Cox. — On the Mineralogy of New Zealand. 443 



Native Copper, Cu, occurs : — 1st. In plates associated with the copper 

 deposits of the serpentine belt in Nelson. Specimens have been obtained at 

 Aniseed Valley ; Dun Mountain ; and D'Urville Island. It has also been 

 found at Moke Creek, Lake Wakatipu ; at the Great Barrier Island; and at 

 the Perseverance Mine, CoUingwood. The presence of copper in the Dun 

 Mountain has been known since 1853 : — 2nd. As grains disseminated 

 through a granular serpentine at Aniseed Valley, Nelson, where the native 

 copper forms an average of 5 per cent, of the rock mass, but the extension 

 of the deposit has not been proved : — 3rd. As fine grains in basaltic dykes 

 which cut through trachydolerite breccias near the Manukau North Head, at 

 which place it is of no economic value on account of the small percentage 

 present, but is of great interest from its unusual mode of occurrence. 



Cuprite, Q^, — This mineral, which, when pure, contains 88'9 per cent, 

 of copper, is only known to occur in the serpentine belt of Nelson, where 

 it is found in various degrees of purity, containing from 10 to 88'9 per 

 cent, of copper. As pointed out by Dr. Hochstetter (New Zealand, p. 475), 

 the richer deposits of ore form lenticular-shaped masses, which, when 

 followed, may increase to a certain distance, but then disappear again in a 

 thin wedge. The most notable discovery of this mineral which has yet 

 been made is that known as the Champion Lode, in Aniseed Valley, which 

 was found by Mr. Stratford, a few months ago. This deposit is reported to 

 be 6 feet in width, and is exposed on the surface for some distance. It has 

 not, however, yet been worked. Specimens of this ore, which consist of 

 Cuprite and native copper, have yielded as high a return as 90 per cent, 

 metallic copper. Some rich patches of the ore have also been found at the 

 Aniseed Valley Mine, Dun Mountain, and D'Urville Island, in each case 

 associated with copper glance, but no deposits of any great importance have 

 yet been met with and the ore is in all cases more or less ferruginous. No 

 crystals of this mineral have yet been obtained, but it always occurs in a 

 massive form. Cuprite has also been discovered at Bligh's Sound, Otago 

 (Hector, Trans. N.Z. Inst., vol. ii., p. 378), and at Tokomairiro (Hector, 

 Jurors' Eep. N.Z. Ex., p. 436), and is also mentioned by Captain Hutton as 

 occurring in small quantities in a lode at the Thames, a Httle north of 

 Wainui (Geol. Eep., 1867, p. 9). 



Copper Glance, i^', — When pure, this mineral contains 79*8 per cent. 

 of copper, and it has been found associated with Cuprite at most places 

 where that mineral occurs in various parts of the Nelson serpentine belt. 

 It is always in a massive form, and has not yet been shown to occur in 

 deposits of sufficient extent to prove remunerative. The same remarks with 

 regard to its occurrence apply as in the case of Cuprite. 



