INTEREST IN BENTONITE

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 42, 5 March 1937, Page 4

INTEREST IN BENTONITE

Origin of Deposits WIND-BORNE DUST The Bentonite discovery at Porangahau has arouBed world interest, according to, reports made by short-waye wireless listenera. Last night the Empire ahort-wave transmitter at Daventry announced the Bentonito find in New Zealand during the news session, and Beveral Hawke's Bay liateners heard the announcment. Mr A. Y. Parsons, headmaster of the Waipukurau District High School, who is a keen geology atudent, in. discussing the discovery with the Herald-Tribune, advanced the theory that the deposits were wind-borne, the volcanic dust having been brought across to the coast by the prevailing north-wesfcerly winds. This wind-borne dust, known as "tuff," said Mr Parsons, was very fine, and looked like smoke when in the air. This fine dust would quite likely become covered over later by alluvial deposits, whi.ch would have the effect of parti- j ally imprisoning . .the water vapour which would have fallen with the original dust. In the course of time such a deposit would be subjected to tremendous pressure from the sea. and earth movements, all of which would tend to alter its constitution. 1