British American Mine, Skippers, Queenstown-Lakes District, Otago Region, New Zealandi
| Regional Level Types | |
|---|---|
| British American Mine | Mine |
| Skippers | - not defined - |
| Queenstown-Lakes District | District |
| Otago Region | Region |
| New Zealand | Country |
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Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):
44° 46' 53'' South , 168° 40' 41'' East
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):
Type:
Köppen climate type:
Nearest Settlements:
| Place | Population | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Arrowtown | 2,151 (2011) | 20.3km |
| Queenstown | 10,442 (2018) | 27.7km |
| Wanaka | 4,428 (2011) | 38.3km |
The mine now gives its name to the spur on the western side of Murdoch Creek.
After gold was discovered here in July 1863, by Alexander Olsen and party, thirteen companies registered claims on the line of lode. Only the Scandinavian/Phoenix, Otago, and British American claims developed viable mines.
The lodes occur in a 30-35 metre brecciated schist shear zone, traversed in places by quartz vein stockworks. The lodes consist of silicified brecciated country rock, carbonate altered quartz veins, and gold associated with pyrite and arsenopyrite.
In June 1866, the British American Quartz Mining Company limited was registered (also known as Perry, Watt and Co.). A small battery was erected by Skippers Creek, just downstream from its confluence with Murdoch Creek. It appears intermittent mining occurred until the claim was taken over by the neighbouring Phoenix Company in 1888.
Nothing then occurred with the workings until the final days of the Phoenix Mine. This had been taken over by Robert Lee in 1903, who formed the Mount Aurum Quartz Mining Company. Rather than focus on the main workings, they decided to investigate the old British American workings from the 1860's and 1870's.
As these workings were high on the mountainside, an aerial cableway was constructed. A 1906 mine inspector's report states the mine had two levels, and a drive 375 feet long. The Mount Aurum Company folded in 1907.
The mine workings are clearly visible on the mountainside, east side of Murdoch Creek, but have collapsed leaving only scars and mullock heaps. An upper cableway return wheel is still in place, nearby a corrugated iron building half submerged in scree, and an adit above the wheel. Little remains at the battery site, and the workings would be difficult to reach.
Select Mineral List Type
Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Chemical ElementsDetailed Mineral List:
| ⓘ Arsenopyrite Formula: FeAsS |
| ⓘ Native Gold Formula: Au |
| ⓘ Pyrite Formula: FeS2 |
| ⓘ Quartz Formula: SiO2 |
Gallery:
List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification
| Group 1 - Elements | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ⓘ | Native Gold | 1.AA.05 | Au |
| Group 2 - Sulphides and Sulfosalts | |||
| ⓘ | Pyrite | 2.EB.05a | FeS2 |
| ⓘ | Arsenopyrite | 2.EB.20 | FeAsS |
| Group 4 - Oxides and Hydroxides | |||
| ⓘ | Quartz | 4.DA.05 | SiO2 |
List of minerals for each chemical element
| O | Oxygen | |
|---|---|---|
| O | ⓘ Quartz | SiO2 |
| Si | Silicon | |
| Si | ⓘ Quartz | SiO2 |
| S | Sulfur | |
| S | ⓘ Arsenopyrite | FeAsS |
| S | ⓘ Pyrite | FeS2 |
| Fe | Iron | |
| Fe | ⓘ Arsenopyrite | FeAsS |
| Fe | ⓘ Pyrite | FeS2 |
| As | Arsenic | |
| As | ⓘ Arsenopyrite | FeAsS |
| 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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