Sullivan Mine, Denniston, Buller District, West Coast Region, South Island, New Zealand
| Latitude & Longitude (WGS84): | 41° 45' 30'' South , 171° 47' 15'' East |
|---|---|
| Latitude & Longitude (decimal): | -41.75836,171.78767 |
| Köppen climate type: | Cfb : Temperate oceanic climate |
A coal mine opened in 1952, and named after the then Minister of Mines, William Sullivan. Described as the first fully mechanised mine in New Zealand, with ore transported to the surface by conveyors, then by an aerial ropeway to the Denniston Incline.
The underground workings spread westwards, and reached Rapid Creek around 1980, where a new entrance tunnel was constructed called Sullivan West. Hydro mining was conducted from 1986. The mine closed in 1994.
At the Sullivan Mine the sealed entrance is still evident, with a fanhouse shell, foundations, and winch originally from the Cascade No. 8 Mine. At Sullivan West, the site was used as an informal rubbish dump, until cleaned-up by Solid Energy in 2004. Two sealed tunnels, bins, tanks, dams, and foundations remain.
No minerals currently recorded for this locality.
Regional Geology
This geological map and associated information on rock units at or nearby to the coordinates given for this locality is based on relatively small scale geological maps provided by various national Geological Surveys. This does not necessarily represent the complete geology at this locality but it gives a background for the region in which it is found.
Click on geological units on the map for more information. Click here to view full-screen map on Macrostrat.org
| Rupelian - Ypresian 28.1 - 56 Ma ID: 1317357 | Brunner Coal Measures (Mawheranui Group) Age: Paleogene (28.1 - 56 Ma) Stratigraphic Name: Mawheranui Group; Brunner Coal Measures Description: Quartz sandstone and conglomerate carbonaceous shale and coal seams. Comments: Paleogene sedimentary rocks. Age based on absolute age calculated from stratigraphic age range Lithology: Major:: {sandstone},Minor:: {shale, coal seams} Reference: Heron, D.W. . Geology Map of New Zealand 1:250 000. GNS Science Geological Map 1. [13] |
| Eocene 33.9 - 56 Ma ID: 1311498 | Brunner Coal Measures Age: Eocene (33.9 - 56 Ma) Stratigraphic Name: Haerenga Supergroup; Brunner Coal Measures Description: Quartzose sandstone, conglomerate, carbonaceous mudstone and coal seams. Comments: Zealandia Megasequence Terrestrial and Shallow Marine Sedimentary Rocks (Paleogene to Cretaceous) Lithology: Sandstone, conglomerate, mudstone, coal Reference: Edbrooke, S.W., Heron, D.W., Forsyth, P.J., Jongens, R. (compilers). Geology Map of New Zealand 1:1 000 000. GNS Science Geological Map 2. [12] |
Data and map coding provided by Macrostrat.org, used under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License
References
