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Gabriels Gully blue conglomerate with gold
5AMP  
Posted : Thursday, 31 October 2013 2:41:18 PM(UTC)
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I had a look in at the Dunedin museum at the weekend and noticed a sample of blue conglomerate with small flakes of gold from Gabriels Gully. It is a bit of a long shot but I would be keen to buy a specimen if anybody had one for sale.
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simon  
Posted : Friday, 1 November 2013 9:06:04 AM(UTC)
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that sounds cool. what part of the museum did you see it?

stuff like that must be pretty rare these days.

does anyone know more about the blue clay from lawrence? i'm keen to learn more about it.
i understand the sea used to come all the way up to around island block on the clutha. is all the blue clay from when the sea was in the lawrence area? i've had similar clays in seabed sediments i've worked. had a collection of heavies, inc hot rocks, red heavy rocks that might be jasper or something, and all the usual chunks of magnetite. the only gold in the stuff was ground so fine. i'm guessing from the sea action. anyway it was very fine, unlike the coarse gold in the area itself. think that may have been why this bit wasn't fully mined. there was even some seabed type blocks of solid mud. really solid. definitely set under the water. all the small and big stones above the mud and in it are extremely tumbled. i suspect this is not just from the short water course but also from old sea action. nearby there were really fragile sandstone boulders which clearly hadn't moved anywhere in a long time. some had shells inset too. amazing what turns up in the hunt for gold.

thanks in advance if anyone can point me in the direction of more info on the blue clay at lawrence.
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5AMP  
Posted : Friday, 1 November 2013 9:17:05 AM(UTC)
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It was in the top floor gallery of the Otago museum in Dunedin.
I found an interesting site re blue clay and Gabriels Gully

http://www.otago.ac.nz/g...rch/gold/gabriels_gully/

Also generally for anyone with a wider interest in Central Otago gold this is well written and well illustrated

http://www.otago.ac.nz/g...research/gold/index.html

Edited by user Friday, 1 November 2013 3:39:58 PM(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified
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swampdweller  
Posted : Saturday, 9 November 2013 9:04:00 PM(UTC)
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Gidday re the blue clay . around Ikamatua west coast there is what is refered to as blue gray, a gravel lime clay mix, I don't know but think the clay mixed with lime gives the blue color. packs down to a hard durable running surface for cow and vehicle lanes
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oldrimu  
Posted : Thursday, 1 May 2014 11:50:47 PM(UTC)
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if you google 'older auriferous drifts of central otago' you will get an electronic copy of a 1894 book by Alexander McKay who was the Gov't Geologist at that time.
It is hard to read but very, very interesting. It covers Blue Spur conglomerates as well as a whole host of other things about Otago gold bearing gravels and where they came from. I think you need an IQ of about 200 to understand what McKay says but it amazes me that 120 years ago McKay could read gravels, rocks and landscapes the way he did without the technology available now.
There is also a copy of a McKay report on the Preservation Inlet gold rush in a book called 'Port Preservation' by the Begg Brothers. The report is a great read if you can get it as it is pretty rare now.
Anyway, have a google and see what you think.
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5AMP  
Posted : Friday, 2 May 2014 5:04:52 PM(UTC)
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Very interesting thanks. Those Government geologists had to work hard for their money-wrote well too.
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rob  
Posted : Monday, 26 May 2014 10:36:40 AM(UTC)
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Have a look at this stuff, its a paper done on the Blue Spur conglomerate a few years back.

http://www.tandfonline.c...003.9515000#.U4JhQNKSySo
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