Geology of the Fiordland Area - GNS Science

Figure 29 Granite of the idgeon Pluton (Devonian-Carboniferous, Ridge Suite) in the Dark Cloud Range has a weakfoliation (dipping to the right). The granite encloses numerous darker, preferentially weathering sheets of metasedimentarygneiss (Paleozoic, Buller terrane) parallel to the foliation (arrowed, and in the foreground).Figure 30 A 20-cm-long boulder of Newton River Pluton biotite granite, of Carboniferous age, beside the Newton River.The coarse texture and large K-feldspar crystals are characteristic. Pebbles of granite, and fine-grained dark grey pebblesof Fanny Bay Group metamudstone, rest on pillars of unconsolidated sand above the boulder. The pebbles have protectedthe soft sand from eroding during heavy rain.31