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Mt.Keith, Australia

Past Producer in Western Australia, Australia with commodities Nickel, Cobalt, Copper, Chromium, Platinum, Iron
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Sections on this page
  1. Identification information
  2. Geographic coordinates
  3. Site location context
  4. Geographic areas
  5. Commodities
  6. Materials information
  7. Alteration
  8. Host and associated rocks
  9. Nearby scientific data
  10. Geologic structures
  11. Ore body information
  12. Controls for ore emplacement
  13. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  14. Ownership information
  15. Links to other databases
  16. Bibliographic references
  17. General comments
  18. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10079595
MRDS ID W029633
Record type Site
Current site name Mt.Keith, Australia

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: 120.53258, -27.39625 (WGS84)
Relative position ABOUT 400 KM NORTH OF KALGOORLIE, SOUTH OF WILUNA

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Western Australia(province)

Australia(country)

Australia(continent)

Land(continent)

Geographic areas

Country State
Australia Western Australia

Comments on the location information

  • THE DEPOSIT IS LOCATED ON THE SAME LINEAMENT AS PERSEVERANCE MINE AND SIX MILE MINE.

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Nickel Critical Primary
Cobalt Critical Primary
Copper Secondary
Chromium Critical Secondary
Platinum Critical Secondary
Iron Tertiary

Comments on the commodity information

  • THE ECONOMICALLY SIGNIFICANT SULFIDES OCCUR AS DISSEMINATED PARTICLES IN DEFINED CENTRAL REGION OF THE SERPENTINIZED DUNITE (DYKE) PENTLANDITE IS THE PREDOMINANT SULFIDE IN THE UNOXIDIZED ORE WITH SUBORDINATE PYRRHOTITE, MILLERITE AND VIOLARITE. ACCESSORY COBALT SULFIDES OCCUR, COMMONLY AS A RESULT OF EXSOLUTION FROM NICKEL SULFIDES.

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Chromite Ore
Magnetite Ore
Millerite Ore
Pentlandite Ore
Pyrrhotite Ore

Alteration

  • (Local) Hydrothermal Alteration Associated With Granite Intrusion And Granitisation

Analytical data

Result NICKEL: COBALT RATIO IN THE PRIMARY ORE IS 34 : 1 AND THE NICKEL: COPPER RATIO IS 60 : 1
Result METALS OF THE PLATINUM GROUP AND GOLD OCCUR IN INSIGNIFICANT QUANTITIES.

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Mafic Intrusive Rock > Diorite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Mafic Intrusive Rock > Gabbro
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Ultramafic Intrusive Rock > Peridotite
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Ultramafic Intrusive Rock > Peridotite > Dunite
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Granite
    Rock unit name Mafics, Pegmatites
    Rock description Mafics, Pegmatites
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Ultramafic Intrusive Rock > Peridotite > Dunite
    Rock unit name Amphibolites, Metasediments
    Rock description Amphibolites, Metasediments
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Metasedimentary Rock
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Metavolcanic Rock
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Amphibolite
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Arkose
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Granite

Nearby scientific data

(1) 120.53258, -27.39625
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description In The North Of The Yilgarn Archaean Block Of Western Australian Shield
Type of structure Local
Structure description The Metavolcanics And Metasedimentary Country Rocks Appear To Have Been Folded Tightly To Isoclinale

Ore body information

  • General form DISSEMINATED WEDGE, DYKE-LIKE INTRUSION
    Strike NORTH TO SOUTH
    Dip 70 DEG. TO 80 DEG. WEST
    Length 1830M
    Width 320M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Precambrian Greenstone Belt

Comments on the geologic information

  • AT MT. KEITH THE DISSEMINATED NICKEL SULFIDE ORE OCCUR IN A SERPENTINIZED DUNITE WHICH HAVE BEEN EMPLACED AS A DYKE-LIKE BODY WITHIN THE BELT OF METAVOLCANICS AND METASEDIMENTS.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Large
Significant No
Discovery year 1968
Discoverer J. Jones

Ownership information

  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Metals Exploration Ltd.
    Interest 33.33
  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Freeport Sulphur
    Interest 50
  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Austr. Associated Minerals
    Interest 16.66
    First year 1972
  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Metalls Exploration Ltd.
    Interest 50
  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Freeport Sulphur
    Interest 50
  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Aust. Associated Minerals
    Interest 50

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • H1 TO H2 N.M.20.5.71: THE GRADE CALCULATION HAS BEEN BASED ON A CUT-OFF POINT OF 0.4 % NI WHILE THE RESERVES MEASURES INCLUDE AN ORE INTERSECTION DOWN TO A MAXIMUM DEPTH OF 1000 FT;

Comments on the workings information

  • 500 M DEPTH OF EXPLORATION

Comments on development

  • DEV$: 625 ; ECON.COM: DEVELOPMENT COSTS COULD EXCEED $ 625 MILLION. (M.B.8.12.72.P.14.) FOR ECONOMIC PRODUCTION A MINIMUM OF 10 MILLION TONS OF ORE WOULD HAVE TO BE TREATED ANNUALLY. THE PROJECT WAS PLACED ON A CARE AND MAINTENANCE BASIS. (W.M.4/7) METALS EXPLORATION RECENTLY REPORTED A $ 5,300,000 LOSS FOR THE YEAR TO JUNE 1979.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    BURT D.R.T. & SHEPPY N.R.: MT. KEITH NICKEL SULPHIDE DEPOSIT (ECONOMIC GEOLOGY OF AUSTRALIA AND PAPUA NEW GUINEA - 1. METALS, 1975, P. 159-168)

  • Deposit

    HILLER, G.: GROWTH OF THE AUSTRALIAN NICKEL INDUSTRY

  • Deposit

    WORLD MINING/C.N. 7/1972 P.80

  • Deposit

    WENS G. (1972): NICKELERZLAGERSTAETTEN IM PAZIFISCHEN RAUM

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit OVERBURDEN DEPTH 90 M
Deposit IN 1975, THE POSSIBILLITY OF THE RECOVERING NICKEL FROM THE DEPOSIT BY IN-SITU LEADING HAS BEEN INVESTIGATED AND THE PARTNERS ARE PRESENTLY CONTINUING WITHA PROGRAM DESIGNED TO INVESTIGATE THE GROUNDWATER POTENTIAL OF THE AREA.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-SEP-1977 Saam, Henning G. (Shaffer, Glenn L.) U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

Supplemental information added by qvyshift.com. Not part of the original USGS MRDS record.

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