West Coast Region, New Zealandi

Regional Level Types
West Coast Region	Region
New Zealand	Country

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The West Coast Region covers the far western side of the South Island of New Zealand at 23,276 square kilometres in area. The eastern border follows the spine of the Southern Alps, the north at Kahurangi Point, south Awarua Point, and 600 kilometres of coastline between of the Tasman Sea. The area receives much rainfall, and is very scenic ranging from wild blustery coastlines, fern covered beech forest, and snow capped mountain peaks.

The thin coastal plain encompasses lowland rainforest, and farmland, while inland is very mountainous. It is sparsely populated with four towns with over 1,000 people (Greymouth, Westport, Hokitika and Reefton). The province is divided into the Westland, Buller, and Grey districts. The economy is based on coal mining, gold mining, forestry, fishing, dairying and tourism. The first three have declined significantly in recent decades.

European settlement started when gold was discovered in 1864, leading to several gold rushes. From the 1880's, coal took over as the main form of mining, especially in the Greymouth and Westport areas.

The most significant structural feature in the region is the Alpine Fault, running roughly parallel with the coast, on the western side of the Southern Alps. To the east of this is intensely folded, argillite, greywacke and
grading westwards into metamorphosed alpine schist. Rocks near the fault have been converted to mylonite and zones of clay from fault stresses.

To the west of the fault is the greywackes and argillite of the Greenland and Waiuta groups. The Greenland Group forms a discontinuous area, 300 kilometres long, showing much shearing, and quartz veins, some carrying gold.

The northern section of the region contains the extensive Brunner and Paparoa coal measures. Subsequent subsidence formed thick sequences of limestone, siltstone, sandstone and mudstone over the measures during the mid Tertiary period. The Kaikoura Orogeny folded these Tertiary rocks, and raised the landscape. Erosion, in part by glaciers produced significant gravels which filled the lower levels, covering the existing rocks.

The region, especially around Hokitika, is known for nephrite jade, and there is a tourist industry based on the rock in the town.

Commodity List

This is a list of exploitable or exploited mineral commodities recorded from this region.

Mineral List

Mineral list contains entries from the region specified including sub-localities

156 valid minerals. 3 (TL) - type locality of valid minerals.

Rock Types Recorded

Rock list contains entries from the region specified including sub-localities