Rocks of the Hoivqua River. 53 



.mine whether any definite system or plan of arrangement for the 

 .mineral material could be recognised, but the observations sug- 

 gested two sets of fracture lines, or planes, one set about east and 

 west, another approximately at right angles. Along the former 

 especially, mineral solutions have been very active, replacing the 

 .original rock with sulphides associated with quartz or calcite. Two 

 active processes accompanying the sulphide formation appear to 

 have been silicification and carbonation. Much of the original 

 rock in places appears to be almost completely carbonated, as is 

 shown in a slide (No. 102), from the southern end of the working. 

 From Mr. Cottingham I have since heard that the result of the 

 . sampling indicated an average value for the deposit of about 8 

 • d-ft^. per ton, which they did not regard as sufficeintly encourag- 

 ing under the circumstances to lead them to undertake further 

 work. 



It is interesting to note that if a north-west to south-west line 

 through this mine be produced in either direction, it follows the 

 : trend of the diabase and includes other auriferous occurrences at 

 intervals. Ihe old alluvial workings in Stockyard Cieek lie at the 

 north-western end. Another abandoned mine occurs to the south- 

 > east, on Malcolmn's Creek, while still further in this direction 

 -extensive alluvial workings, long since worked out, are found in 

 the upper portion of Lick Hole Creek. Nothing to suggest a con- 

 tinuous line of lode hasi been noted along this line, but a probable 

 fracture zone is suggested which provided at intervals favourable 

 .access to mineralizing solution. This is in conformity with 

 another jjarallel line to the east previously referred to, along which 

 siliceous replacements have taken place chiefly resulting in the 

 formation of red jasper.. 



The Cameron's Creek gold occurrences appear to be of the more 

 normal reef quartz type; at any rate, the adit examined in this 



. area revealed a quartz lode with well defined walls, of decomposed 

 diabase. This is on the southerly portion of the smaller diabase 



.outcrop. A section of the igneous rock (No. 50) showed much 

 chloritization, but traces of an original hornblende were recogniz- 

 able by cleavage lines preserved in iron oxide; triclinic felspar was 



< recognizable, and secondary calcite was moderately abundant. 



A brief report on the mine was made by the late James Stirlingl^ 

 in 1888, in which he described the Cameron's Creek reef as consist- 

 ■ing of quartz segregations in intrusive diorite. 



