Story: Rock, limestone and clay

‘The sunbathed clay pit’

‘The sunbathed clay pit’

This painting by John Weeks depicts a Christchurch clay pit at the base of the Port Hills. The pit supplied local brickworks, and its clay was derived from fine-grained, wind-blown silt known as loess. The darker patch in the cliff face contains layers of soil that built up when the loess was not being deposited. When the loess-bearing winds returned, the layers were covered over.

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Christchurch Art Gallery - Te Puna o Waiwhetu
Oil painting by John Weeks

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How to cite this page:

Carl Walrond, 'Rock, limestone and clay - Types of clay', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/artwork/5247/the-sunbathed-clay-pit (accessed 20 April 2024)

Story by Carl Walrond, published 12 Jun 2006