Canton Mine, Waikaia Valley, Southland District, Southland Region, South Island, New Zealand
| Latitude & Longitude (WGS84): | 45° 29' 20'' South , 169° 5' 48'' East |
|---|---|
| Latitude & Longitude (decimal): | -45.48906,169.09678 |
| Köppen climate type: | Cfb : Temperate oceanic climate |
The Canton Mine is located in the upper Waikaia Valley, 9 kilometres (as the crow flies) north of Piano Flat, on the 4 wheel drive Whitecoomb or Canton Road. It is remote.
The mine was originally developed by James Cosgrove, Joseph Walton, and two others, however litigation forced them to sell the claim in 1883. The next three groups were Chinese miners, who all found enough gold to pay their tickets back to China. The first two groups mined the river bed, by constructing wing dams to divert the water. The third group sank a shaft on the terrace and dug under the river bed, requiring much timbering, with miserable working conditions with water constantly seeping into the workings. This activity occurred until the early 1890's. Several alluvial claims were north and south along the river, but none were as rich as the Canton.
Mineral List
1 valid mineral.
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
| Triassic 201.3 - 252.17 Ma ID: 1310831 | Caples Group TZIII schist Age: Triassic (201.3 - 252.17 Ma) Stratigraphic Name: Caples Group Description: Schistose (TZIII) volcaniclastic sandstone, siltstone, mudstone and conglomerate with included volcanics and limestone; minor quartzite, metachert and serpentinite. Comments: Eastern Province (Caples Terrane) Rocks Lithology: Limestone, quartzite, chert, serpentinite 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] |
| Norian - Kungurian 208.5 - 279.3 Ma ID: 1339377 | Undifferentiated Caples Terrane TZIII schist Age: Phanerozoic (208.5 - 279.3 Ma) Stratigraphic Name: Caples Group Description: Well foliated psammitic and pelitic schist with incipient segregration; minor greenschist and metachert; qtz veins common; TZIII. Comments: Basement (Eastern Province) metamorphic rocks. Age based on stratigraphic correlation, K-Ar dating Lithology: Major:: {schist},Minor:: {psammite, pelite, metachert, greenschist} Reference: Heron, D.W. . Geology Map of New Zealand 1:250 000. GNS Science Geological Map 1. [13] |
Data and map coding provided by Macrostrat.org, used under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License
References
External Links
