Cement Town, Reefton, Buller District, West Coast Region, New Zealandi
| Regional Level Types | |
|---|---|
| Cement Town | Town |
| Reefton | Town |
| Buller District | District |
| West Coast Region | Region |
| New Zealand | Country |
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Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):
42° 7' 56'' South , 171° 55' 36'' East
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):
Type:
Köppen climate type:
The site can be found along the Murray Creek walking track, east of Blacks Point, between the Energetic gold mine, and Chandler coal mine. This place once boasted a town in the 1880's, but is now overgrown with little to see.
The name comes from the cement, which is a gold mining term for gold within a hardened clay. It is a hard white conglomerate of sandstone and quartz pebbles, showing gold. Mined here from around the late 1870's, by individual miners, who would whack the cement with hammers to break it up, then sluice, losing much of the gold in the process.
Dr. Hector tested the site, stating gold grades of 14 oz 19 dwt 12 gr per tonne, and the tailings 6 oz 16dwt 4 gr per tonne. Oral information from the time by miners call the tailings pyriteous (pyrite?), within the cement copious tin ore (cassiterite?), silver (galena?), and claiming native platinum.
In 1882, the Murray Creek Gold Mining and Cement Crushing Company Ltd was formed, to buy out the individual miner leases, and systematically work the deposit. George Charles Bowman was manager. The company started with 24 000 pounds capital. Little more was heard, so it is assumed the enterprise was not successful.
In 1968, a crude stamp battery was erected, but was again unsuccessful. They stated gold, copper (chalcopyrite?), and precious stones (unknown!) was found.
Select Mineral List Type
Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Chemical ElementsDetailed Mineral List:
| ⓘ Native Gold Formula: Au |
Gallery:
List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification
| Group 1 - Elements | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ⓘ | Native Gold | 1.AA.05 | Au |
List of minerals for each chemical element
| Au | Gold | |
|---|---|---|
| Au | ⓘ Native Gold | Au |
Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality
Australian PlateTectonic Plate
- Buller TerraneAccretionary Complex
New Zealand
- South IslandIsland
- Southern AlpsMountain Range
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