prospect, Clutha District, Otago Region, New Zealandi

Regional Level Types
Waitahuna River Cu prospect	Prospect
Clutha District	District
Otago Region	Region
New Zealand	Country

Described as on the banks of the Waitahuna River, 15 kilometres north of Waitahuna, 1.8 kilometres west of Waitahuna-Waipori Road and 5 kilometres south of Lake Mahinerangi.

Mindat co-ordinates are approximate.

The prospect is a small vein of fine grained sulphides, 0.6 metres thick, exposed along the river bank. Pyrite and chalcopyrite dominate.

Across 1880 to 1883, the Waitahuna Copper Lode Company sank a shaft to a depth of 21 metres, and drove two cross-cuts, driving on the extension of a limonitic gossan, 60 metres north-east of the now flooded shaft.

The lode is hosted by greenish schist, microscopically consisting of albite, chlorite, epidote, clinozoisite, muscovite, quartz, fine grained graphite, minor titanite, rare grains of blue tourmaline.

The ore is fine grained grey to yellowish ore from mostly sulphide to disseminated. The study (Lowery, 1979) was an examination of ore specimens from the spoil heap at the microscopic level, so some species listed may not be readily apparent in hand specimens.

The dominant species is pyrite and chalcopyrite, with more minor marcasite, pyrrhotite, sphalerite, and minute amounts of covellite. Veinlets of limonite cut the ore. Gange includes albite, quartz, siderite, muscovite, and small amounts of epidote, chlorite, and titanite.

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality

References