The Galalar Deposit is a large surface deposit of overlying sand dunes that is part of the Quaternary age Cape Flattery-Cape Bedford dunefield complex. The deposit is dominated by clean high purity >98.5% silica (quartz) which is principally white, cream and light grey in colour, but also with variably dispersed yellow, orange and brown overtones.

The Galalar Deposit consists of two major paralleling dunes, nominally named Galalar East and Galalar West. The deposit extends approx. 3.4km long by 1.2km wide and ranges in vertical thickness from 6m to 32m. The dunes are elongate southeast to northwest and are densely but shallowly vegetated with topsoil to approx. 0.3m depth. The dunes are clearly defined on their long sides and by lower topography. The base of exploitable sand is defined by the water table and/or intersection with the basement consisting of either ‘B1’ orange-brown coloured sand horizon (“coloured sands”) or the clay basement of older weathered bedrock.

The silica sand is consistently high grade throughout, >98.5% SiO2, with variable but minor proportions of Al2O3, Fe2O3 and TiO2 due to the presence of minor clay, iron oxides and heavy minerals.

The mining operation will commence with the removal of large vegetation on the mining areas ahead of the planned mining operation using a bulldozer. Where possible vegetation will be pushed or transported off mining areas and stockpiled for future use in rehabilitated areas.

The average depth of the sand to be mined is greater than 15m and the average area to be prepared for mining averages less than four hectares per year.

The exposed silica ore will be excavated using a front end loader and loaded directly into a hopper-feeder unit at a rate of 138t per hour for 19.2 hours per day and 360 days per year.

The exposed silica ore will be excavated using a front end loader and loaded directly into a hopper-feeder unit at a rate of 138t per hour for 19.2 hours per day and 360 days per year. The average daily operating hours allows for maintenance and operational downtime, and the days per year includes an allowance of 5 public holidays that would not be worked. The hopper-feeder unit will screen out oversize rubbish and pump the sand to a mobile wet spiral plant in slurry form at a controlled feed rate of 138 tonnes per hour (tph).
The hopper-feeder unit will include:
• Coarse screening at 50mm aperture;
• Hopper and feed conveyor;
• Water supply pipeline;
• Wet trommel screening at 1mm aperture;
• Constant density sump;
• Slurry pump and pipeline.

The slurry from the hopper-feeder unit will be pumped into a controlled density tank at the wet processing plant. Processing equipment will include spirals, attritioners, classifiers, and magnetic sep ........