The vanadium content of Taranaki ironsand

Abstract

Taranaki ironsand is a marine deposit, found for 300 miles along portion of the western coast of the North Island of New Zealand. Mineralogically this sand consists principally of magnetite and ilmenite, with some quartz and ferromagnesian minerals such as augite, hornblende and olivine. Zircon and traces of rare earths have been reported, and crystals of zinc blende found at New Plymouth derived from a local outcrop of this mineral. The chemical composition varies with the locality, and Donovan (1) gives the following analysis as being representative:-