Mining Intelligence and News
Australia

Spotted Quoll Mine

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Overview

Mine TypeUnderground
StatusCare and Maintenance
Commodities
  • Nickel
Mining Method
  • Longhole open stoping
Backfill type ... Lock
Mine Life... Lock
SnapshotSpotted Quoll mine is a part of Forestania operation.

In July 2024, the Forrestania Operation experienced significant seismic events at the Spotted Quoll mine. This is expected to result in mining at Spotted Quoll finishing earlier than previously anticipated during the September 2024 quarter, after which the Operation will transition into care and maintenance and closure.
Related AssetForrestania Operation

Owners

SourceSource
CompanyInterestOwnership
IGO Ltd. 100 % Indirect
IGO Limited acquired 100% of the issued capital of Western Areas Limited (Western Areas) on 20 June 2022. Western Areas was an ASX-listed Australian-based mining and exploration company with a portfolio of operating and development stage mines. It owned a 100% interest in the Forrestania Nickel Operation.

Contractors

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Deposit type

  • MMS

Summary:

Forrestania’s magmatic nickel sulphide deposits are hosted by a 2.9 Ga old sequence of now metamorphosed igneous and sedimentary rocks that are part of the Forrestania Greenstone Belt (FGB) of the Youanmi Terrane of the Eastern Yilgarn Craton.

Spotted Quoll is located within the traditional footwall of the basal ultramafic metasediment contact, which was probably the original locus for sulphide deposition from an overlying pile of komatiite flows. Subsequent metamorphism, deformation, and intrusion of granitoid sills has contributed to a complex setting, with mineralisation now occupying a possible shear zone within the footwall sediments, 15 to 20m (stratigraphical) beneath the basalt/ultramafic contact.

The deposit is principally a body of matrix magmatic sulphide mineralisation in which the original pentlandite and pyrrhotite assemblage has been overprinted by arsenic-bearing assemblages dominated by gersdorffite and minor nickeline. Sulphide abundances of 20% to 90% are common.

Mean nickel grades of ore intersections are in the order of 4% to 12% Ni.

Late-stage intrusions of granodiorites, granites and pegmatites showing little to no evidence of ductile deformation exploit three main structural orientations: subvertical units striking north-south, gently west dipping units and moderately east dipping units. An early-stage felsic porphyry intrusion displaying features of strong ductile deformation was modelled in Zone 4 through to Zone 6, subparallel to footwall sediment bedding and existing mineralisation. Occurrences of all stages of felsic intrusions were observed to increase in abundance below Zone 3 (750mRL).

Dimensions:
- The strike length of the MRE is nominally 300m on average, with a range of 25m to 520m, depending on depth below surface. The nominal mean dip length is 1,500m.
- The elevation below the pre-existing open pit is 1250mRL and the maximum depth of the Mineral Resource is 250mRL.

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

CommodityUnits20212020201920182017
Nickel kt  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe131416
All production numbers are expressed as metal in ore.

Operational metrics

Metrics20212020201920182017
Ore tonnes mined  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe324,395 t346,455 t354,659 t

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 Oct 8, 2024
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Oct 8, 2024
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Oct 8, 2024

Aerial view:

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