Overview
Stage | Production |
Mine Type | Open Pit |
Commodities |
|
Mining Method |
|
Production Start | ...  |
Mining Area C, part of Western Australia Iron Ore (WAIO), is one of five mining hubs in the Pilbara region of Western Australia.
Mining Area C consists of open-cut mines, three ore handling plants and one train load-out facility. |
Source:
p. 200
BHP 85%, Mitsui Iron Ore Corporation 7%, ITOCHU Minerals and Energy of Australia 8%.
Contractors
- Subscription is required.
Summary:
The Pilbara bioregion, where the Proposal (Mining Area C/South Flank) is located, is situated in the south-eastern comer of the Pilbara Craton. The cratonic basement comprises Archaean granite-greenstone and is unconformably overlain by the late Archaean to Early Proterozoic deposits of the Hamersley Basin. The Hamersley Basin can be divided into three stratigraphic groups: the Fortescue, Hamersley and Turee Creek groups. Of these groups, the Fortescue and Hamersley groups outcrop in the immediate area Mining Area C.
The Hamersley Group is seen throughout the Hamersley Basin and forms the outcrop of Mining Area C. It is a sedimentary sequence comprising banded iron formations (BIFs), shales and dolomites with minor felsic volcanics and intrusive dolerite dykes and sills. The group contains both the Brockman and Marra Mamba Iron formations, which together host most of the known major iron ore deposits in the Pilbara region. The six lowermost formations of the Hamersley Group that exist within the area are listed below in order of increasing age:
1. Weeli Wolli Formation.
2. Brockman Iron Formation. Ore mineralisation from the Packsaddle Range deposits is contained within the Brockman Iron Formation, composed of a sequence of interbedded Banded Iron Formation, shales, siltstones and cherts. The four members comprising of the formation are:
- Yandicoogina Shale Member (shale and BIF);
- Joffre Member (BIF with minor shale bands);
Summary:
Mining Area C is open-cut.
Mining continues through conventional open cut mining methods, including drilling, blasting, and categorisation of blasted material into iron ore or waste rock.
WAIO open-cut mining uses face shovels, front-end loaders or backhoe excavators. The full bench is drilled and blasted for a 12 m height, sampled three times in 4 m increments and three 4 m flitches are then mined.
Ore and Waste haulage is done with both manually operated and autonomous haul trucks. Waste is hauled directly to the adjacent waste storage areas either ex-pit (on surface) or inpit. Waste material is also utilised as fill material for development works and rehabilitating the completed waste dumps.
Ore is hauled to the Run-of-Mine (ROM) pad where it is stockpiled and blended for ore quality before feeding to the crushers using loaders. Some of the ore suitable for blending is also hauled directly to the crushers.
Source:
Flow Sheet:
Summary:

- subscription is required.
Production:
South Flank ramp up to full production is contributing to record production from the Mining Area C (MAC) hub.
Commodity | Units | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 |
Iron Ore
|
kwmt
| ......  | ......  | ......  | ......  | 60,608 | 57,346 | 55,058 |
All production numbers are expressed as lump & fines.
- Subscription is required.
Operational Metrics:
Metrics | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
Plant annual capacity
| ......  | 60 Mt | 60 Mt | 60 Mt | 60 Mt | 60 Mt |
- Subscription is required.
Reserves at June 30, 2022:
The cut-off grade used for estimating the Mineral Reserves for both BKM and MM ore types is typically Fe = 58% with minor exceptions.
Cut-off grades used for estimating the Mineral Resources are: BKM – 54% Fe, MM – 54% Fe, CID – 52% Fe and DID – 58% Fe and <= 6% Al2O3.
Category | Tonnage | Commodity | Grade |
Proven
|
1,071 Mt
|
Iron
|
62 %
|
Probable
|
1,212 Mt
|
Iron
|
61 %
|
Proven & Probable
|
2,282 Mt
|
Iron
|
61.5 %
|
Measured
|
117.64 Mt
|
Iron
|
56.7 %
|
Indicated
|
576.47 Mt
|
Iron
|
58.8 %
|
Measured & Indicated
|
694.1 Mt
|
Iron
|
58.4 %
|
Inferred
|
4,588 Mt
|
Iron
|
59.9 %
|
Type | Material | Diameter | Length | Description |
Corporate Filings & Presentations:
- Subscription is required.
- Subscription is required.