Golden Progress Mine, Idaburn, Central Otago District, Otago Region, New Zealandi
| Regional Level Types | |
|---|---|
| Golden Progress Mine | Mine |
| Idaburn | - not defined - |
| Central Otago District | District |
| Otago Region | Region |
| New Zealand | Country |
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Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):
45° 0' 12'' South , 169° 56' 7'' East
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):
Locality type:
Köppen climate type:
The site was probably discovered around 1864, however the gold was found in quartz lodes, rather than alluvial gravels common to the district. As such it needed to wait for companies with capital to become involved.
There are four reefs called Great Eastern, Golden Progress, West of England, and Dover. The Great Eastern and Golden Progress mines started in 1886, with the Golden Progress producing 4990 ounces during its life at 48.8 g/t. The Central Otago Gold Mining Company is also noted mining at the site in 1886.
Underworld Resources drilled the site in 2008, with the Great Eastern Reef testing at 5.6 g/t over 21 metres.
The middle Cretaceous gold veins are found at the north-east margins of the Otago schist, the veins formed during regional tectonic extensions, their placement controlled by north-west trending normal faults. The faults have formed at the hinge of a post metamorphic north-west trending antiform, at a zone of weakness associated with kink folding. There is a set of fifty mineralised faults cutting the schist, dipping 60 degrees north-east. Individual veins are up to 700 metres long, 10-100 cms thick, forming interlocking structures. Gold is associated with arsenopyrite, and pyrite.
The mines did not last long, and little is mentioned of them over subsequent years in the local papers. In 1888, there is talk of forming a company in London to take over all the claims in the area. The Golden Progress Quartz Mining Company was locally formed in 1928 to re-open the mine. The mine was active between 1931 to 1936. The 10 stamp battery was originally from Stoneburn near Dunback. After 1936 it was removed to the Rise and Shine Mine, elsewhere in the region.
The site contains a complete wooden poppet head, the only example remaining upright in the Central Otago District. There are also steam boilers, a stone hut, concrete foundations of the battery. A 400 metre signed walkway leaves from near the lodge on Reef Road, 2.5 kilometres south of State Highway 85, and just north of Oturehua. It is private property, and access is closed in September and October during the lambing season.
Select Mineral List Type
Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Chemical ElementsDetailed Mineral List:
| ⓘ Ankerite Formula: Ca(Fe2+,Mg)(CO3)2 Reference: http://www.otago.ac.nz/geology/research/gold/geology-and-gold/veins-oturehua.html |
| ⓘ Arsenopyrite Formula: FeAsS Reference: http://www.otago.ac.nz/geology/research/gold/geology-and-gold/veins-oturehua.html |
| ⓘ Gold Formula: Au Reference: http://www.otago.ac.nz/geology/research/gold/geology-and-gold/veins-oturehua.html |
| ⓘ Kaolinite Formula: Al2(Si2O5)(OH)4 Reference: http://www.otago.ac.nz/geology/research/gold/geology-and-gold/veins-oturehua.html |
| ⓘ Muscovite Formula: KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 Reference: http://www.otago.ac.nz/geology/research/gold/geology-and-gold/veins-oturehua.html |
| ⓘ Pyrite Formula: FeS2 Reference: http://www.otago.ac.nz/geology/research/gold/geology-and-gold/veins-oturehua.html |
| ⓘ Quartz Formula: SiO2 Reference: http://www.otago.ac.nz/geology/research/gold/geology-and-gold/veins-oturehua.html |
Gallery:
List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification
| Group 1 - Elements | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ⓘ | Gold | 1.AA.05 | Au |
| Group 2 - Sulphides and Sulfosalts | |||
| ⓘ | Arsenopyrite | 2.EB.20 | FeAsS |
| ⓘ | Pyrite | 2.EB.05a | FeS2 |
| Group 4 - Oxides and Hydroxides | |||
| ⓘ | Quartz | 4.DA.05 | SiO2 |
| Group 5 - Nitrates and Carbonates | |||
| ⓘ | Ankerite | 5.AB.10 | Ca(Fe2+,Mg)(CO3)2 |
| Group 9 - Silicates | |||
| ⓘ | Kaolinite | 9.ED.05 | Al2(Si2O5)(OH)4 |
| ⓘ | Muscovite | 9.EC.15 | KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
List of minerals for each chemical element
| H | Hydrogen | |
|---|---|---|
| H | ⓘ Muscovite | KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
| H | ⓘ Kaolinite | Al2(Si2O5)(OH)4 |
| C | Carbon | |
| C | ⓘ Ankerite | Ca(Fe2+,Mg)(CO3)2 |
| O | Oxygen | |
| O | ⓘ Quartz | SiO2 |
| O | ⓘ Ankerite | Ca(Fe2+,Mg)(CO3)2 |
| O | ⓘ Muscovite | KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
| O | ⓘ Kaolinite | Al2(Si2O5)(OH)4 |
| Mg | Magnesium | |
| Mg | ⓘ Ankerite | Ca(Fe2+,Mg)(CO3)2 |
| Al | Aluminium | |
| Al | ⓘ Muscovite | KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
| Al | ⓘ Kaolinite | Al2(Si2O5)(OH)4 |
| Si | Silicon | |
| Si | ⓘ Quartz | SiO2 |
| Si | ⓘ Muscovite | KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
| Si | ⓘ Kaolinite | Al2(Si2O5)(OH)4 |
| S | Sulfur | |
| S | ⓘ Arsenopyrite | FeAsS |
| S | ⓘ Pyrite | FeS2 |
| K | Potassium | |
| K | ⓘ Muscovite | KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
| Ca | Calcium | |
| Ca | ⓘ Ankerite | Ca(Fe2+,Mg)(CO3)2 |
| Fe | Iron | |
| Fe | ⓘ Arsenopyrite | FeAsS |
| Fe | ⓘ Pyrite | FeS2 |
| Fe | ⓘ Ankerite | Ca(Fe2+,Mg)(CO3)2 |
| As | Arsenic | |
| As | ⓘ Arsenopyrite | FeAsS |
| Au | Gold | |
| Au | ⓘ Gold | Au |
References
Sort by
Year (asc) Year (desc) Author (A-Z) Author (Z-A)Otago Witness newspaper (1864) The Rush to North Rough Ridge Hill, issue 679, 03 December 1864.
Otago Witness newspaper (1886) Mining, issue 1822, 22 October 1886.
Mount Ida Chronicle newspaper (1888) Mining, Vol. XV111, issue 982, 27 September 1888.
Alexandra Herald and Central Otago Gazette newspaper (1931) Golden Progress Quartz Mine, issue 1788, 13 May 1931.
Hamel, J. (2001) The Archaeology of Otago, New Zealand Department of Conservation/Te Papa Atawhai.
Otago Daily Times newspaper (2008) Halfway for Gold Test Drilling at Oturehua, 04 June 2008.
Haffert, L., Craw, D., Pope, J. (2010) Climatic and compositional controls on secondary arsenic mineral formation in high-arsenic mine wastes, South Island, New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics, 53, 91-101.
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