KARAMEA COAL DEPOSIT.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 284, 4 May 1914, Page 2

KARAMEA COAL DEPOSIT.

AN INTERESTING STATEMENT. I THE CAUSE OF TARANAKFS PETROLEUM DEPOSITS. Reference lias from time to time been made to a supposed coal deposit at Karamea, and quite recently a company was projected to put down a bore to ascertain the probable depth of the scam and its commercial .value. When passing tin. locality a few days ago in company with Mr. K." A. Brown, of the Hawora Technical School, and one of the recognised leading scientists in New Zealand, a re presentative of the Star reminded Mi Brown of the incident. Mr Brown immediately indicated the outcrop in question, which can' quite plainly be seen alongside the main road —on the left hand side of the incline just before reaching Karamea from northwards. He explained that this seam of so-called coal was interesting from a geological point of view, and that similar seams occurred right throughout} this district. When the cliffs at the Zigzag at Hawera, or, in fact, anywhere along the coast as far as Manaia, were examined, seams of shale would be found. Or' when digging a well anywhere in the Hawera district it was quite common to strike shale seams about 20 feet down. This merely indicated that throughout the district in past ages swampy conditions obtained with a good growth of forest Later on sediment from Mount Egmont covered this deposit, and -so the shale seams were preserved. These bore no connection whatever with the Mokau coals,. although statements to that effect have been frequently made. The Mokau coals occur in sandstone at the base of the papa series of rocks.. The local shale seems to occur at the top of the papa series, with at least 2000 feet of rock between them. In the past geological ages forests flourished from' Mokau to and beyond Taihape, and were | partly preserved as Mokau and other] coals. The lands then sank below the sea level, and thousands of feet of ma-1 rine sediment were superimposed on them. Elevation followed until the land' was again above the sea and a new I growth of forest established, from the' remains of which came our shales. Hundreds of thousands of years must separate the two measures, and the local shales are of no value whatever from a commercial point of view. Thev are of »omc little interest geologically. It was also mentioned as an interesting geological fact, that the Mokau coal's dipping below Mount Egmont and acted upon by heat ami pressure, gave us our Taranaki petroleum industry.