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| The West Coast is well known for coal, gold, aggregate, limestone and pounamu. The area also hosts a range of other minerals. |
Titanium
Two titanium minerals are found on the West Coast Ilmenite and rutile occur mainly in beach sands derived from the erosion of schist in the Southern Alps. The largest known ilmenite resource is at Barrytown in Westland, where 50 million tonnes of potentially mineable sand has been defined.
Titanium metal is very strong and has a high resistance to heat. Ilmenite is a source of titanium dioxide is used as an opacifier and pigment because of its high whiteness, opacity, and light-scattering properties. It is also used in paper, plastics, cloth and rubber and forms the basis of UV protection creams. Titanium metal is used in situations which require a light strong metal with a high resistance to heat and corrosion. It is widely used in aerospace construction and also in marine applications.
www.chemicalelements.com/elements/ti.html
www.stats.govt.nz/quick-facts/industries/minerals.htm |
Antimony
Antimony is rarely found naturally as a native metal, usually occurring in combination with sulphur, copper, lead and silver. There are over 100 antimony minerals, the most common being stibnite.which expands on solidifying, alloys with other minerals.
Antomony is used as an alloy with lead to harden it and increase its resistance to corrosion. As such, often used as an alloy with lead in car batteries. Compounds of antimony are also used in textiles, paints and plastics as a fire retardant.
There was some limited mining of stibnite deposits in the nineteenth century. Currently there is no antimony production in New Zealand and all our requirements are imported. It could be produced economically as a byproduct of gold mining in some areas in the future. |
Monybdenum
Molybdenum occurs as molybdenite in the West Coast region.It is lead-grey to bluish in colour with a metallic lustre and is used mainly as an alloy to toughen steels. Minor amounts are also used in lubricants, dyes and catalysts.
Molybdenum has not been produced in New Zealand. Grades of known resources are currently uneconomic to develop.
www.chemicalelements.com/elements/mo.html |
Tin
Tin is usually associated with granite rocks. In New Zealand it found only on the West Coast and Stewart Island. Tin has a low melting point but high boiling point. It alloys easily, is non toxic, and does not corrode rapidly. The largest use of tin is in tin-plating food cans. This use is decreasing as aluminium, tin-free steel and plastic are used instead. Tin is also used in alloys such as pewter, bronze and solder, in pesticides and fungicides and the manufacture of PVC plastic.
Although some alluvial tin concentrate was mined on Stewart Island late in the nineteenth century none has been mined on the West Coast.
http://www.chemicalelements.com/elements/sn.html
www.carnmetl.demon.co.uk/tin.htm |
Uranium
Uranium is common, but not found in nature as a free metal as it oxidises rapidly when exposed to air. It is the heaviest of the naturally occurring elements and has a number of different forms (isotopes), of which three occur naturally.
Uranium is found in rocks and soil (about 2.7 parts per million) as well as in the oceans (about 1.3 parts per billion). Over 200 minerals contain uranium which is used in nuclear reactors which produce electricity from the heat released by nuclear fission reactions.There is no record of any uranium production in New Zealand.
There are low grade uranium deposits on the West Coast. Uranium was discovered in 1955 and for a few months 'uranium fever' gripped the Coast. Radioactive deposits were found in the lower Buller Gorge, at the mouth of the Fox River, and in the Paparoa Ranges. In all cases the deposits were uneconomic Prospecting started again in 1966 with several companies prospecting, including some from overseas. Again, no economic deposts were located. Under the current nuclear-free policy prospecting for uranium is not permitted.
www.chemicalelements.com/elements/u.html
www.uic.com.au/uran.htm |
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