Ajax Mine (Golden Belt), Neavesville (Nevesville), Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato Region, New Zealandi
| Regional Level Types | |
|---|---|
| Ajax Mine (Golden Belt) | - not defined - |
| Neavesville (Nevesville) | - not defined - |
| Thames-Coromandel District | District |
| Waikato Region | Region |
| New Zealand | Country |
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Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):
37° 10' 3'' South , 175° 41' 47'' East
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):
Köppen climate type:
Nearest Settlements:
| Place | Population | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Thames | 7,136 (2014) | 14.2km |
| Whangamata | 4,253 (2011) | 15.5km |
| Kerepehi | 537 (2011) | 20.6km |
| Tairua | 1,588 (2011) | 21.6km |
| Ngatea | 1,151 (2011) | 21.6km |
The site saw intermittent mining from 1875 to 1918, and was the largest gold producer on the goldfield. The mine produced between 1906 to 1920 23,160 ounces of gold and silver from 11,666 tonnes of ore at 19.6 g/t Au and 41 g/t Ag.
Activity is reported from 1875, with a low level tunnel being developed, battery and aerial tramway also erected by Rowe, Perry and Adams (surnames). Reports continue until 1877 when there is a trial crushing of 10 tonnes of ore for 7 ounces of gold.
Tributers are reported at the mine in 1899, then the Golden Belt Gold Mining Company starts at the location from 1902 to 1921 when the company went into liquidation. Regular development and crushing reports were published until 1917. The company had taken over the old Decide, Bonny Scotland, Golden Belt, Ajax, Venus and Golden Arrow leases. There was a 10 stamp mill and aerial tramway. Mining appears to have stopped in 1918, when part of the battery is placed up for sale, then in 1921 the company is in liquidation with the whole claim and now 20 stamp battery on the market.
The country rock is altered fine grained tuff in rhyolite, with much andesite. The Ajax Reef trends north-east, dipping steeply east. The property also contained the Britannia Reef, but had only been surface prospected. The Ajax Reef is 1500 feet long, the seam up to 5 metres wide, but very lenticular, occupying a normal fault on the western margin of the Neavesville graben. The lode contains much sheeted and brecciated greenish black country rock, and pyrite in the quartz veins. The quartz in the upper levels is often drusy, with abundant cavities. The Footwall and Hanging Walls are shattered with much clay, and sparsely impregnated with Au-Ag.
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!
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Alphabetical List Tree DiagramDetailed Mineral List:
| ⓘ Native Gold Formula: Au |
| ⓘ Native Gold var. Electrum Formula: (Au,Ag) |
| ⓘ Pyrite Formula: FeS2 |
| ⓘ Quartz Formula: SiO2 |
Gallery:
List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification
| Group 1 - Elements | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ⓘ | Native Gold var. Electrum | 1.AA.05 | (Au,Ag) |
| ⓘ | 1.AA.05 | Au | |
| Group 2 - Sulphides and Sulfosalts | |||
| ⓘ | Pyrite | 2.EB.05a | FeS2 |
| 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 | ⓘ Pyrite | FeS2 |
| Fe | Iron | |
| Fe | ⓘ Pyrite | FeS2 |
| Ag | Silver | |
| Ag | ⓘ Native Gold var. Electrum | (Au,Ag) |
| Au | Gold | |
| Au | ⓘ Native Gold var. Electrum | (Au,Ag) |
| Au | ⓘ Native Gold | Au |
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