The Nifty copper deposit is a sediment hosted copper deposit hosted within the Neoproterozoic sub greenschist facies of the Paterson Orogen, immediately to the east of the Archaean Pilbara Craton.

Copper mineralisation occurred/s as both supergene oxide, sulphide, and transitional mineralisation to a depth of approximately 300m and as stratabound hypogene sulphides hosted by carbonaceous and dolomitic shales, principally within the Nifty carbonate member, to a depth of approximately 600m. The mineralisation is a structurally controlled, chalcopyrite-quartz-dolomite replacement of carbonaceous and dolomitic shale within a folded sequence. The copper mineralisation is largely confined to the northern limb and keel of a significant syncline.

Weathering has altered the mineralisation to a depth of about 200m and therefore three main styles of copper mineralisation occur at Nifty:
1. Oxide dominated mineralisation consisting of malachite, azurite, cuprite, and native copper which extends to depths of up to 100m below the surface.
2. Supergene secondary sulphide mineralisation occurs overlying the base of oxidation. This style of mineralisation is dominated by chalcocite and occurs typically between 100m and 200m below the surface.
3. Primary sulphides occur in quartz-dolomite altered carbonates and shales. The primary copper mineral is chalcopyrite with minor covellite and bornite. Pyrite is a common gangue mineral but only occurs with chalcopy ........

Underground mining is currently carried out using open stoping methods and backfill. This is a bulk mining method where stopes (25m wide, 25 to 50m long and 40 to 60m high) are drilled and blasted and copper ore is loaded and hauled into to an underground crusher and conveying system.

The Restart is focused around the first phase of heap leach retreat and oxide open pit, and it is envisaged that the life will extend to the sulphide stage of the open pit with a considerably larger resource available.

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