MINERALOGICAL MAGAZINE, MARCH 1980, VOL. 43, PP. 647-50 On the type locality and other occurrences of awaruite (FeNi3) in Westland, New Zealand K. A. RODGERS Department of Geology, University of Auckland, Private Bag, Auckland I, New Zealand AND M. H. HEY Department of Mineralogy, British Museum (Natural History), Cromwell Road, London, SW7 SBD, England SUMMARY. Awaruite is not known from Awarua River the sole references to the mineral name, the naming, or Awarua Bay, Westland, New Zealand, but was first and a specific locality in the entire paper. This described from alluvial sands of the Gorge River and soon paper was read before the Wellington Philosophi- thereafter, in sitU in serpentinite from the same valley. The cal Society in October I885 and published in the name is a misnomer. Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute in Volume I8-dated in sequence by cata- AWARUITE (FeNi3) was first described by Skey loguers as I885 but with a publication date, in fine (1885) as constituting a sample of heavy black sand print, of May I886. Two alluvial samples are given by alluvial miners to the Government referred to in the body of the paper: 'No. I' Warden of the Jackson's Bay District, South Island, (p. 40I) consisted entirely of the new alloy awaruite, New Zealand. Unfortunately, in this and sub- for which an analysis was given; the second sample sequent publications, Skey (1886, I887) and his was impure. superior Hector (I887a, b, c, 189I) were somewhat The contents of this original paper were repeated, imprecise and more than a little ambiguous con- inside quotation marks, but without the all- cerning the locality of the original awaruite sample important original title in the 21st Annual Report and indeed of other samples containing the same on the Colonial Museum and Laboratory 1885- 1886 alloy that Skey reported on. Ulrich (I890) tried to published in or about June or July I886. Appended correct this position but his effort was obscured by was an additional paragraph giving the analytical allegations of piracy and ignorance made by Hector results on three further samples (Lab. No. 4I96). (I887a, I89I) when Ulrich (I887a, b), endeavoured The first, from Barn Bay, showed no nickel; a to publicize the existence of this mineral which he second from Callery's Creek contained some 4 % had recognized as 'not being the second (as Mr Skey awaruite; the third, from the Gorge River, yielded supposed), but really the first nickel-iron alloy of 45.36 % awaruite and fragments of serpentine, telluric origin' (I890, p. 620). While it is unlikely which, in a footnote, was noted as proving to be that these events could have contributed overly to the matrix of the alloy. Confusingly, in an attached any subsequent confusion about the occurrence of schedule of analysed specimens for I885-6 sample this mineral, nevertheless in a number of minera- 4I96 was given simply as coming from Barn Bay logical compilations, indices, monographs, and but earlier, in the same schedule, a sample 4I06 reviews there appears to be a widespread miscon- was listed as 'Awaruite . Gorge River'. ception and lack of agreement concerning the In the 22nd Annual Report Skey (I887, p. 47) original locality of this mineral and even of its confirmed that a 'ferriferous serpentine' is the distribution within that general area (e.g. Dana, matrix of awaruite but while an analysis (No. 4357) I909, I932, I944; Williams, I960; Reed, I965; was given, no locality information occurs in the Ramdohr, I950, I969; Donnay and Ondik, I973). text or the appended analyses schedule. However, Historical summary. When William Skey, the sample 4358/I7 was a serpentinite also containing New Zealand Government analyst, gave the first awaruite and was given as coming from 'Red Hill, account of his discovery, the title of his paper On near Big Bay' but no analysis was provided. On a New Mineral (Awaruite)from Barn Bay contained p. 5I of the same report Skey refers to 'Further @ Copyright the Mineralogical Society K. A. RODGERS AND M. H. HEY specimens of nickeliferous sand' as having 'been mineral's occurrence and distribution in the general received from the Gorge River, Jackson's Bay' of region. Regrettably he failed to take account of the which one analysis is given (No. 4379) containing earlier Geological Survey work! He acknowledged 23.67 % awaruite. that his data were entirely derived from informa- The locality names referred to above are tion and specimens received from two students of scattered over some 60 x 20 km2 of country in south his (Henderson and Butement), the District Westland and north-west Otago. Further, the Warden (Macfarlane), the District Chief Surveyor Gorge River does not flow into Jackson's Bay (Mueller, who provided the base map), and Paulin 1 (nowadays Jackson Bay), into Barn Bay, or into (an alpinist and prospector whose five-year sortie Awarua Bay (= Big Bay), while Awarua Bay (and in the region yielded much of the geological in- the Awarua River) are separated from the Red formation given on the map). It was this map as Hills by the catchment of Pyke River. It is clear much as the text that was to continue to arouse Skey was not particularly concerned about geo- Hector's ire but on p. 629 Ulrich states: graphic niceties nor, it seems, was Sir James Hector, Skey's superior as Director of the Colonial The first sample of the Awaruite-bearing black sand examined by Mr Skey was supposed to have come from Museum and Geological Survey, whilst he was Barn Bay (p. 619); but it was subsequently proved to engaged in his initial outraged polemics with Pro- have been washed from the drift of the Gorge River. The fessor Ulrich. In 1887a Hector stated that the Valley of this river has since generally been considered mineral was named after the locality (as indeed does to be the only place of occurrence of the mineral, and Reed, 1965) while in 1887b (p. 12) he talks of the is, indeed, the one in which it has so far been proved discovery 'in the auriferous sands of Barn Bay' . to exist in largest quantity. adding in 1887c (p. xlix) . 'and afterwards in the solid serpentine rock'. He goes on to discuss Paulin's findings as shown on However, in the wake of Ulrich's (1890) paper it fig. I. appears that Hector had done his homework and in The entire situation is admirably and succinctly the course of drawing attention to inaccuracies in reviewed by Morgan (1927) who in Minerals and Mineral Substances in New Zealand states quite Ulrich's map (brought about by 'relying on hearsay explicitly that the alloy 'occurs as water-worn information') he refers to awaruite as 'occurring in grains in the sands of Gorge River, Hope River, the alluvia of some of the river valleys'. By 1892, in the first comprehensive list of minerals and mineral Cascade River and other streams draining the Red localities in New Zealand, Hector is quite specific Hill' . 'Range, north-west Otago; it occurs also (p. 106): in the serpentine of the Red Mountain [sic] as silvery-white specks' . 'So far as can be ascer- tained, the mineral has not been found in the water- AWARUITE!-Gorge River, S.W. coast. In serpentine. shed of the Awarua River, or near Awarua or Big Analysis (Skey): Bay' . 'The name "awaruite" is therefore to some Nickel 67.63 extent a misnomer'. That this was the original posi- Cobalt .70 tion has been confirmed by the recent recovery of Iron . 31.02 William Skey's handwritten records. Data given for Sulphur .22 Silica. two washes numbered 4106 (I, 2) are those pub- .43 lished in 1885. In conclusion it should perhaps be stated: 100.00 (! = rare). Awaruite was first described from alluvial sands of The analysis is that of Skey (1885), sample No. I. the Gorge River (No. 4106) but soon thereafter, in This change of stance by Hector probably owes situ from the same valley (No. 4196/3); awaruite less to Ulrich's second-hand evidence than to in- has not been recorded unequivocally from Awarua River, or Awarua Bay (= Big Bay), or Jackson's formation provided by his own geologist Park Bay, or, for that matter, Barn Bay. (1887) who, following exploration of the area in 1886 at Hector's behest, states 'The new nickel An excellent review of our current knowledge of alloy (awaruite) found in the wash of the Gorge the distribution of the mineral is given in Williams and Hope Rivers, both of which cut through the (1974) although he cites Skey's analysis of the mineral belt in the upper part of their course was mineral incorrectly and appears to confuse two of traced to a serpentine matrix in which it occurs as Skey's samples (see fig. 2). dispersed grains' (p. 137). 1 Paulin (1894) gave an account of his travels in, what Ulrich's (1890) paper was intended to both pub- he termed, the Awaruite District. In these he gives a licize awaruite's existence and to bring together general statement that' All over this district I have found scattered and unpublished information on the magnetic nickel ore, called Awaruite'. w~LElr ... Localities Wh:::ndAworuite has be.n ~~A"CO ofth« s~rp(2n~~n~C~n(dp~,.I/;~~~lc) mIIDJI!II] ~~~U;~r~~~:~~~ ~~c~lln:~'h-~e~~~e Pt Platinum Ni Awar-ulle RI"e-r. ~ Ultromafics with Serpentinite she-otn Cow Saddle MrMue-ller's lost Nis. Pyrrhotite + Maitoi and TeoAnou Groups Indicalion Of 1.he Olivine Rock Cr Chrom",le J'\+t+t+ I Granite $n Cosslt!'rjt@o SCALE OF MILES Cu Native copper "'Ioost Schist Group(with ffiIIIIIIIIill1 Precambrian greywQckes etc o 2 4 6 Au Gold gF"!'enschist belt} , MILES!5 Asb Asbestos 0 j , , , 10 Metamorphic and Igneous rocks of Ag Argentiferaus galena I.