Redross, Australia

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

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10079600
MRDS ID W029639
Record type Site
Current site name Redross, Australia

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: 121.06587, -31.5794 (WGS84)
Relative position ABOUT 300 MILES E OF PERTH, 320 KM OF ESPERANCE, 25 KM SSE OF NORSEMAN, SOUTH OF KAMBALDA MINE.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Western Australia(province)

Australia(country)

Australia(continent)

Land(continent)

Geographic areas

Country State
Australia Western Australia

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Nickel Critical Primary
Copper Secondary
Iron Tertiary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Chalcopyrite Ore
Pyrite Ore

Analytical data

Result NICKEL-COPPER RATIO 6:1 TO 50:1.MASSIVE SUPERGENE SULFIDES ASSAY UP TO 18 % NI, THE VEIN HAS AN AVERAGE GRADE OF 4.2 % NI AND 0.32 % CU

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Ultramafic Intrusive Rock
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Mafic Volcanic Rock > Basalt
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Granite
    Rock unit name Ultrabasite, Basalt
    Rock description Ultrabasite, Basalt
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Ultramafic Intrusive Rock
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Amphibolite
    Rock unit name Amphibolite, Ultrabsite, Basalt
    Rock description Amphibolite, Ultrabsite, Basalt
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Mafic Volcanic Rock > Basalt
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Granite

Nearby scientific data

(1) 121.06587, -31.5794

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Yilgarn Archaean Block Of The Western Australian Shield . Deposit Is On The Southeast Margin Of Broad Regional Domal Structure. Mineralization Occurs On The Basal Contact Of A Narrow (100 M) Talc-Carbonate Altered Peridotite Which Lies Between Two Metabasalt Units. . Deposit Is On The Southeast Margin Of Broad Regional Domal Structure. Mineralization Occurs On The Basal Contact Of A Narrow (100 M) Talc-Carbonate Altered Peridotite Which Lies Between Two Metabasalt Units.
Type of structure Local
Structure description The Metabasalts Indicate That They Are Submarine Flows With Associated Chert, Black Shale And Tuffaceous Sediments

Ore body information

  • General form "VEIN", DISSEMINATED
    Strike 20 DEG
    Dip 50 DEG E
    Thickness 4.5M
    Depth to bottom 250M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • The Redross Mineralization Is On The Basal Contact Of The Redross Ultrabasic Which Lies Between Two Metabasalt Units

Comments on the geologic information

  • MASSIVE SUPERGENE SULFIDE ASSAY UP TO 18 % NICKEL. THE AVERAGE GRADE OF THE "VEIN" IS 4.2 % NICKEL, AND COPPER BETWEEN 0.2 AND 1.0, AVERAGE 0.32 % CU

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Significant No
Discovery year 1966
Year of first production 1973

Mining district

District name Widgiemooltha Area

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Australian Mining And Smelting Co.
  • Type Owner
    Owner Anaconda Of Australia Inc.
    Interest 60
  • Type Owner
    Owner New Broken Hill Consolidated
    Interest 26.33
  • Type Owner
    Owner Cozinc Riotinto Australia
    Interest 13.67

Production statistics

  • Year 1974
    Material ORE
    Accuracy Estimate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^2.5 % Ni
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Ore Nickel Nickel 3wt-pct
  • Year 1975
    Material ORE
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^3.13 % Ni
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Ore Nickel Nickel 3wt-pct

Comments on the production information

  • DISIGNED CAPACITY 160,000 TPY, PRODUCTION OF CONCENTRATE AT NORTH KALGURLI MINES' CROESUS MILL IN KALGOORLIE.

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • H1) RESERVES ARE CALCULATED TO A DEPTH OF 250 M.

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Underground
    Overall depth 280M

Comments on the workings information

  • IT IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE 160,000 TPY.

Comments on development

  • DEVELOPMENT OF THE OREBODY WAS RESUMED IN MAY 1973 AND 1975 COMPLETED. THE ORE BEING HAULED BY ROAD TO KALGOORLIE AND CONCENTRATED BY NORTH KALGURLIE MINES. ; ECON.COM: ANACONDA HAS SPEND $ 23 MILLION ON EXPLORATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF REDROSS FOR ITS 60 % SHARE IN THE NICKEL VENTURE . IN 1972 PRODUCTION COULD BEGIN, THE MINE WAS PLACED ON A CARE-AND-MAINTENANCE BASIS. EARLY 1975 MINE AND CONCENTRATOR WERE RECOMMISED. ORE FROM MINE IS TRANSPORTED BY ROAD TO KALGOORLIE AND TREATED IN THE NORTH KALGURLI MINES LTD. PLANT. A LACK OF SKILLED MINERS HAD FORCED THE REDROSS NICKEL MINING VENTURE TO OPERATE ONLY 75 % OF CAPACITY, PRODUING ABOUT 640 MTPD (1974).

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    AUSTRALIAN MINERAL INDUSTRY, REVIEW (1974)

  • Deposit

    DALGARNO,C.R.:NICKEL DEPOSITS OF THE WIDGIEMOOLTHA DOME, WANNAWAY, WIDGIEMOOLTHA, DORDIE

  • Deposit

    E/MJ 7-75 P.153

  • Production

    AUSTRALIAN MINERAL INDUSTRY, REVIEW 1974,1975

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit REDROSS ORE WILL BE TOLL-MILLED AT KALGOORLIE AND CONCENTRATE WILL BE SHIPPED THROUGH ESPERANCE TO THE SHERRITT GORDON REFINERY AT FORT SASKATCHEWAN, ALBERTA/CANADA.
Deposit A LEACHED, OXIDIZED ZONE WITH SILICCOUS AND CELLULAR, LIMONTE AND VERY RARELY SMALL LENSES OF PYRITE EXTENDS TO THE WATER TABLE.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-JAN-1978 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.