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Paraburdoo |
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Western Australia, WA, Australia |
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Fe
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Super Porphyry Cu and Au
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The Paraburdoo operation, which commenced production in 1972 is located some 65 km south of Mt Tom Price and around 320 km SSW of its export port of Dampier. The mine is owned and operated by the Rio Tinto Group company Hamersley Iron Pty Ltd.
See the Hamersley Basin Iron Province record for the regional setting.
Enrichment to ore grade is developed in both the Dales Gorge and Joffre Member of the Brockman Iron Formation (see the Hamersley Basin Iron Province and Mt Tom Price descriptions for more stratigraphic detail) forming two lenticular hematite masses seperated by a thinner low grade zone corresponding to the intervening Whaleback Shale Member. About half of the ore is within the Joffre Member. The orebodies now lie entirely within the Tertiary weathering profile.
The main deposit is divided by a creek valley into two sections, 4 West and 4 East. It lies within a locally flattened near surface part of the steeply south dipping Brockman Iron Formation sequence.
Hematite is the dominant iron mineral in the high grade zones with subsidiary goethite and limonite. This ore is very similar to that at Mt Tom Price. The hematite ore is blue-grey, massive to porous and mostly micro-platy. Goethite associated with the hematite is dense, while massive, vitreous and porous cellular types are found closer to the surface. The amount of geothite decreases with depth and the hematite becomes more porous suggesting the goethite is a Tertiary weathering product.
Pre-mining in 1972, the reserve was 300 Mt @ 63% Fe, 0.088% P, 3.8% Silica, 2.1% Alumina.
In 1975 the total potenmtial was quoted at 700 Mt of +60% Fe, composed of:
411 Mt of proven ore at 63.6% Fe, 0.076% P, 3.1% Silica, 2.5% Alumina, 2.8% LOI,
108 Mt of drill indicated high grade ore in 3 deposits @ 62.9% Fe, 0.097% P, 3.5% Silica, 2.7% Alumina, 3.6% LOI,
181 Mt of indicated high grade ore in 13 deposits with 60 to 62% Fe.
The reserve grade in 2001 was 62.42% Fe, 3.77% Si, 2.08% Al, 0.113% P, 0.095% Mn, 3.97% LOI.
The developed resource in the currently operating Paraburdoo orebodies and Eastern Ranges is 185 Mt @ 63% Fe.
The Western Range deposits to be developed in coming years has a reported undeveloped resource of 245 Mt @ 62.5% Fe.
The most recent source geological information used to prepare this decription was dated: 2002.
This description is a summary from published sources, the chief of which are listed below.
© Copyright Porter GeoConsultancy Pty Ltd. Unauthorised copying, reproduction, storage or dissemination prohibited.
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Selected References:
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Baldwin, J.T., 1975 - Paraburdoo and Koodaideri Iron Ore Deposits and Comparisons with Tom Price Iron Ore Deposits, Hamersley Iron Province: in Knight, C.L., (Ed.), 1975 Economic Geology of Australia & Papua New Guinea, Monograph 5 The AusIMM, Melbourne v.1 - Metals pp. 898-905.
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Dalstra H J, 2006 - Structural controls of bedded iron ore in the Hamersley Province, Western Australia - an example from the Paraburdoo Ranges: in Trans. IMM (incorp. AusIMM Proc.), Section B, Appl. Earth Sc. v115 pp 139-145
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Ewers W E, Morris R C 1981 - Studies of the Dales Gorge Member of the Brockman Iron Formation, Western Australia: in Econ. Geol. v76 pp1929-1953
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Harmsworth R A, Kneeshaw M, Morris R C, Robinson C J, Shrivastava P K 1990 - BIF Derived Iron Ores of the Hamersley Province: in Hughes FE (Ed.), 1990 Geology of the Mineral Deposits of Australia & Papua New Guinea The AusIMM, Melbourne v1 pp 617-642
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Taylor D, Dalstra H J, Harding A E, Broadbent G C, Barley M E, 2001 - Genesis of High-Grade Hematite Orebodies of the Hamersley Province, Western Australia: in Econ. Geol. v96 pp 837-873
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Thorne W S, Hagemann S G, Sepe D, Dalstra H J and Banks D A, 2014 - Structural Control, Hydrothermal Alteration Zonation, and Fluid Chemistry of the Concealed, High-Grade 4EE Iron Orebody at the Paraburdoo 4E Deposit, Hamersley Province, Western Australia : in Econ. Geol. v.109 pp. 1529-1562
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Thorne W, Hagemann S, Vennemann T and Oliver N, 2009 - Oxygen Isotope Compositions of Iron Oxides from High-Grade BIF-Hosted Iron Ore Deposits of the Central Hamersley Province, Western Australia: Constraints on the Evolution of Hydrothermal Fluids: in Econ. Geol. v104 pp 1019-1035
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Thorne, W., Dalstra, H., Gordon, J., Paine, M. and Hagermann, S.G., 2017 - Mt Tom Price, Paraburdoo and Western Hamersley iron ore deposits: in Phillips, G.N., (Ed.), 2017 Australian Ore Deposits, The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, Mono 32, pp. 363-368.
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Thorne, W., Hagemann, S., Webb, A. and Clout, J., 2008 - Banded iron formation-related iron ore deposits of the Hamersley Province, Western Australia: in Hagemann, S., Rosiere, C., Gutzmer, J. and Beukes, N.J., (eds.), 2008 Banded Iron Formation-Related High-Grade Iron Ore Reviews in Economic Geology v.15, pp. 197-221.
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Porter GeoConsultancy Pty Ltd (PorterGeo) provides access to this database at no charge. It is largely based on scientific papers and reports in the public domain, and was current when the sources consulted were published. While PorterGeo endeavour to ensure the information was accurate at the time of compilation and subsequent updating, PorterGeo, its employees and servants: i). do not warrant, or make any representation regarding the use, or results of the use of the information contained herein as to its correctness, accuracy, currency, or otherwise; and ii). expressly disclaim all liability or responsibility to any person using the information or conclusions contained herein.
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