Wetherstons, Lawrence, Clutha District, Otago Region, South Island, New Zealand

Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):	45° 53' 47'' South , 169° 42' 21'' East
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):	-45.89659,169.70584
Köppen climate type:	Cfb : Temperate oceanic climate

Alluvial Gold.

Despite bordering the celebrated Gabriels Gully, it was two months later that gold was discovered here in July 1861 during a pig shooting trip. By November 1861, 1500 miners were in the gully, and for a short time it eclipsed Gabriels Gully in the amount of gold won. The town soon had fourteen hotels, two banks, a school and several stores.

The gully contained a large area of auriferous conglomerate called the Blur Spur Conglomerate, but deeply covered by clay. The northern end is bounded by a fault, while at the western end the schist formed a down throw side. The eastern end encounters an earlier thrust plane. The north-west side contains four short south-east trending faults. The conglomerate rests on a schist basement, sloping 15 degrees north-east. The conglomerate was formed 100 million years ago, as part of an ancient river channel along the Tuapeka Fault Zone.

The conglomerate is stratified, and probably is similar to that described under the Gabriels Gully heading. There is less greywacke and more schist pebbles and cobbles than at Gabriels, cemented by bluish smectite. Rare wood pieces, partly or wholly converted to coal are found in the conglomerate. Much secondary pyrite is found in the lower reaches. The near surface under the clay contains fine quartz, sand, grit, and seams of impure lignite. Sandstone is found in the south-west portion of the field. Overall Wetherstons has a larger area of conglomerate than Gabriels Gully, but was weaker in gold values.

The conglomerate dips parallel with the schist, that is 15 degrees north-east, except on the eastern side where is slopes 35 degrees south-east. The depth of conglomerate is up to 200 metres, amounting to approximately 315 million cubic metres of auriferous material, much probably still remaining.

The gully was the site of Simpsons and Harts Black Horse Brewery, operating from 1866 until it closed in 1923 after being purchased by New Zealand Breweries. H. Hart had planted 25 acres of daffodils behind the brewery complex, some now rare varieties. The gardens are open at limited times during September and October, and include rhododendrons, a waterfall, wooded garden, and the brewery ruins.

Mineral List

3 valid minerals.

Rock Types Recorded

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

Holocene 0 - 0.0117 Ma ID: 1339667	OIS1 (Holocene) anthropic deposits Age: Anthropocene (0 - 0.0117 Ma) Description: Loose gravel and sand tailings from mining operations, reclaimed land embankments and landfills. Comments: Holocene human-made deposits. Age based on recorded history Lithology: Major:: {gravel},Minor:: {sand, mud, industrial waste, domestic waste} Reference: Heron, D.W. . Geology Map of New Zealand 1:250 000. GNS Science Geological Map 1. [13]
Late Cretaceous 66 - 100.5 Ma ID: 1311693	Beebys Conglomerate Age: Late Cretaceous (66 - 100.5 Ma) Stratigraphic Name: Beebys Conglomerate Description: Conglomerate with interbedded sandstone, siltstone, mudstone and sparse coal seams. Comments: Zealandia Megasequence Terrestrial and Shallow Marine Sedimentary Rocks (Paleogene to Cretaceous) Lithology: Conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone, 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]
Triassic - Permian 201.3 - 298.9 Ma ID: 3189657	Paleozoic-Mesozoic crystalline metamorphic rocks Age: Phanerozoic (201.3 - 298.9 Ma) Stratigraphic Name: Haast Schist Comments: Caples Terrane Lithology: Metawacke; greenschist/almandine amphibolite grade metasedimentary/metavolcanic schist Reference: Chorlton, L.B. Generalized geology of the world: bedrock domains and major faults in GIS format: a small-scale world geology map with an extended geological attribute database. doi: 10.4095/223767. Geological Survey of Canada, Open File 5529. [154]

Data and map coding provided by Macrostrat.org, used under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License

References

External Links