Barrytown

Placer, shoreline rare earth element deposit in South Island/Westland, New Zealand

Deposit type: Placer, shoreline

REE minerals: monazite

Ore minerals: ilmenite, garnet, magnetite, zircon, rutile, gold, thorite, cassiterite, (U)

Gangue minerals: quartz, feldspar

Host rock types: sand of nine mile fm

Average grade:

Status: Under development (1988)

Company: Grampian Mining (199?)

Resource estimates: 10.8 Mt @ 0.1-0.3% mon (1970's), 73.3 Mt @ 0.001% mon or 0.00055% REO (1989)

Marine placer beach and dune sands extending over a distance of 16 km along the coast. Deposit averages 10 m thick.

References