Echo Mine (Garvey Creek; Garvey's Creek), Reefton, Buller District, West Coast Region, New Zealandi
| Regional Level Types | |
|---|---|
| Echo Mine (Garvey Creek; Garvey's Creek) | Mine |
| Reefton | Town |
| Buller District | District |
| West Coast Region | Region |
| New Zealand | Country |
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Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):
42° 9' 50'' South , 171° 57' 18'' East
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):
Type:
Köppen climate type:
Nearest Settlements:
| Place | Population | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Reefton | 980 (2011) | 9.0km |
| Murchison | 624 (2011) | 51.1km |
| Gloriavale Christian Church | 570 (2017) | 53.3km |
| Westport | 3,629 (2013) | 54.2km |
The Echo coal mine was owned by the Francis Mining Company Limited, and operated on contract by West Coast local firm Doug Hood Mining.
The mine is 10 kilometres south-east of Reefton, accessing semi soft, low phosphorous, low ash coking coal, which was railed to the Lyttelton port on the east coast of the South Island for export. The mine produced 45 000 tonnes of coal per annum.
It is part of the Brunner Coal Measures, once a peat swamp 37 million years ago, later deeply buried turning into coal, the beds then uplifted and tilted from horizontal to vertical over the last 5 million years. Structurally it is dominated by highly deformed monoclinal structures, from where three separate coal seams were mined. Mining was by open cut, in difficult terrain, complex geology, with coal folded and dipping over short distances, making planning and recovery difficult.
Country rock is a white sandstone, grey mudstone, and rare blue/green sandstone (Partridge later describes the mudstone as blue green(?)). The white sandstone is cross cut with Mn bearing ankeritic veins, while the mudstone contains dolomite, and Mn ankerite. This source focusses mainly on secondary minerals and chemical elements, formed through acid mine drainage.
The Garvey Coal Party opened the mine in 1947. Oral information states it may have been called the Radiant Coal Party, consisting in part of Bruce Baxter, Jeff Rose, Frank Hampson, Anthony Nally, and Andrew Clement Reid. The mine closed in 1966, after it caught fire. It was re-opened by Francis Mining from 1996 to 2017.
The company estimates there is one hundred years of coal reserves at the deposit, but with the shift away from coal as an energy source, it is likely much will remain in the ground. The mine was placed into care and maintenance in 2017.
List of minerals for each chemical element
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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