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Australia

Western Turner Syncline Mine

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Categories

Overview

Mine TypeOpen Pit
StatusActive
Commodities
  • Iron Ore
Mining Method
  • Truck & Shovel / Loader
Production Start... Lock
SnapshotWestern Turner Syncline mine is a part of Hamersley Iron operation and belongs to Australian Pilbara Operations.
Related AssetHamersley Iron Operation

Owners

SourceSource
CompanyInterestOwnership
Rio Tinto plc 100 % Indirect
Hamersley Iron Pty Ltd. (operator) 100 % Direct
Western Turner Syncline is owned by Rio Tinto and operated by its fully-owned subsidiary Hamersley Iron Pty Ltd.

Contractors

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Deposit type

  • Banded iron formation
  • Detrital Iron (DID)

Summary:

Western Turner Syncline mineralisation is haematite/goethite hosted within the banded iron formations of the Brockman Formation. Detrital deposits also occur at these sites.

The BIF is a member of the ~620 m thick Brockman Iron Formation which makes up part of the 2.63 2.45 Ga Hamersley Group. The Hamersley Group comprises almost 2.5 km of consecutive sedimentary and volcanic rocks located within the ca. 80,000 km2 Hamersley Province of the Pilbara craton in North West Australia, approximately 1100 km north of Perth. In the lower part, it consists of dolomite, shale and BIF, while the upper part consists of dolerite, various lava types and BIF with minor amounts of tuffs and shales. Underlying the Hamersley Group, is the 2.78–2.63 Ga Fortescue Group, which consists of flood basalts and rhyolites. These volcanics were laid down on the uplifted and eroded Pilbara block. This volcanic succession may contain remnants of a Large Igneous Province (LIP).

The Brockman Iron Formation ofthe Hamersley Group is divided into four sub-lithostratigraphic units, namely the lowermost Dales Gorge Member (BIF), the Whaleback Shale Member, the Joffre Member (BIF), and the uppermost Yandicoogina Shale Member. After deposition, these laterally extensive BIF have all experienced minor folding and basinal uplift along with low-grade regional metamorphism – from burial prehnite–pumpellyite facies to greenschist facies.

General consensus exists regarding the depositional model of the Brockman Iron Formation. According to this model, the succession was deposited on a large, stable, and clastic-starved, continental platform, which was influenced by episodic inputs of fine-grained tuffaceous detritus.

Reserves

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Mining Methods

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Comminution

Crushers and Mills

Milling equipment has not been reported.

Processing

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Production

Combined production numbers are reported under Hamersley Iron Operation

Operational metrics

Metrics2022
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Production Costs

Commodity production costs have not been reported.

Heavy Mobile Equipment

Fleet data has not been reported.

Personnel

Mine Management

Job TitleNameProfileRef. Date
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required May 10, 2024
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required May 12, 2024
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required May 12, 2024
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required May 12, 2024

Aerial view:

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