MURCHISON

Hokitika Guardian, 1 April 1931, Page 8

MURCHISON

NATURE’S WORK OF RESTORATION.

IMPROVEMENT IN QUALITY

OF LAND

CHRISTCH URCH , A larch 31

A remarkable improvement in the quality of the land in the -Murchison district since the big earthquake in June, 1929, was noticed by Professor R. Speight, Curator of the Canterbury Museum, during a visit to the district last week. Professor Speight, who is Professor of Geology at Canterbury College, visited the Murchison district a month after the earthquake, and lie did not see the country again until last week. He returned to Christchurch on Saturday. “ft was a very great surprise to me to see how wonderfully nature has restored the country that was shattered by the earthquake,” he said yesterday. “AT any of the biggest slips are now difficult to find, especially where the rock was covered with sand and mud In many eases the pasture is much hotter than it was before the earthquake, and 1 think that in a few years there will he very few visible signs of the earthquake damage itself. Of course, the liill tops arc still shattered and every now and then additional material is brought down by minor shakes.” AIT NOR TREMORS STILL FELT.

'File professor said that though minor earth tremors were still felt, the <omitrv was rnnidlv reaching a condition of stability. There was a fairly severe earthquake about a month ago. Mm residents stating that it: was about, the third in tensity since tlm big ’quake in J.iin<*. 1929. The tremors row boi"g felt were mostly not sufficiently severe to enlist' any alarm. He was in the district for nearly a week, and lie did not oxnorionre any at all. although he >vas told there was a minor shake one night. There were some farms still abandoned by the owners, but lie was talking to one man wlm assured him that, his property lwd verv greatly improv'd ini value as the result of the slips, ft was mostly the hill land that had booen improved. As a result of the earthquake the land had been raised 13ft din where the fault existed. There was. however, a slight settling down in progress and this was causing the minor shakes that were being felt Settlers in the district declared that 'lie.v could still hear the noise caused by the settling down process, hut it was not apparent to him while lie was there. GOLD PROSPECTING. The road through the Boiler Gorge was a very great improvement on tlm old road, the professor added. It was now a very beautiful road, wider, safer and with a better surface. Asked whether any gold had been b ought to light, as a result of the •'■irthquake. Professor Speight said that ’’■> had not heard of any being found. There was a certain, amount of pros, .•■cting going on at different places in the district. One party was working north of Murchison, but these activities were largely due to the fact that the Government was now paying a S o ”us on gold. Professor Speight said that as far as New Zealand was concerned it seemed to him that the country north of Murchison offered the best prospects of gold prospecting. In the Wangapekn district the country was largely unknown and he thought it was very likely that mineral deposits would be found there. Along the Alatakitnki River east of the Howard country, there were still alluvial workings at a height in some places ol about 3000 ft ...hove sea level. In many places, in the district small deposits of gold had hoen found.