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Cosmos, Prospero, Alec Mairs, Tapinos, Odysseus, Mt Goode |
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Western Australia, WA, Australia |
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Ni
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Super Porphyry Cu and Au
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IOCG Deposits - 70 papers
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All papers now Open Access.
Available as Full Text for direct download or on request. |
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The Cosmos nickel sulphide operation is located 40 km north of Leinster in the northern Yilgarn craton of Western Australia and lies within the greater Norseman-Wiluna greenstone belt. The group of deposits that comprise the operation are between the major nickel mines at Leinster to the south and Mt Keith to the north and in the same greenstone sequence (#Location: 27° 35' 56"S, 120° 34' 34"E),
The original Cosmos ore shoot consists of a tabular stratabound massive sulphide ore body, surrounded by a halo of semi massive sulphide concentrated at the base of an ultramafic rock unit which overlies felsic volcanics and sediments.
More than 80% of the original Cosmos nickel resource was contained within the massive sulphide core of the shoot which is up to 250 m along strike with a true width up to 20 m (but averaging 7 m). It dips steeply east, and extends from a depth of 40 m to 200 m below the surface. The massive sulphide is constrained by a dolerite dyke in the south and in the north appears to be cut by a fault. It contained 0.4 Mt @ 8.2% Ni and was mined by open pit.
The Cosmos Deeps shoot is approximately 300 m down plunge from the Cosmos shoot and has similar dimensions. It is mined underground by decline and has a total resource of 0.56 Mt @ 7.6% Ni, 0.36% Cu, 0.12% Co.
The Prospero deposit is 4.5 km to the south of Cosmos and in mid 2007 had a partially tested resource of 1.472 Mt @ 6.1% Ni, and a reserve of 1.182 Mt @ 4.73% Ni, but is still open on two sides. The top of the deposit is approximately 520 m below surface.
Other high-grade massive nickel sulphide deposits in the vicinity of the Cosmos Nickel Operation include the Alec Mairs Complex (with a resource in AM2 in mid 2007 of 0.0608 Mt @ 12.91% Ni) and Tapinos which in mid 2007 had a resource of 0.128 Mt @ 7.15% Ni.
In addition to the massive sulphide shoots, the larger, lower grade Anomaly 1 (now known as Mount Goode) interstitial/disseminated mineralisation, which is 300 m south of Cosmos, had a resource in mid 2007 of 53 Mt @ 0.62% Ni, including a core of 12.6 Mt @ 0.95% Ni.
Remaining ore reserves and mineral resources (resources includes reserves) in the AM5, AM6 and Odysseus massive(/interstitial) sulphide, and Mt Goode interstitial/disseminated sulphide deposits (Xstrata Nickel, 2012) at 31 December, 2011 were:
Measured + indicated resources - 47.4 Mt @ 0.87% Ni;
Inferred resources - 12.7 Mt @ 0.60% Ni;
Proved + probable reserves - 0.57 Mt @ 2.68% Ni.
Resources and reserves are to a cut-off of 1.5% Ni for massive sulphide ore and 0.4% Ni for Mount Goode disseminated ore.
The Cosmos operation was originally owned and operated by Jubilee Mine NL, which was purchased in February 2008 by Xstrata Nickel. Nickel production commenced in 2000. The operation was purchased bt Western Areas limited in 2015.
Remaining ore reserves and mineral resources at the Cosmos operation at 30 June, 2020, as quoted by Western Areas Limited, website in 2021, were:
Probable Ore Reserves at Odysseus South and North - 8.1356 Mt @ 2.0% Ni;
Indicated + Inferred Mineral Resources at Odysseus South and North, AM5 and AM6 - 10.3266 Mt @ 2.6% Ni;
Measured + Indicated + Inferred Mineral Resource Mt Goode Area - 52.935 Mt @ 0.6% Ni;
TOTAL Cosmos Area Mineral Resource - 63.2616 Mt @ 0.9% Ni.
The most recent source geological information used to prepare this decription was dated: 2005.
Record last updated: 24/6/2013
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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