Geophysical exploration of the Puhipuhi epithermal area, Northland, New Zealand

Abstract

The Puhipuhi epithermal area, which occurs in a region of graywacke basement partially covered by basalt and lake-bed deposits, is characterized by both large-scale and small-scale geophysical anomalies. Known occurrences of locally intense alteration or silicification are typically associated with strong gravity, resistivity or IP anomalies. Gravity data define a complex negative residual anomaly (up to −50 gu) which has been used to identify and delineate a large area (about 20 km2) of low-density, presumably clay-altered, graywacke basement rocks. This zone, modeled as extending to a few kilometers depth, encompasses, but is more extensive than, the known areas of alteration and has a close spatial association with the basalt cover rocks. Short-wavelength gravity minima and maxima, which indicate that the most intense alteration of the basement rocks occurs below the basalt, correlate, in part, with the inferred location of hydrothermal upflow zones. The control on the location of these zones and their relationship to the location of the basalts is not well known; however, if the basalts acted as a cap rock to the geothermal system, then these areas merit further exploration. High (≥100 ohm-m) and low (≤10 ohm-m) resistivity and high (≥30 mS) IP anomalies occur in association with known silicification, clay alteration and sulfide mineralisation, respectively. In addition, magnetic data help constrain the relative timing of hydrothermal alteration and basaltic volcanism and indicate that mineralisation was broadly synchronous with volcanism.