Great Barrier Island silver-gold deposits,Hauraki Province,New Zealand

The Great Barrier Island subvolcanic silver-gold deposits comprise a number of essentially east striking, quartz filled, mineralized fissures, which transect andesitic volcanics and an unconformably overlying, bedded sinter deposit of upper Tertiary to Quaternary age. Wall rock alteration is characterized by a propylitic assemblage in the least altered andesite, with argillic assemblages and silicification developed in close proximity to the veins. Some twentyfive hypogene and supergene ore minerals have been recognized, of which pyrite is the most common and finely disseminated pyrargyrite constitutes the main source of silver. The mineral assemblage is dominantly hypogene with minor supergene alteration occurring at surface exposures, and includes mainly sulfides, selenides and native metals. Fineness of electrum derived from two electron microprobe analyses is approximately 500, while total silver to gold ratio from a number of bulk chemical analyses is 30:1. Maximum depth of deposition is estimated to be in the order of 500 m and for some surface exposures 100 m. The mineralization is regarded as subvolcanic and along with other hydrothermal fissure deposits of Hauraki Province is considered to be of Pliocene-Pleistocene age, and hence is believed to be associated with the late phase extrusions and intrusions of acid magma in the volcanic belt.