Lyla Lindsey
Australia is a country known for its vast and diverse natural resources, including mineral deposits, agricultural land, water resources, forests, energy, and wildlife. Three of Australia's abundant natural resources are minerals, petroleum, and natural gas. Australia is a world leader in mining and is the largest producer of many minerals, including iron ore, bauxite, zircon, ilmenite, and rutile. The country also has substantial coal reserves, with proven reserves estimated at 149 billion tonnes as of 2021. In addition, Australia has about one-fourth of the world's low-cost uranium reserves and is the second-largest producer of gold.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Minerals | Bauxite, Iron Ore, Zircon, Ilmenite, Rutile, Clays, Mica, Salt, Dolomite, Building Materials, Refractories, Abrasives, Talc, Asbestos, Gold |
| Petroleum | Crude Oil |
| Natural Gas | LNG (Liquified Natural Gas) |
| Timber | Wood |
| Coal | |
| Uranium |
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What You'll Learn
Australia's abundant natural resources
Australia is renowned for its abundant natural resources, which include minerals, petroleum, natural gas, timber, and coal. The country is a world leader in mining and has substantial reserves of iron ore, bauxite, zircon, ilmenite, rutile, gold, and uranium.
Australia's mineral wealth plays a vital role in its economy and international trade. Bauxite, for instance, is a primary source of aluminium and Australia is one of the world's top producers and exporters of this mineral. The country's bauxite deposits, particularly in Western Australia, Queensland, and the Northern Territory, are estimated to exceed 6 billion metric tons. Similarly, Australia is the world's largest producer and exporter of iron ore, with 913 million metric tons produced in 2020.
Australia also has significant coal reserves, making it one of the world's largest coal producers and exporters. In 2020, the country produced approximately 500 million tons of coal, with Queensland and New South Wales being the primary coal-producing states. These coal reserves are estimated to be sufficient for over three centuries of production at the current rate. The coal industry is a vital contributor to Australia's economy, generating over $55 billion in export revenue in 2019-2020 and providing employment for around 50,000 people.
In addition to coal, Australia has abundant energy sources, including natural gas and uranium. The country surpassed Qatar as the world's largest exporter of liquified natural gas (LNG) in 2019, exporting 77.7 million tons. Australia's natural gas deposits are expected to be depleted by the middle of the 21st century. Uranium is another significant contributor to Australia's resource wealth, with the country boasting one of the largest uranium reserves globally, estimated at around 1.7 million tons.
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Minerals, petroleum, and natural gas
Australia is one of the top mineral producers in the world, with 19 minerals produced in significant amounts from over 350 operating mines. These include:
- Bauxite (aluminium ore)
- Iron ore
- Lithium
- Gold
- Lead
- Diamond
- Rare earth elements
- Uranium
- Zinc
- Black coal
- Manganese
- Antimony
- Nickel
- Silver
- Cobalt
- Copper
- Tin
Mineral sands, which are found in old beach, river, or dune environments, are also abundant in Australia. These deposits contain important minerals such as rutile, ilmenite, monazite, zircon, and garnet. The three main elements extracted from these deposits are titanium, zirconium, and thorium.
Australia is a substantial net exporter of natural gas, with production growing by 16% to 5,498 PJ in the 2018-2019 financial year. This growth is largely due to the expansion of LNG production from several major CSG-to-LNG plants near Gladstone, Queensland. About 74% of natural gas production was exported in 2018-2019, with Japan, China, and the Republic of Korea being the largest markets.
Australia has a long history of petroleum exploration and production, dating back to the first oil discovery in 1924 near Lakes Entrance, Victoria. The country's first flowing oil was discovered in 1953 by the West Australian Petroleum Pty Ltd (WAPET) joint venture at Rough Range on the North West Cape. WAPET also discovered the first commercial natural gas field in Western Australia in 1964. The petroleum sector in Australia is dominated by international companies, and most petroleum consumed in the country is imported.
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Coal, iron ore, and gold
Australia is rich in mineral resources, and coal, iron ore, and gold are among the most abundant. These resources have played a significant role in the country's economy and continue to be in high global demand.
Coal
Coal is a fossil fuel and a non-renewable energy source that is used mainly for electricity production. It is a combustible sedimentary rock composed primarily of carbon, along with hydrogen, sulphur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal is formed from the accumulation of dead plant matter in sedimentary basins, which are regions where the Earth has sunk down, allowing water and sediments to flow in and fill the basin with layers. Australia's black coal resources are mostly Permian in age (approximately 299 to 254 million years old), while brown coal is more recent, with most deposits being Paleogene (66 to 23 million years old). The country has the fourth-largest share of coal reserves globally, and the industry provides significant employment and income. Black coal deposits are found in New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, and Western Australia, with New South Wales and Queensland having the largest share. Brown coal occurs in South Australia, Western Australia, Tasmania, Queensland, and Victoria, with the Gippsland Basin in Victoria containing a substantial deposit.
Iron Ore
Australia is the world's largest source of iron ore, with the majority of its production coming from the Pilbara region in Western Australia. The country's iron ore deposits have been dated to be around 1.4 billion years old, challenging previous assumptions about their age and mineral formation processes. The recent discovery of a deposit containing 55 billion tons of iron ore in the Hamersley province of Western Australia has been valued at approximately US$5.9 billion. This find has significant implications for the global mining industry and promises to shape global iron supply chains and resource exploration.
Gold
Gold is another valuable resource mined in all states and territories of Australia. In 2018, the country's accessible EDR (Exploration Target, Inferred, Indicated, and Measured) for gold was 10,135 tonnes, with Western Australia, South Australia, and New South Wales holding nearly 86% of the national EDR collectively. Lode-gold deposits are the largest contributor to production, yielding 69% of Australian mine production in 2018, followed by copper-gold deposits. Gold is refined in Australia at the Perth Mint in Western Australia, which is the sole refiner in the country.
The abundance of these resources has contributed significantly to Australia's economy and continues to shape global markets and supply chains. The ongoing exploration and discovery of new deposits ensure that Australia remains a key player in the mining and resource sector.
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Unique wildlife and biodiversity
Australia is one of the world's most important sites of biodiversity, being one of 17 'megadiverse' countries. It has more species than any other developed country, with 600,000–700,000 native species, and a very high proportion of these are found nowhere else in the world. The country has a phenomenal rate of endemism, with 87% of mammal species, 93% of reptiles, 94% of frogs, and 45% of bird species found only in Australia.
The array of species in Australia is endless, including the mudskipper, Australian lungfish, butterflies, giant earthworms, and giant clams. Its spider species include the infamous redback, golden orb weavers, the Huntsman, and wolf spiders. Mammals include Tasmanian devils, koalas, wombats, possums, kangaroos, and the Tasmanian devil. The country also has a diverse range of landscapes, from the 80-metre-high karri trees to the Great Barrier Reef, the planet's largest living structure.
However, Australia also has one of the worst mammal extinction rates in the world, with one out of three mammal extinctions in the last 400 years occurring in the country. It is also among the top seven countries worldwide responsible for 60% of the world's biodiversity loss between 1996 and 2008. Threats to biodiversity in Australia include the loss, fragmentation, and degradation of habitats, the spread of invasive species, unsustainable use of natural resources, climate change, inappropriate fire regimes, and feral cats and foxes.
Conservation efforts are being made to protect Australia's unique biodiversity and ecosystems. The Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC) is a global conservation leader, working to restore landscapes and ecosystems and provide hope for Australian wildlife. The AWC owns, manages, or influences more land for conservation than any other non-government conservation organisation in Australia.
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Forests, water, and agricultural land
Australia has an abundance of forests, water, and agricultural land. Despite being the driest inhabited continent, with a mean annual rainfall of 457mm between 1900 and 2020, Australia boasts a variety of water sources. These include rivers, dams, and reservoirs, and groundwater, which is a significant source of drinking water and industrial use. Groundwater also plays a crucial role in supporting ecosystems, such as the Great Artesian Basin, which covers one-fifth of the continent, and the Murray-Darling Basin, which supports Australia's agriculture. The Australian continent is divided into drainage divisions, which are further subdivided into water regions and river basins, with 123 National Catchment Boundaries Level 1 drainage divisions.
Forests are another important natural resource in Australia, with approximately 147 million hectares of native forest as of 2009, representing about 19% of the country's land area. The majority of Australian trees are hardwoods, typically eucalypts, although some native forests are dominated by softwoods. Plantation forests, which include both softwood and hardwood trees planted for commercial use, are also found in Australia and are managed by the states and territories, guided by the 1992 National Forest Policy Statement.
In terms of agricultural land, during the 2016-17 financial year, agricultural businesses operated across just over half (51%) of Australia's total land area, amounting to 394 million hectares of agricultural land. Of this, 341 million hectares (87%) were used for grazing, with Queensland contributing the largest area of grazing land, while Western Australia had the most land cultivated for crops and/or pastures, with 8 million hectares. Agricultural businesses also reported cultivating 23 million hectares of land for crops and/or pasture during this period, a 4% increase from the previous year.
The abundance of these natural resources, including forests, water, and agricultural land, plays a vital role in supporting Australia's economy, ecosystems, and communities.
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