Devonshire diggings, Ophir (Blacks; Omakau), Central Otago District, Otago Region, New Zealandi
| Regional Level Types | |
|---|---|
| Devonshire diggings | Diggings |
| Ophir (Blacks; Omakau) | - not defined - |
| Central Otago District | District |
| Otago Region | Region |
| New Zealand | Country |
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Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):
45° 1' 46'' South , 169° 30' 50'' East
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):
Type:
Köppen climate type:
Old alluvial gold diggings.
To reach head west on White Road from Omakau, then Devonshire Road, which heads straight for the base of the Dunstan Range. Go to the end of the road, and the diggings are several hundred metres to the south. There is a couple of old pits, maybe from the 1980's activity, and turfed up ground and clay cliffs from the 1860's and 1870's sluicing. Access is uncertain as it appears to be on private property, but a track enters the area.
Gold was probably discovered here in 1863, the same time as nearby diggings. Workings were shallow, 5 to 20 feet in depth from the surface, with moderately coarse gold reported in gravel layers, with the lower slatey schistose also gold bearing but un-worked due to the limited capital of the alluvial miners. Most miners were sluicing (cradling), with abundant water from a nearby stream. The number of miners at the diggings in 1864 was thirty.
Sluicing operations are still in full swing when the site was visited in 1870. By 1887, it is reported only one party still remained at the diggings. More mining took place in the 1980's, possibly the three water filled pits on the flats below the diggings.
The Devonshire Diggings geology is reported as being similar to that reported at the nearby Drybread Diggings. The gravels consist of rounded and sub-angular quartz, with sub-ordinate schist clasts, containing placer gold. The gravel beds are interlayered with loess horizons, and minor mudstone, overlain with poorly rounded immature schist gravel containing dispersed gold. The gravel units are folded and faulted along the Dunstan Range front.
Select Mineral List Type
Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Chemical ElementsMineral List
3 valid minerals.
Rock Types Recorded
Note: data is currently VERY limited. Please bear with us while we work towards adding this information!
Select Rock List Type
Alphabetical List Tree DiagramDetailed Mineral List:
| ⓘ Kaolinite Formula: Al2(Si2O5)(OH)4 |
| ⓘ 'Limonite' |
| ⓘ Native Gold Formula: Au |
| ⓘ Quartz Formula: SiO2 |
Gallery:
List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification
| Group 1 - Elements | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ⓘ | Native Gold | 1.AA.05 | Au |
| Group 4 - Oxides and Hydroxides | |||
| ⓘ | Quartz | 4.DA.05 | SiO2 |
| Group 9 - Silicates | |||
| ⓘ | Kaolinite | 9.ED.05 | Al2(Si2O5)(OH)4 |
| Unclassified | |||
| ⓘ | 'Limonite' | - | |
List of minerals for each chemical element
| H | Hydrogen | |
|---|---|---|
| H | ⓘ Kaolinite | Al2(Si2O5)(OH)4 |
| O | Oxygen | |
| O | ⓘ Kaolinite | Al2(Si2O5)(OH)4 |
| O | ⓘ Quartz | SiO2 |
| Al | Aluminium | |
| Al | ⓘ Kaolinite | Al2(Si2O5)(OH)4 |
| Si | Silicon | |
| Si | ⓘ Kaolinite | Al2(Si2O5)(OH)4 |
| Si | ⓘ Quartz | SiO2 |
| Au | Gold | |
| Au | ⓘ Native Gold | Au |
Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality
Australian Plate
- Haast SchistAccretionary Complex
New Zealand
- South IslandIsland
- Southern AlpsMountain Range
Pacific PlateTectonic Plate
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