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Australia
South Middleback Ranges (SMR) Mine

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 Location:
46 km SW from Whyalla, South Australia, Australia

  Regional Office:
Level 28, 88 Phillip Street
Sydney
New South Wales, Australia
2000
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  • Overview
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  • Geology
  • Mining
  • Processing
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  • Reserves
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Overview

StageProduction
Mine TypeOpen Pit
Commodities
  • Iron (magnetite)
  • Iron (hematite)
Mining Method
  • Truck & Shovel / Loader
Production Start...
Mine Life2027
Operations within the South Middleback Range included hematite and magnetite mining and the associated activities of crushing, screening, production of magnetite concentrate and low-grade hematite ore beneficiation.

South Middleback Range (SMR) includes Iron Chieftain, Iron Knight, Iron Duchess, Iron Magnet and Iron Duke mines.


Owners

Source: p. 3, 22
CompanyInterestOwnership
Gupta Family Group ("GFG") Alliance 100 % Indirect
SIMEC Mining (operator) 100 % Direct
The Arrium Ltd business including OneSteel Manufacturing Pty Ltd (OneSteel) (incorporating its mining business trading as Arrium Mining) entered voluntary administration in April 2016. GFG Alliance (GFG) completed the acquisition of part of Arrium's Australian business on 1 September 2017. The existing mining portfolio was placed under GFG’s SIMEC Group and trades as SIMEC Mining. Any reference to SIMEC Mining or SIMEC is deemed to be a reference to the holder and operator the mining operations, OneSteel Manufacturing Pty Ltd.

Contractors

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Deposit Type

  • Banded iron formation
  • Stratabound
  • Metamorphic


Summary:

The South Middleback Ranges (SMR) lies at the southern end of the Middleback Ranges (MBR). Hematite in the MBR occurs as stratabound Palaeoproterozoic deposits of the Lower Middleback Iron Formation (LMIF), which is part of the Hutchison Group. The Hutchison Group forms part of the Cleve Subdomain of the Gawler Craton, and lies on its western edge. The Cleve Subdomain comprises tightly folded, high-grade metamorphic rocks that are mainly derived from marine shelf sediments and mafic and acidic volcanics (Parker 2012).

The Hutchison Group in the MBR is composed of the Warrow Quartzite and the Middleback Subgroup. The Warrow Quartzite is not identified at all locations. The Middleback Subgroup comprises the Katunga Dolomite, the LMIF, the Cook Gap Schist and the Upper Middleback Iron Formation (UMIF). The LMIF hosts the Middleback Ranges’ hematite deposits.

MBR iron ores formed through supergene enrichment; the process selectively dissolved waste minerals and replaced them with iron ore mineralisation. Preferential enrichment occurred in carbonate facies iron formation, dolomitic marble and, to a lesser degree, silicate facies iron formation. The silicates were much less soluble than the carbonates and resulted in patchy mineralisation in the silicate iron facies (Yeates 1990).

Magnetite was recrystallised and remobilised during a period of metamorphism and deformation. Multiple periods of uplift, erosion and weathering resulted in the oxidat ........


Mining Methods

  • Truck & Shovel / Loader


Summary:

South Middleback Range (SMR) includes Iron Chieftain, Iron Knight, Iron Duchess, Iron Magnet and Iron Duke.

During 2020 mining continued in the Iron Magnet and Iron Duchess Pits. Mining occurred at Iron Chieftain for two months only during 2020. Mining at Iron Knight did not occur over 2020.

Iron Duchess region
The Iron Duchess region includes the Duchess North and Duchess South pits.

The Duchess South pit was mined via an open pit cut-back mining process using traditional drill, blast, load and haul methods. The mine sequencing showed a continuous supply of ore from this pit leading to depletion. Ore was stockpiled and then crushed and screened using mobile processing plants. Low-grade ore and waste materials are stockpiled.

The Duchess North area was mined in earlier decades and is known to contain a significant resource. Current mine development commenced in July 2018.

The Duchess North pit has been and can be used to store reclaimed water from the magnetite concentrator and OBP tailings operations. As described in SIMEC Mining’s June 2020 Program notification (WPC-198), reclaimed water from the Duchess North pit has recently (2021) either been used or relocated to the Duchess South pit, as to allow mining of the Duchess North resource to continue, under Stage B Part 2 of the mine plan.

It is proposed that the Duchess North mining be extended to the North, with a new pit, Duchess North D, to be de ........


Crushing and Grinding
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Processing

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Summary:

- subscription is required.


Production:

CommodityProductUnits20212020
Iron (magnetite) Concentrate kt  ......  Subscription required ^  ......  Subscription required
Iron (hematite) Lump & Fines t  ......  Subscription required
^ Guidance / Forecast.
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Operational Metrics:

Metrics20212020
Ore tonnes mined  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required
Waste  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required
Annual production capacity  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required
Tonnes processed  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required
^ Guidance / Forecast.
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Reserves at December 31, 2019:
South Middleback Range Reserves and Resources: Fe grades > 47%.

CategoryTonnage CommodityGrade
Proven 33.6 Mt Iron 47 %
Probable 28.42 Mt Iron 47 %
Proven & Probable 63.02 Mt Iron 47 %
Measured 41.7 Mt Iron 47 %
Indicated 105.84 Mt Iron 47 %
Inferred 91.33 Mt Iron 47 %
Total Resource 238.87 Mt Iron 47 %



Heavy Mobile Equipment as of May 7, 2021:
HME TypeModelSizeQuantity
Dozer (crawler) ....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required
Drill ....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required
Excavator ....................... Subscription required 260 t ....................... Subscription required
Excavator ....................... Subscription required 392 t ....................... Subscription required
Grader ....................... Subscription required 26 t ....................... Subscription required
Loader ....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required
Loader ....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required
Rockbreaker ....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required
Truck (haul) ....................... Subscription required 250 t ....................... Subscription required
Truck (haul) ....................... Subscription required 250 t ....................... Subscription required
Truck (haul) ....................... Subscription required
Truck (water) ....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required
Truck (water) ....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Mine Management:

Job TitleNamePhoneEmailProfileRef. Date
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Apr 25, 2022
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Apr 25, 2022
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Apr 25, 2022
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Apr 25, 2022
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Apr 25, 2022
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Apr 25, 2022
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Apr 25, 2022
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Apr 25, 2022
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Staff:

EmployeesContractorsTotal WorkforceYear
Subscription required Subscription required Subscription required 2020

Corporate Filings & Presentations:

DocumentYear
................................... Subscription required 2021
................................... Subscription required 2020
................................... Subscription required 2020
................................... Subscription required 2020
Corporate Presentation 2018
Year-end Mineral Reserves 2015
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Subscription required - Subscription is required.

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