Leslie Massey
Hematite, an iron oxide mineral, has been the dominant iron ore mined in Australia since the 1960s. Almost 90% of identified iron resources in Australia occur in Western Australia, with the Hamersley Province being one of the world's major iron ore-producing regions. Hematite is found in the Mount Whaleback Mine in Western Australia and in the South Gippsland Shire of Victoria, Australia.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Location | Hamersley province, Western Australia; South Gippsland Shire, Victoria; Arkaroola, South Australia; Mount Whaleback Mine, Newman, East Pilbara Shire, Western Australia; Pannawonica, Ashburton Shire, Western Australia |
| Type of iron deposit | Iron oxide enrichments within BIFs; iron oxides deposited along ancient, mainly Tertiary age river channels (palaeochannels); iron oxide deposits formed from the erosion of existing orebodies (detrital iron ore deposits) |
| Iron content | 56% to 62% Fe |
| Iron ore reserves | 23,106 Mt in 2018 |
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What You'll Learn
Hematite in Western Australia
Hematite is an iron oxide mineral that has been the dominant iron ore mined in Australia since the 1960s. Approximately 96% of Australia's iron ore exports are high-grade hematite, with most of it being mined from deposits in the Hamersley province of Western Australia. Western Australia dominates the iron ore industry in Australia, with deposits occurring in each Australian state as well as the Northern Territory.
In Western Australia, hematite can be found in Pannawonica, Ashburton Shire, as well as Mount Whaleback Mine, Newman, East Pilbara Shire. The Sino Iron Project in the Pilbara region of Western Australia is one of Australia's three producing magnetite projects. The other two are the Savage River project in Tasmania and another project in South Australia.
High-grade hematite ore is referred to as direct shipping ore (DSO) as it only needs to go through a simple crushing and screening process before being exported for steel-making. DSO from the Hamersley province averages from 56% to 62% Fe. In comparison, magnetite ores require more processing, but the resulting pellets contain 65% to 70% Fe, a higher grade, and have lower levels of impurities.
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Hamersley province
The Hamersley Province in the northwest of Western Australia is known for its extensive banded iron formations (BIFs) and large hematite-goethite deposits. The region has been mined for its outcropped ores for over 40 years, and future mining efforts are likely to target concealed deposits below the surface.
The Hamersley iron ore province contains world-class high-purity hematite orebodies hosted within Lower Proterozoic banded iron formations at Mount Tom Price, Mount Whaleback, and Paraburdoo-Channar. Hematite ores are always hosted by the Brockman Iron Formation. The formation of these ores resulted from a multistage, sequential removal of gangue minerals from the host, giving rise to a residual concentration of iron. The first stage of hypogene removed silica only, leaving a residue enriched in iron oxides, carbonates, magnesium silicates, and apatite.
The mineralisation process of the iron ore deposits in the Hamersley province is still debated. However, one model for the origin of the giant hematite ores in the region suggests a two-step process: the formation of martite and goethite by supergene enrichment, followed by burial metamorphism to convert goethite to microplaty hematite.
The high-grade hematite ores in the Hamersley province may have undergone a physicochemical process under hydrothermal conditions between 120 °C and 220 °C during the major stage of enrichment from the original BIFs in the Brockman Iron Formation. This process occurred after the initial rise of atmospheric oxygen.
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Arkaroola, South Australia
Hematite is an iron oxide mineral that has been the dominant iron ore mined in Australia since the 1960s. High-grade hematite ore is referred to as direct shipping ore (DSO) as it only needs to be crushed and screened before being exported for steel-making. Australia's hematite DSO averages 56-62% Fe.
Hematite can be found in the Arkaroola area of South Australia. Arkaroola is a wildlife sanctuary situated on 610 square kilometres of freehold and pastoral lease land. The area is mostly covered by the Arkaroola Protection Area. The central granite domain of Arkaroola was first prospected in 1898 by Bentley Greenwood, who discovered uranium deposits around Mount Gee and Mount Painter.
Hematite can be found at the Mt Jacob Mine in Arkaroola. Other minerals found in the area include ilmenite, actinolite, quartz, and calcite, as well as at least 40 others. Along the southern boundary of Arkaroola, there are a number of east-west-running igneous intrusions, including Sitting Bull, The Pinnacles, The Needles, and Tourmaline Hill. These formations are primarily granitic and have abundant cavities containing orthoclase feldspar, quartz, and other minerals.
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Mount Whaleback Mine, Newman
Hematite is an iron oxide mineral that has been the dominant iron ore mined in Australia since the 1960s. Approximately 96% of Australia's iron ore exports are high-grade hematite, with the bulk of it being mined from deposits in the Hamersley province of Western Australia.
The ore at Mount Whaleback is hard, blue, fine-grained, and weakly banded, containing minor primary magnetite and martite octahedra. It is 69% Fe, which is a higher percentage than magnetite ores, which average between 20-30% Fe due to the presence of impurities. The hematite ore at Mount Whaleback occurs in banded iron formations, which first started over 2.5 billion years ago when the landmass was underwater. Ancient forms of bacteria photosynthesized and released large amounts of oxygen, which reacted with seawater to form insoluble iron oxide. The iron precipitated out of the saltwater as minerals such as hematite, which then accumulated as sediment on the seafloor.
The Mount Whaleback Mine was discovered in 1957 by prospector Stan Hilditch, who began exploring Western Australia for minerals after World War II. Hilditch tried to open Mount Whaleback for business in 1961 after Australia lifted an embargo on exporting mineral goods, but he had trouble convincing companies to invest due to the remote location of the deposits. Eventually, he and his business partner sold their temporary reserves to an interested company for $10 million. The first shipment of Newman ore left port on April 1, 1969, on board the Osumi Maru.
Today, the Mount Whaleback Mine produces about 30 million tonnes of ore per year, and BHP Billiton has expanded its operations into several satellite mines in the surrounding region. The town of Newman was constructed to service the mine, and it is now home to about 8,000 people.
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Pannawonica, Ashburton Shire
Hematite is an iron oxide mineral that has been the dominant iron ore mined in Australia since the 1960s. Approximately 96% of Australia's iron ore exports are high-grade hematite, mostly mined from deposits in the Hamersley province of Western Australia.
Today, the channel iron deposits appear as mesas lining the Robe River. Some are also found under more recent rocks. The deposits are 5 to 40 metres thick, with a pisolitic texture and round hematitic pea stones 1 to 5mm in diameter.
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Frequently asked questions
Hematite is found in the Hamersley province of Western Australia. It is also found in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, in the Mount Whaleback Mine, Newman, East Pilbara Shire, and Pannawonica, Ashburton Shire.
Hematite is an iron oxide mineral. It is non-magnetic and has colour variations ranging from steel silver to reddish-brown. Pure hematite contains 69.9% Fe by molecular weight.
Hematite ore is used in steel-making. It is mined and then goes through a crushing and screening process before being exported.
