NEW ZEALAND COAL-BEARING REGIONS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 12661, 15 September 1904, Page 5

NEW ZEALAND COAL-BEARING REGIONS.

INTERESTING PAPER BY PROFESSOR PARK. [BY TELEGRAPH.— PRESS ASSOCIATION.] Dunedin, Wednesday. An important paper on the tertiary rocks of New Zealand was read before the Otago Institute last night by Professor Park, who stated that last summer be devoted two months to investigation of the relations of the Pareora series of coal-bearing racks throughout North Otago and Canterbury. As a result of his work he found that nowhere did the Pareora beds overlie Oar/iara stone, but in all cases these beds rested on older formation. Coal greensands everywhere in Otago and Canterbury yielded i'ossil fauna identical with that of the Ps.reora series. The professor said he was compelled to conclude that the Pareora beds were the equivalents of coal greensands. The obvious meaning of this is that areas in New Zealand hitherto mapped out as Pareora are greensand coal measures, and therefore potential coal-bear-ing regions. He said further that the greateat extension of the measures would be found in Oamaru district, and in the North Island, in the valleys of Poharigina, Upper Rangitikei, and Wnnganui; also on the flanks of the Ruahine Ranges, in Wellington and Hawke's Bay provinces, and in many places in the East Cape district and Auckland. Professor Park, who, as Government Geologist, mapped and surveyed many of the important coalfields, staled that the relationship el the Pareora beds to the.Oamaru series is very obscure in a few places, but, on the other hand, clear in many places; but taken with parallel faunas, he thought there could be little doubt that his conclusion was correct. The possible extension of our coalfields can only be regarded as welcome news, in view of the somewhat limited extent of our known coal-bearing areas.