Final report on EL 33351 Takitimu Mountains, Southland

An exploration program designed to evaluate an Early Permian volcano-sedimentary sequence in the Takitimu Mountains for gold and platinum mineralisation is described. The work occupied the period 1987-8 and comprised helicopter-supported regional and ground follow-up stream-sediment sampling, soil and rock geochemical studies, petrographic investigations and some geological reconnaissance. It is concluded that gold anomalism in the Whare Creek area is probably related to an epithermal system and further geological and geochemical work is recommended. Additional gold concentrations in the Windy Creek and Redcliff Creek areas are also of interest. Although quite primitive mafic igneous rocks occur in the region and there has been some crustal enrichment in platinum, targets for further exploration are not obvious.