| Deposit ID | 10079598 |
|---|---|
| MRDS ID | W029636 |
| Record type | Site |
| Current site name | Nepean |
| Geographic coordinates: | 121.08254, -31.16276 (WGS84) |
|---|---|
| Relative position | 26 KM S OF COOLGARDIE |
Political divisions (FIPS codes)
Western Australia(province)
Australia(country)
Australia(continent)
Land(continent)
| Country | State |
|---|---|
| Australia | Western Australia |
| Commodity | Importance |
|---|---|
| Nickel Critical | Primary |
| Copper | Secondary |
| Cobalt Critical | Secondary |
| Iron | Tertiary |
| Palladium Critical | Tertiary |
| Iridium Critical | Tertiary |
| Gold | Tertiary |
| Materials | Type of material |
|---|---|
| Chalcopyrite | Ore |
| Cubanite | Ore |
| Magnetite | Ore |
| Millerite | Ore |
| Pyrrhotite | Ore |
| Result | NI-CU RATIO 15:1 |
|---|---|
| Result | NI-CO RATIO 60:1. NI SULFIDES: PD (AVG) 16840 PPB, AU (AVG) 66 PPB, IR (AVG) 146 PPB, CU (AVG) 1740 PPM, NI (AVG) 12%. NI GOSSANS: PD (AVG) 124 PPB, IR (AVG) 11.8 PPB, AU (AVG) 7.3 PPB. |
| Model code | 11 |
|---|---|
| USGS model code | 6a |
| Deposit model name | Komatiitic Ni-Cu |
| Host or associated | Associated | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rock type | Plutonic Rock > Ultramafic Intrusive Rock | ||||
| |||||
| Host or associated | Host |
|---|---|
| Rock type | Metamorphic Rock > Amphibolite |
| (1) | 121.08254, -31.16276 |
|---|
| Type of structure | Regional |
|---|---|
| Structure description | See Comments |
| Type of structure | Local |
| Structure description | Faults, Isoclinal Folding Of The Amphibolites And The Metasediments |
| Thickness | 1.5M |
|---|---|
| Length | 670M |
| Depth to bottom | 476M |
| Development status | Producer |
|---|---|
| Commodity type | Metallic |
| Significant | No |
| Discovery year | 1968 |
| Discoverer | Metals Exploration Ltd. |
| Year of first production | 1970 |
| Type | Owner |
|---|---|
| Owner | Metals Exploration Ltd. Freeport Of Austaralia Inc. |
| Type | In-situ | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate year | 1975 | ||||||||||||||
| Total resources | 348000000mt ore | ||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
| Type | In-situ | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate year | 1974 | ||||||||||||||
| Total resources | 405000000mt ore | ||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
| Type of workings | Underground |
|---|---|
| Overall depth | 476M |
| Overall length | 777.24M |
| Agency | Database name | Acronym | Record ID | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| USGS | Mineral Resources Data System | MRDS | W029636 |
KNIGHT C.L.: ECONOMIC GEOLOGY OF AUSTRALIA AND PAPUA NEW GUINEA (1975) P. 91-98
AUSTRALIAN MINERAL INDUSTRIE VOL. 28 NO. 4 P. 104
WORLD MINING 23/9-70 P.89
AUSTR. MINERAL INDUSTRY REVIEW 1974, 1972, 1975
WM 7/72 P. 80
| Subject category | Comment text |
|---|---|
| Deposit | THERE ARE TWO OREBODIES 670 AND 340 M LONG. AT NEPEAN, IT WAS DIFFICULT TO MAINTAIN THE SCHEDULED RATE OF ORE PRODUCTION BECAUSE OF PROBLEMS WITH MINING METHODS AND DIFFICULT MINING IN BAD GROUND. IN 1973, ORE WAS INTERSECTED AT A VERTICAL DEPTH OF 476 M. THE EXPECTED LIFE OF THE MINE HAS BEEN DOUBLED TO 10 YEARS. |
| Deposit | NEPEAN IS A VERY LARGE BODY OF ULTRABASIC ROCKS CONTAINING NICKEL SULFIDES. THIS IS THE FIRST PROPHYRY TYPE (VERY LARGE AND LOW GRADE DISSEMINATED MINERALIZATION) NICKEL SULFIDE DEPOSIT DISCOVERED IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA. AS OF 11-87, THIS RECORD INCLUDES DATA FROM RECORD M046745 (WHICH HAS BEEN DELETED FROM THE DATA BASE). |
| Type | Date | Name | Affiliation | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reporter | 01-JAN-78 | Saam, Henning G. (Shaffer, Glenn L.) | U.S. Geological Survey | |
| Updater | 01-JAN-77 | Blair, Will N. | U.S. Geological Survey |
Supplemental information added by qvyshift.com. Not part of the original USGS MRDS record.