"78 Transactions. 



been recorded, and both of these rest on unsatisfactory evi- 

 dence. 



McKay records the occurrence of gold in laminated quartz 

 at Green's Reef, Ophir.* Both Ulrichf and Park! have con- 

 clusively shown that there is here a zone of crushed rock on the 

 line of a fault, through which mineralising solutions have risen. 

 The crush-zone is penetrated by cross-veins and " flats " of 

 quartz carrying pyrite and gold, and leaving no doubt as to the 

 secondary origin of the metal. This instance must therefore be 

 rejected. 



H. A. Gordon states that gold has been found in the schist 

 near the Bullendale lode, Skipper's.§ He did not describe or 

 figure the specimen, nor did he, apparently, take any precautions 

 to observe from where it was taken, which was very necessary 

 in the case of a wide mullocky lode like that at Bullendale. 

 where a broad belt of country has been intersected by several 

 parallel fissures, and the intervening rock impregnated with 

 auriferous pyrite. 



I examined a reported instance near Butcher's Gully, Alex- 

 andra, || which proved to be on the line of a crush-zone, highly 

 mineralised, the rock being penetrated by " flat " veinlets of 

 quartz resembling laminated quartz. 



My conclusion is that the occurrence of gold in the schist 

 laminse is not borne out by observation. 



The presence of gold in the schist would therefore require 

 to be tested by careful analysis, and, in view of Wagoner's 

 recent researches on the presence of gold in various rocks, ^[ 

 it is quite probable that the mica-schists of Otago may carry 

 minute quantities of gold. It is, however, inconceivable that 

 the quantity present could ever induce one to claim such as the 

 main source of the alluvial gold of Otago. 



The first investigator who opposed the view that the alluvial 

 gold of the drifts was derived from segregated gold in the schists 

 was Professor James Park, in his report on the Alexandra 

 Subdivision,** and to him I am greatly indebted for the many 

 facilities and opportunities he gave me during my work with 

 him on the Cromwell Subdivision. 



*A. McKay, " Gold-depositB of New Zealand" (Wellington, 1903), 



p. 08. 



f " Handbook of New Zealand Mines " (Wellington, 1887), p. 75. 



% J. Park, Bulletin No. 2, N.Z. Geol. Surv., L906, p. 29. 



S " New Zealand Mining Eandbook" (Wellington, L906), p. 33. 



|] Mutton and Ulrich, " Geology of Otago " (l)unedin. 1875), p. 167. 



"I Luther Wagoner, "Detection and Estimation of Small Quantities 

 of Gold and Silver," Trans. Am. Inst. Min. Mug., vol. xxxi, p. 798. 



** Bullotin No. 2, N.Z. Geol. Surv.. L906. 



