Lindley and White reported in late 2023 that jade is widely distributed throughout the 2200 km long New Guinea Mobile Belt, associated with numerous Teutonized and serpentinized ultramafic rocks, metabasites and blueschist rocks containing intrusive masses of serpentinite with tectonic inclusions, tremolite rocks and talc. One region in particular, centred on the Suckling–Dayman massif in eastern Papua, is of interest as jade tools including adze and axe blades and lime spatulas and float specimens are present in an extensive 10,000 km2 region including Cloudy Bay, Keveri Valley, Ibinambo River, Collingwood Bay,
Holincote Bay and Musa River.
The authors provided a description of the geological setting of the Suckling–Dayman massif and the region’s jade occurrences and the potential for a jade industry in Papua New Guinea. Nephrite prospecting and mining is primarily for ‘barefoot prospectors’. It is low technology, not requiring professional skills or specialist and expensive methods such as those used in conventional mineral exploration. With government agency technical assistance and support from NGOs it is possible to establish in Papua New Guinea a network of jade buyers and sellers and a local jade carving industry.
Managed & Built by I2M Consulting, LLC | © 2010-
