Ilmenite deposits in New Zealand

Abstract

A reconnaissance survey in 1948 shows that on the South Island West Coast beaches between Karamea and Jacksons Bay there is available upwards' of 1,000 million tons of dredgable sand from which ilmenite and small amounts of minerals and gold could be recovered. The most important locality is immeditely south of the Buller River, near Westport, where two large beach deposits are estimated to contain over 90 million tons of sand. Nineteen posthole bores, ranging in depth from 4 to 20 ft, averaged 5·5% of ilmenite, assaying 44% to 45% TiO₂.