﻿Wellington 
  Philosojyhical 
  Society. 
  525 
  

  

  the 
  surface 
  at 
  least 
  of 
  tlie 
  Canterbury 
  plains 
  was 
  not 
  so 
  simple 
  a 
  process 
  as 
  stated. 
  As 
  

   stated, 
  it 
  might 
  suit 
  the 
  conditions 
  of 
  a 
  small 
  deposit, 
  but 
  these 
  fans 
  were 
  twenty 
  to 
  

   thirty 
  miles 
  m 
  diameter, 
  and 
  could 
  only 
  have 
  been 
  built 
  up 
  by 
  successive 
  changes 
  in 
  the 
  

   courses 
  of 
  rivers 
  as 
  they 
  gradually 
  raised 
  their 
  beds 
  and 
  then 
  broke 
  away 
  from 
  them. 
  

   The 
  resulting 
  fan 
  was 
  made 
  up 
  of 
  many 
  river 
  beds, 
  radiating 
  from 
  one 
  point 
  or 
  gorge. 
  A 
  

   most 
  important 
  feature 
  not 
  mentioned 
  by 
  the 
  author 
  was 
  the 
  formation 
  of 
  secondary 
  fans 
  

   in 
  front 
  of 
  those 
  earlier 
  ones 
  formed 
  by 
  the 
  gradual 
  erosion 
  and 
  deepening 
  of 
  the 
  notch 
  or 
  

   gorge 
  in 
  the 
  rocky 
  bed 
  through 
  which 
  the 
  river 
  was 
  finally 
  liberated 
  from 
  the 
  mountains. 
  

   As 
  this 
  notch 
  was 
  lowered 
  the 
  river 
  became 
  confined 
  to 
  a 
  deep 
  terraced 
  valley 
  excavated 
  

   in 
  the 
  sliingle 
  of 
  the 
  earher 
  fans, 
  the 
  sliingle 
  removed 
  going 
  to 
  raise 
  the 
  bed 
  in 
  a 
  lower 
  

   part 
  of 
  its 
  course. 
  This, 
  in 
  his 
  opinion, 
  gave 
  rise 
  to 
  the 
  apparent 
  concave 
  sm'face 
  of 
  the 
  

   plains 
  in 
  the 
  author's 
  section. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Travers 
  pointed 
  out 
  that 
  the 
  essential 
  point 
  in 
  the 
  fan-like 
  arrangement 
  of 
  

   detritus 
  was 
  the 
  diminished 
  velocity 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  after 
  escaping 
  from 
  the 
  upper 
  part 
  of 
  its 
  

   course 
  whence 
  the 
  detritus 
  was 
  derived. 
  He 
  described 
  the 
  prodigious 
  effects 
  of 
  the 
  great 
  

   fiood 
  of 
  1867 
  on 
  the 
  valley 
  deposits 
  of 
  the 
  Wairau 
  Eiver, 
  high 
  level 
  terraces 
  of 
  gravel 
  

   having 
  been 
  completely 
  swept 
  away 
  by 
  lateral 
  tributaries, 
  leaving 
  shelves 
  of 
  bare 
  rock, 
  

   while 
  the 
  rocky 
  and 
  previously 
  impassable 
  bed 
  of 
  the 
  main 
  river 
  was 
  converted 
  into 
  a 
  

   smooth 
  surface 
  or 
  plain 
  for 
  miles. 
  That 
  was 
  the 
  effect 
  of 
  one 
  short 
  flood, 
  and 
  he 
  

   thought 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  evidence 
  that 
  no 
  flood 
  of 
  similar 
  magnitude 
  had 
  occurred 
  since 
  the 
  

   terrace 
  skirting 
  the 
  valley 
  had 
  been 
  formed. 
  

  

  Dr. 
  Hector 
  stated 
  that 
  the 
  amount 
  of 
  detritus 
  carried 
  out 
  to 
  sea 
  on 
  that 
  occasion 
  had 
  

   added 
  ten 
  chains 
  width 
  to 
  the 
  beach 
  for 
  miles 
  along 
  the 
  coast, 
  so 
  that 
  tl^e 
  fences 
  running 
  

   out 
  on 
  the 
  shore 
  had 
  to 
  be 
  lengthened. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Maxwell, 
  in 
  reply, 
  considered 
  the 
  remarks 
  made 
  did 
  not 
  conflict 
  with 
  the 
  

   views 
  expressed 
  in 
  this 
  paper, 
  but 
  only 
  extended 
  their 
  application. 
  His 
  object 
  was 
  to 
  

   refute 
  the 
  idea 
  that 
  the 
  changes 
  in 
  the 
  direction 
  of 
  such 
  rivers 
  could 
  be 
  controlled 
  by 
  the 
  

   rotation 
  of 
  the 
  earth, 
  as 
  suggested 
  by 
  Dr. 
  Haast 
  and 
  Mr. 
  Baines 
  in 
  the 
  last 
  volume 
  of 
  

   " 
  Transactions." 
  

  

  2. 
  " 
  Some 
  Notes 
  on 
  the 
  D'Urville 
  Island 
  Copper 
  Mine," 
  by 
  S. 
  H. 
  

   Cox, 
  F.C.S., 
  F.G.S., 
  Assistant 
  Geologist. 
  

  

  ABSTRACT. 
  

  

  The 
  mine 
  is 
  situated 
  at 
  the 
  southern 
  end 
  of 
  D'Urville 
  Island, 
  the 
  coj)per 
  

   occurring 
  in 
  a 
  belt 
  of 
  serpentine, 
  v.-hich 
  may 
  be 
  traced 
  from 
  the 
  Dun 
  Moun- 
  

   tain, 
  at 
  Nelson, 
  to 
  the 
  Croixelles, 
  and 
  again 
  throughout 
  the 
  length 
  of 
  

   D'Urville 
  Island. 
  This 
  belt 
  of 
  serpentine 
  is 
  in 
  contact 
  with 
  certain 
  coarse- 
  

   grained 
  green 
  sandstones 
  and 
  banded 
  slates 
  of 
  the 
  Maitai 
  series, 
  in 
  which 
  

   veins 
  of 
  quartz 
  with 
  nests 
  of 
  pyrites 
  occur, 
  the 
  strike 
  of 
  the 
  slates 
  being 
  

   about 
  N.N.E. 
  

  

  Outcrops 
  of 
  cuprite, 
  coated 
  with 
  malachite 
  and 
  azurite, 
  have 
  been 
  traced 
  

   at 
  intervals 
  over 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  900 
  yards, 
  or 
  thereabouts, 
  in 
  a 
  N.E. 
  and 
  

   S.W. 
  direction, 
  these 
  outcrops 
  generally 
  occurring 
  on 
  a 
  bare 
  ridge 
  of 
  

   serpentine, 
  which 
  is 
  about 
  the 
  centre 
  line 
  of 
  the 
  piece 
  of 
  ground 
  which 
  has 
  

   been 
  leased 
  from 
  the 
  Maoris 
  for 
  mining 
  operations, 
  and 
  four 
  small 
  shafts 
  

   have 
  been 
  sunk 
  to 
  prove 
  the 
  ore 
  at 
  different 
  points, 
  These 
  shafts 
  do 
  not 
  

  

  