Gemstone Beach, Orepuki, Southland District, Southland Region, New Zealandi
| Regional Level Types | |
|---|---|
| Gemstone Beach | Beach |
| Orepuki | - not defined - |
| Southland District | District |
| Southland Region | Region |
| New Zealand | Country |
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Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):
46° 16' 34'' South , 167° 43' 47'' East
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):
Locality type:
KΓΆppen climate type:
Half a kilometre north of Orepuki on State Highway 99, a tourist sign will be seen for Gemstone Beach. Such a sign will stop most tourists, even ones with only a cursory interest in rocks. A windswept cold rainy day in winter will guarantee the beach to yourself. A short sandy track leads to an informal car park just behind the primary dunes. Next to the car park is an alluvial gold mining lease, with no entry sign.
Items that may be found on the beach is pale green hydrogrossular, jasper, garnet and black magnetite sands, containing fine gold and platinum, rodingite, idocrase, epidote, fossil worm casts, oil shale, rare sapphire.
The sands extend from Waiau River to the west to Round Hill to the east, and more on gold and platinum will be included under the Round Hill Mindat heading.
Finding gemstones here is pot luck, depending on conditions as to whether any are uncovered. We did not find any, but there are pictures on Mindat (See Orepuki Mindat heading).
Select Mineral List Type
Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Chemical ElementsMineral List
6 valid minerals.
Rock Types Recorded
Note: data is currently VERY limited. Please bear with us while we work towards adding this information!
Select Rock List Type
Alphabetical List Tree DiagramDetailed Mineral List:
| β Corundum Formula: Al2O3 Reference: Local council Site Signage, pers. visit Kim Macdonald. Several photos under Orepuki Mindat heading of specimens from the beach. Several photographs of the sign appear on Google under images for 'gemstone beach'. |
| β Corundum var. Sapphire Formula: Al2O3 Reference: Local council Site Signage, pers. visit Kim Macdonald. Several photos under Orepuki Mindat heading of specimens from the beach. Several photographs of the sign appear on Google under images for 'gemstone beach'. |
| β Epidote Formula: {Ca2}{Al2Fe3+}(Si2O7)(SiO4)O(OH) Reference: Local council Site Signage, pers. visit Kim Macdonald. Several photos under Orepuki Mindat heading of specimens from the beach. Several photographs of the sign appear on Google under images for 'gemstone beach'. |
| β 'Garnet Group' Formula: X3Z2(SiO4)3 Reference: Local council Site Signage, pers. visit Kim Macdonald. Several photos under Orepuki Mindat heading of specimens from the beach. Several photographs of the sign appear on Google under images for 'gemstone beach'. |
| β Gold Formula: Au Reference: Local council Site Signage, pers. visit Kim Macdonald. Several photos under Orepuki Mindat heading of specimens from the beach. Several photographs of the sign appear on Google under images for 'gemstone beach'. |
| β 'Grossular-Hibschite Series' Reference: Local council Site Signage, pers. visit Kim Macdonald. Several photos under Orepuki Mindat heading of specimens from the beach. Several photographs of the sign appear on Google under images for 'gemstone beach'. |
| β Isoferroplatinum Formula: Pt3Fe Reference: Local council Site Signage, pers. visit Kim Macdonald. Several photos under Orepuki Mindat heading of specimens from the beach. Several photographs of the sign appear on Google under images for 'gemstone beach'. |
| β Quartz Formula: SiO2 Reference: Local council Site Signage, pers. visit Kim Macdonald. Several photos under Orepuki Mindat heading of specimens from the beach. Several photographs of the sign appear on Google under images for 'gemstone beach'. |
| β Quartz var. Jasper Reference: Local council Site Signage, pers. visit Kim Macdonald. Several photos under Orepuki Mindat heading of specimens from the beach. Several photographs of the sign appear on Google under images for 'gemstone beach'. |
| β Vesuvianite Formula: Ca19Fe3+Al4(Al6Mg2)(◻4)◻[Si2O7]4[(SiO4)10]O(OH)9 Reference: Local council Site Signage, pers. visit Kim Macdonald. Several photos under Orepuki Mindat heading of specimens from the beach. Several photographs of the sign appear on Google under images for 'gemstone beach'. |
Gallery:
List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification
| Group 1 - Elements | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| β | Gold | 1.AA.05 | Au |
| β | Isoferroplatinum | 1.AG.35 | Pt3Fe |
| Group 4 - Oxides and Hydroxides | |||
| β | Corundum | 4.CB.05 | Al2O3 |
| β | var. Sapphire | 4.CB.05 | Al2O3 |
| β | Quartz | 4.DA.05 | SiO2 |
| β | var. Jasper | 4.DA.05 | SiO2 |
| Group 9 - Silicates | |||
| β | Epidote | 9.BG.05a | {Ca2}{Al2Fe3+}(Si2O7)(SiO4)O(OH) |
| β | Vesuvianite | 9.BG.35 | Ca19Fe3+Al4(Al6Mg2)(β»4)β»[Si2O7]4[(SiO4)10]O(OH)9 |
| Unclassified Minerals, Rocks, etc. | |||
| β | 'Garnet Group' | - | X3Z2(SiO4)3 |
| β | 'Grossular-Hibschite Series' | - | |
List of minerals for each chemical element
| H | Hydrogen | |
|---|---|---|
| H | β Epidote | {Ca2}{Al2Fe3+}(Si2O7)(SiO4)O(OH) |
| H | β Vesuvianite | Ca19Fe3+Al4(Al6Mg2)(◻4)◻[Si2O7]4[(SiO4)10]O(OH)9 |
| O | Oxygen | |
| O | β Garnet Group | X3Z2(SiO4)3 |
| O | β Epidote | {Ca2}{Al2Fe3+}(Si2O7)(SiO4)O(OH) |
| O | β Vesuvianite | Ca19Fe3+Al4(Al6Mg2)(◻4)◻[Si2O7]4[(SiO4)10]O(OH)9 |
| O | β Corundum var. Sapphire | Al2O3 |
| O | β Quartz | SiO2 |
| O | β Corundum | Al2O3 |
| Mg | Magnesium | |
| Mg | β Vesuvianite | Ca19Fe3+Al4(Al6Mg2)(◻4)◻[Si2O7]4[(SiO4)10]O(OH)9 |
| Al | Aluminium | |
| Al | β Epidote | {Ca2}{Al2Fe3+}(Si2O7)(SiO4)O(OH) |
| Al | β Vesuvianite | Ca19Fe3+Al4(Al6Mg2)(◻4)◻[Si2O7]4[(SiO4)10]O(OH)9 |
| Al | β Corundum var. Sapphire | Al2O3 |
| Al | β Corundum | Al2O3 |
| Si | Silicon | |
| Si | β Garnet Group | X3Z2(SiO4)3 |
| Si | β Epidote | {Ca2}{Al2Fe3+}(Si2O7)(SiO4)O(OH) |
| Si | β Vesuvianite | Ca19Fe3+Al4(Al6Mg2)(◻4)◻[Si2O7]4[(SiO4)10]O(OH)9 |
| Si | β Quartz | SiO2 |
| Ca | Calcium | |
| Ca | β Epidote | {Ca2}{Al2Fe3+}(Si2O7)(SiO4)O(OH) |
| Ca | β Vesuvianite | Ca19Fe3+Al4(Al6Mg2)(◻4)◻[Si2O7]4[(SiO4)10]O(OH)9 |
| Fe | Iron | |
| Fe | β Isoferroplatinum | Pt3Fe |
| Fe | β Epidote | {Ca2}{Al2Fe3+}(Si2O7)(SiO4)O(OH) |
| Fe | β Vesuvianite | Ca19Fe3+Al4(Al6Mg2)(◻4)◻[Si2O7]4[(SiO4)10]O(OH)9 |
| Pt | Platinum | |
| Pt | β Isoferroplatinum | Pt3Fe |
| Au | Gold | |
| Au | β Gold | Au |
References
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Gemstone Beach, Orepuki, Southland District, Southland Region, New Zealand