Sinosteel Midwest Group comprises Sinosteel Midwest Corporation (SMC), Crosslands Resources Pty Ltd (CR) and Oakajee Port and Rail Pty Ltd (OPR). The group is wholly owned by Sinosteel Corporation and is active in the development, mining and processing of metallurgical mineral resources in the Midwest region of Western Australia.
Key projects areas include Koolanooka, Blue Hills, Weld Range and Jack Hills Site.
On 3 October 2023, Fenix Resources Ltd signed the Binding agreement with SMC securing the exclusive right to mine and export up to 10 million dry metric tonnes of iron ore from the high-grade Beebyn-W11 iron ore deposit in the Weld Range.
On 1 September 2025, Fenix signed a binding Right to Mine Agreement with SMC, granting Fenix a 30-year exclusive right to mine and export iron ore from SMC’s Weld Range Hematite Iron Ore Project.
The tenements are under the management of Sinosteel Midwest Corp Pty Ltd.
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Summary:
The iron ore deposits within the Weld Range are defined by a distinct physiographic range of hills 3 to 5 km wide and 40 km long.
The Weld Range lies within the ENE-trending Weld Range greenstone belt. Steeply dipping, ENE-striking BIFs are interlayered with metabasic rocks, including dolerite, basalt, and gabbro textures. Folding and faulting, accompanied by magmatic activity, emplaced extensive fine-grained dolerite intrusions across the range. Iron ore occurs as 44 outcropping massive goethite-hematite lenses confined within BIFs or along BIF contacts with other rocks. BIFs in the North, Central, and South Ranges are referred to as the Madoonga, Lulworth, and Wilgie Mia beds, respectively, and have been tightly folded into synforms and antiforms.
Mineralisation formed when dolerite dykes intrude magnetite BIF, with silica removal and oxidation producing concentric goethite shells and hematite-rich cores. Hydrothermal alteration and weathering create collapse breccias, white clay from oxidised dolerite, and alumina- and silica-rich bands from resistant shales. Secondary enrichment by meteoric waters produces limonite and canga near the surface or intrusives. Overall, the Weld Range has been extensively weathered, with mineralisation dominated by goethite and subordinate hematite, and it has undergone at least four recognised deformation events.
Madoonga
The Madoonga deposit, located centrally in the Weld Range, is hosted in alternating BIF, dolerite, and volcaniclastic rocks. BIF units are approximately 60 m thick.
There are four styles of mineralisation identified at Madoonga, these being:
• Detrital mineralisation typically hematite and/or goethite;
• Bedrock mineralisation as banded/bedded magnetite;
• Bedrock mineralisation as massive magnetite;
• Bedrock mineralisation as hematite, goethite, and limonite.
At W15 bedrock mineralisation is traceable 770 m along strike and has been drill tested down dip to a depth of 120 m. Bedrock mineralisation at W14 has 4,960 m of strike length to a depth of 450 m vertically below surface. Detrital mineralisation has been tested along 3,750 m of strike length, of which 3,100 m is in W14. The average lateral extent of the detrital mineralisation is 110 m, but this is interpreted to widen out to 250 m at W15.
Beebyn
The mineralisation within the BIFs includes:
• Massive Hematite: Predominant in some sections, representing the concentrated iron phases;
• Interbedded Hematite-Goethite: Occurs as layers, showing variation in iron concentration due to weathering processes;
• Goethite: Often found in the upper, more weathered zones;
• Well-Banded Magnetite: Magnetite is present throughout the deposit but is notably concentrated in specific zones, contributing to the high-grade iron ore sections.
The historical drilling indicates the presence of saprolite and saprock materials, some of which are deeply entrenched in certain regions. These zones with a thick saprolite presence will impact stability and necessitate consideration during the formulation of both the overall slope and stack designs. Notably, based on a cross-section of the proposed pit area, it is observed that saprolite may extend to depths exceeding 100 m below surface. Due to the erratic and variable depth of the saprolite, a regional smoothed base saprolite model was created to assist in the pit design.
Two styles of mineralisation are identified at Beebyn:
• Bedrock mineralisation as banded/bedded magnetite.
• Bedrock mineralisation as massive magnetite, hematite, goethite and limonite.
Beebyn North
This BIF is the thickest and hosts the most significant mineralisation, with ore zones reaching depths of at least 250 m. The Beebyn North deposit is located stratigraphically within the Madoonga Beds. The stratigraphic succession from NW to SE are northern mafic unit, BIF1, BIF2, sulphidic horizons and the detrital zone.
Northern mafic unit: It is stratigraphically analogous to the Madoonga felsic horizon.
BIF1 and BIF2: It is the mineralised horizon, ranging from chert and interbedded chert-shale to BIF and IG/IGH/IH material. BIF1 is the northern BIF unit. BIF2 is the southern BIF unit and it is stratigraphically analogous to the Madoonga (W14) southern mafic horizon. A shale/mafic horizon is a separating unit between BIF1 and BIF2, though in parts of Beebyn North this horizon pinches out or is poorly defined due to drilling/data gaps.
Sulphidic horizons: These are poorly defined, possibly representing fault-related sulphidic zones or sulphide-rich sedimentary beds.
Detrital zone: It is located on the SE margin of the ridge, overlain by colluvium and alluvium. Geochemistry (elevated TiO2, suppressed Al2O3) supports its interpretation, though drilling and logging confidence is low.
Madoonga West
The Madoonga West deposit group consist of lenses W17 and W19 and are located approximately 5 km southwest along strike of Madoonga.
W17 geology consists of discontinuous ENE-striking iron mineralisation lenses hosted by BIF intercalated with internal dolerite. The BIF dips between 60 deg and 80 deg to the southeast, bounded by dolerite to the south and a felsic/intermediate intrusive to the north.
Mineralisation appears bounded by these faults, indicating possible hypogene origin with supergene effects near surface. Stratigraphy-parallel structures are suggested by oblique terminations of bedding surfaces in aeromagnetic data and mapping.
The iron mineralisation crops out as discontinuous lenses along BIF ridge topographic highs and the lenses vary from several metres to ~40 m thick, with strike lengths between 80 m and 320 m.
At W19 the geology consists of discontinuous lenses of ENE striking iron mineralisation hosted by BIF that are intercalated with internal dolerite. The BIF is dipping between 60 - 70 deg to the south southeast and bounded by dolerite to the south and a more felsic/intermediate intrusive to the north.
The main fault in the W19 area trends north south. It is assumed to be dipping steeply. Mineralisation appears bounded by these faults.
W38/39
The W39/39 deposit group consist of lenses W38 and W39 and are located approximately 12 km northeast from eastern end of Beebyn North.
Surface geological mapping reviewed by SMC geologists aided interpretation of mineralisation in RC/RCDDH drilling within a hilly to steep terrain; the mapping delineates banded cherts (various types), dolerite, and iron mineralisation (goethite/hematite and hematite zones), providing key control on geological interpretation.
The stratigraphy strikes between 350 and 355° and dips ~80" to the west. The sedimentary succession is not shown but hosts the iron mineralisation, with possible sediments above and below the mafic units not yet defined.
The main BIF sequence contains:
• Weathered chert with hematite and goethite laminae;
• Fresh chert with hematite and magnetite laminae;
• Massive hematite-goethite mineralisation;
• Minor shale and sedimentary breccia.
The mineralisation at W38/39 has been logged mainly as hematite and goethite in the weathered zone, with magnetite likely more common in fresh rock.
At present, drilling data is insufficient to confirm whether massive or banded magnetite occurs at depth.