Browns polymetallic ore deposit
Encyclopedia
The Browns polymetallic ore deposit is a large ore
deposit located at Mount Fitch
, near Batchelor, 64 kilometres south of Darwin, Northern Territory
, Australia
.
The Browns deposit consists of a sizeable, +80 million tonne deposit of nickel-copper-cobalt, with some poorly defined zones of uranium, and extensive zones of lead-zinc mineralization having been discovered in recent years.
The Browns deposit has a quoted JORC resource
of 84 million tonnes of ore grading 0.78% copper, 0.11% cobalt and 0.12% nickel. This is a global resource hosted in four separate zones;
The global resources are subdivided into oxide and sulfide resources. The oxide resources consist of supergene
or weathered sulfide ore where the ore mineralogy is dominated by metal oxides, hydroxides, clays
and carbonates after the original sulfide mineralogy.
by Compass Resources NL, an Australia
n public company, in joint venture
with Hunan Nonferrous Metals Corporation, a Chinese government company.
The mine is due to be complete in August 2008, after suffering cost escalation and construction delays, and will produce 15,000 tonnes of copper, 4,000 tonnes of cobalt and 4,000 tonnes of nickel per annum, with a mine life of 30 years, mining the oxide and supergene ores. The processing plant includes solvent extraction and electrowinning processing equipment.
The sulfide resources are hosted beneath the supergene and oxide zone ores and as yet no processing plant has been built to treat the pristine sulfide ores.
On 29 January 2009, Compass Resources went into voluntary administration, while in the process of commissioning the mine.
reported resources of 4050 tonnes U3O8
at Mount Fitch. On 4 April 2007, Compass Resources
advertised their application for a Mineral Lease over the Mt Fitch uranium deposit. Development of the uranium resources has not been advanced beyond conceptual stages.
Ore
An ore is a type of rock that contains minerals with important elements including metals. The ores are extracted through mining; these are then refined to extract the valuable element....
deposit located at Mount Fitch
Mount Fitch, Northern Territory
Mount Fitch is a former uranium mining site located in the Northern Territory of Australia 56 kilometres SSE from the centre of Darwin and 13.4 kilometres NE from the town of Batchelor....
, near Batchelor, 64 kilometres south of Darwin, Northern Territory
Darwin, Northern Territory
Darwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. Situated on the Timor Sea, Darwin has a population of 127,500, making it by far the largest and most populated city in the sparsely populated Northern Territory, but the least populous of all Australia's capital cities...
, 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...
.
The Browns deposit consists of a sizeable, +80 million tonne deposit of nickel-copper-cobalt, with some poorly defined zones of uranium, and extensive zones of lead-zinc mineralization having been discovered in recent years.
The Browns deposit has a quoted JORC resource
Mineral resource classification
Mineral resource classification is the classification of mineral deposits based on their geologic certainty and economic value.Mineral deposits can be classified as:...
of 84 million tonnes of ore grading 0.78% copper, 0.11% cobalt and 0.12% nickel. This is a global resource hosted in four separate zones;
- Browns (40Mt @ 0.49% Cu, 4.53% Pb, 0.109% Co, 0.09% Ni, 13ppm Ag)
- Browns East (30.5Mt @ 1.29% Cu, 1.28% Pb, 0.13% Co, 0.13% Ni, 11ppm Ag)
- Area 55 (12.2Mt @ 0.49% Cu, 0.56% Pb, 0.14% Co, 0.14% Ni)
- Mount Fitch (1.3Mt @ 0.60% Cu, 0.2% Co, 0.2% Ni)
The global resources are subdivided into oxide and sulfide resources. The oxide resources consist of supergene
Supergene (geology)
In ore deposit geology, supergene processes or enrichment occur relatively near the surface. Supergene processes include the predominance of meteoric water circulation with concomitant oxidation and chemical weathering. The descending meteoric waters oxidize the primary sulfide ore minerals and...
or weathered sulfide ore where the ore mineralogy is dominated by metal oxides, hydroxides, clays
Clay minerals
Clay minerals are hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, sometimes with variable amounts of iron, magnesium, alkali metals, alkaline earths, and other cations. Clays have structures similar to the micas and therefore form flat hexagonal sheets. Clay minerals are common weathering products and low...
and carbonates after the original sulfide mineralogy.
Exploitation
The Browns deposit is currently being developed as a major base metals mineMining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
by Compass Resources NL, an 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...
n public company, in joint venture
Joint venture
A joint venture is a business agreement in which parties agree to develop, for a finite time, a new entity and new assets by contributing equity. They exercise control over the enterprise and consequently share revenues, expenses and assets...
with Hunan Nonferrous Metals Corporation, a Chinese government company.
The mine is due to be complete in August 2008, after suffering cost escalation and construction delays, and will produce 15,000 tonnes of copper, 4,000 tonnes of cobalt and 4,000 tonnes of nickel per annum, with a mine life of 30 years, mining the oxide and supergene ores. The processing plant includes solvent extraction and electrowinning processing equipment.
The sulfide resources are hosted beneath the supergene and oxide zone ores and as yet no processing plant has been built to treat the pristine sulfide ores.
On 29 January 2009, Compass Resources went into voluntary administration, while in the process of commissioning the mine.
Mount Fitch uranium
In 2006, Compass ResourcesCompass Resources
Compass Resources NL is an Australian mining and mineral exploration company listed on the Australian Stock Exchange and currently in voluntary administration since 29 January 2009....
reported resources of 4050 tonnes U3O8
Uranium oxide
Uranium oxide is an oxide of the element uranium.The metal uranium forms several oxides:* Uranium dioxide or uranium oxide * Uranium trioxide or uranium oxide...
at Mount Fitch. On 4 April 2007, Compass Resources
Compass Resources
Compass Resources NL is an Australian mining and mineral exploration company listed on the Australian Stock Exchange and currently in voluntary administration since 29 January 2009....
advertised their application for a Mineral Lease over the Mt Fitch uranium deposit. Development of the uranium resources has not been advanced beyond conceptual stages.
See also
- Ore genesisOre genesisThe various theories of ore genesis explain how the various types of mineral deposits form within the Earth's crust. Ore genesis theories are very dependent on the mineral or commodity....
- MiningMiningMining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
- Mineral resource classificationMineral resource classificationMineral resource classification is the classification of mineral deposits based on their geologic certainty and economic value.Mineral deposits can be classified as:...
- Compass ResourcesCompass ResourcesCompass Resources NL is an Australian mining and mineral exploration company listed on the Australian Stock Exchange and currently in voluntary administration since 29 January 2009....
- Extractive metallurgyExtractive metallurgyExtractive metallurgy is the study of the processes used in the separation and concentration of raw materials. The field is an applied science, covering all aspects of the physical and chemical processes used to produce mineral-containing and metallic materials, sometimes for direct use as a...
- List of uranium mines