Brockman mine
Encyclopedia
The Brockman mine is an iron ore mine located in the Pilbara region of Western Australia
, 60 kilometres north-west of Tom Price
. It is sometimes also referred to as Brockman 2 mine to differentiate between it and Rio Tinto's new Brockman 4 mine
project, also in the area.
The mine is fully owned and operated by Rio Tinto Iron Ore
and is one of twelve iron ore mines the company operates in the Pilbara. In the calendar year 2009, the combined Pilbara operations produced 202 million tonnes of iron ore, a 15 percent increase from 2008. The Pilbara operations accounted for almost 13 percent of the world's 2009 iron ore production of 1.59 billion tonnes.
The Hamersley Range
, where the mine is located, contains 80 percent of all identified iron ore reserves in Australia
and is one of the world's major iron ore provinces.
, where it is loaded onto ships. Ore from Brockman, like that from Mount Tom Price
, Paraburdoo
, Channar
, Eastern Range
, Marandoo
and Yandicoogina
, is transported as lump and fines ore product from the mines to Dampier via rail. Before being loaded onto ships for export, the product is blended and rescreened. The maximum size for the lumps is 31.5 mm, while the fines are at a maximum of 6.3 mm.
The mine's workforce is on a Fly-in fly-out
roster. In the calendar year 2009, the mine employed 539 people, an increase in comparison to 2008, when it only employed 445.
The mine is located near the Nammuldi mine
, also operated by Rio Tinto.
Like the Channar mine
, Brockman 2 was closed for a time in late 2008 during the global financial crisis, with the operation mothballed. The temporary closure, which halted its then monthly production of 1.6 million tonnes, came alongside selected production reductions at Rio Tinto's other Pilbara operations.
The mine is owned by Hamersley Iron Pty Ltd, a fully owned subsidiary of Rio Tinto, which ownes six mines in the Pilbara, including Brockman, as well as partly owning two others in the region.
On 16 August 2011, an employee was killed
at the mine, being crushed by a hydraulic cylinder of a front-end loader, causing operations to be stopped for a number of days. It was the second fatality in less then three month in Rio Tinto's Pilbara operations, after having been fatality-free since August 2003.
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
, 60 kilometres north-west of Tom Price
Tom Price, Western Australia
Tom Price, situated in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, is an industrial town. The town is located inland, at the edge of the Hamersley Range...
. It is sometimes also referred to as Brockman 2 mine to differentiate between it and Rio Tinto's new Brockman 4 mine
Brockman 4 mine
The Brockman 4 mine is an iron ore mine located in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, 60 kilometres north-west of Tom Price. The mine, located near the existing Brockman mine, is scheduled to open in 2010....
project, also in the area.
The mine is fully owned and operated by Rio Tinto Iron Ore
Rio Tinto Group
The Rio Tinto Group is a diversified, British-Australian, multinational mining and resources group with headquarters in London and Melbourne. The company was founded in 1873, when a multinational consortium of investors purchased a mine complex on the Rio Tinto river, in Huelva, Spain from the...
and is one of twelve iron ore mines the company operates in the Pilbara. In the calendar year 2009, the combined Pilbara operations produced 202 million tonnes of iron ore, a 15 percent increase from 2008. The Pilbara operations accounted for almost 13 percent of the world's 2009 iron ore production of 1.59 billion tonnes.
The Hamersley Range
Hamersley Range
The Hamersley Ranges is a mountainous region of the Pilbara, Western Australia. The range runs from the Fortescue River in the northeast, 460 km south. The range contains Western Australia's highest point, Mount Meharry, which reaches approximately AHD. There are many extensively-eroded...
, where the mine is located, contains 80 percent of all identified iron ore reserves in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and is one of the world's major iron ore provinces.
Overview
Rio Tinto iron ore operations in the Pilbara began in 1966. The mine itself began operations in 1992. The mine has an annual production capacity of 8.7 million tonnes of iron ore, sourced from open-pit operations. The ore is processed on site before being loaded onto rail. Ore from the mine is then transported to the coast through the Hamersley & Robe River railwayHamersley & Robe River railway
The Hamersley & Robe River railway, majority-owned and operated by the Rio Tinto Group, is a private rail network in the Pilbara region of Western Australia for the purpose of carrying iron ore. The network is larger than any other Australian heavy freight rail network in private ownership. The...
, where it is loaded onto ships. Ore from Brockman, like that from Mount Tom Price
Mount Tom Price mine
The Mount Tom Price mine is an iron ore mine located in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, near Tom Price.The mine is fully owned and operated by Rio Tinto Iron Ore and is one of twelve iron ore mines the company operates in the Pilbara. In the calendar year 2009, the combined Pilbara...
, Paraburdoo
Paraburdoo mine
The Paraburdoo mine is an iron ore mine located in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, near Paraburdoo.The mine is fully owned and operated by Rio Tinto Iron Ore and is one of twelve iron ore mines the company operates in the Pilbara. In the calendar year 2009, the combined Pilbara operations...
, Channar
Channar mine
The Channar mine is an iron ore mine located in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, 17 kilometres south-east of Paraburdoo.The mine is partly owned and operated by Rio Tinto Iron Ore and is one of twelve iron ore mines the company operates in the Pilbara...
, Eastern Range
Eastern Range mine
The Eastern Range mine is an iron ore mine located in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, 10 kilometres south-east of Paraburdoo.The mine is partly owned and operated by Rio Tinto Iron Ore and is one of twelve iron ore mines the company operates in the Pilbara...
, Marandoo
Marandoo mine
The Marandoo mine is an iron ore mine located in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, 45 kilometres east of Tom Price.The mine is fully owned and operated by Rio Tinto Iron Ore and is one of twelve iron ore mines the company operates in the Pilbara. In the calendar year 2009, the combined...
and Yandicoogina
Yandicoogina mine
The Yandicoogina mine, often shortened to Yandi, is an iron ore mine located in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, 95 kilometres north-west of Newman. it should not be confused with BHP Billiton's Yandi mine, which is located nearby....
, is transported as lump and fines ore product from the mines to Dampier via rail. Before being loaded onto ships for export, the product is blended and rescreened. The maximum size for the lumps is 31.5 mm, while the fines are at a maximum of 6.3 mm.
The mine's workforce is on a Fly-in fly-out
Fly-in fly-out
Fly-in fly-out is a method of employing people in remote areas. It is often abbreviated to FIFO when referring to employment status. This is common in large mining states in Australia...
roster. In the calendar year 2009, the mine employed 539 people, an increase in comparison to 2008, when it only employed 445.
The mine is located near the Nammuldi mine
Nammuldi mine
The Nammuldi mine is an iron ore mine located in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, 60 kilometres north-west of Tom Price.The mine is fully owned and operated by Rio Tinto Iron Ore and is one of twelve iron ore mines the company operates in the Pilbara...
, also operated by Rio Tinto.
Like the Channar mine
Channar mine
The Channar mine is an iron ore mine located in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, 17 kilometres south-east of Paraburdoo.The mine is partly owned and operated by Rio Tinto Iron Ore and is one of twelve iron ore mines the company operates in the Pilbara...
, Brockman 2 was closed for a time in late 2008 during the global financial crisis, with the operation mothballed. The temporary closure, which halted its then monthly production of 1.6 million tonnes, came alongside selected production reductions at Rio Tinto's other Pilbara operations.
The mine is owned by Hamersley Iron Pty Ltd, a fully owned subsidiary of Rio Tinto, which ownes six mines in the Pilbara, including Brockman, as well as partly owning two others in the region.
On 16 August 2011, an employee was killed
Fatality statistics in the Western Australian mining industry
These are Fatality statistics in the Western Australian mining industry which capture the number of people killed in the industry in the Australian state of Western Australia. The Department of Mines and Petroleum, DMP, the governing authority for the industry in the state, has published statistics...
at the mine, being crushed by a hydraulic cylinder of a front-end loader, causing operations to be stopped for a number of days. It was the second fatality in less then three month in Rio Tinto's Pilbara operations, after having been fatality-free since August 2003.
Brockman 4
Rio Tinto's new Brockman 4 project is located close to the current Brockman mine. It is a separate mine to the current one and scheduled to open in 2010. The mine, at a cost of US$1.520 billion, is initially scheduled to produce 22 million tonnes annually, with a later doubling of capacity to achieve Rio Tinto's plan of raising iron ore production from the Pilbara from 220 million tonnes annually to 330 million.External links
- Rio Tinto Iron Ore website
- MINEDEX website Database of the Department of Mines and PetroleumDepartment of Mines and PetroleumThe Department of Mines and Petroleum is a department of the Government of Western Australia. The department was formed on 1 January 2009, out of the former Department of Industry and Resources and Department of Consumer and Employment Protection, which were split into three new departments, the...