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Story: Rock, limestone and clay

Coal and clay

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Coal and clay

In this road cutting south of Charleston on the West Coast, a 2-metre-thick deposit of clay lies beneath a layer of coal. In the past this clay was dug out and used to produce ceramic toilets. Clay and coal are often found together. It is a fortunate mix, as many brickworks used the coal to light the kilns that fired the clay.

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by Simon Nathan

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How to cite this page

Carl Walrond, Rock, limestone and clay – Ceramics and pottery, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/5211/coal-and-clay (accessed 24 June 2026).

Story by Carl Walrond, published 2 March 2009.