Groote Eylandt

Producer in Northern Territory*, Australia with commodity Manganese
Sections on this page
  1. Identification information
  2. Geographic coordinates
  3. Site location context
  4. Geographic areas
  5. Commodities
  6. Materials information
  7. Mineral occurrence model information
  8. Host and associated rocks
  9. Nearby scientific data
  10. Ore body information
  11. Controls for ore emplacement
  12. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  13. Ownership information
  14. Reserves and resources
  15. Links to other databases
  16. Bibliographic references
  17. General comments
  18. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10079685
MRDS ID W029767
Record type Site
Current site name Groote Eylandt

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: 136.49898, -13.99719 (WGS84)
Relative position ISLAND IN GOLF OF CARPENTARIA; 16 KM SOUTH OF ALYANGULA (MILNER BAY)

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Northern Territory*(province)

Australia(country)

Australia(continent)

Land(continent)

Geographic areas

Country State
Australia Northern Territory*

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Manganese Critical Primary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Lithiophorite Ore
Psilomelane Ore
Pyrolusite Ore
Todorokite Ore
Goethite Gangue
Quartz Gangue

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 242
USGS model code 34b
Deposit model name Sedimentary Mn

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Argillite
    Rock unit name Sandstone, Quartzite (Groote Eylandt-Beds);Sands And Argillites Containing Mn-Ores (Mullaman Beds);Lateritic Conglomerates
    Rock description Sandstone, Quartzite (Groote Eylandt-Beds);Sands And Argillites Containing Mn-Ores (Mullaman Beds);Lateritic Conglomerates
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Cretaceous

Nearby scientific data

(1) 136.49898, -13.99719

Economic information

Ore body information

  • General form BLANKET, SML-BASINS
    Thickness 3M
    Depth to top 25M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Precretaceous Landsurface, Transgression Zones

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Significant No
Discovery year 1962
Discoverer Broken Hill Pty-Geologists
Year of first production 1966

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Groote-Eylandt-Mining Co. Pty Ltd. (Gemco)
  • Type Owner
    Owner Broken-Hill Pty (Bhp)

Comments on the production information

  • MINERAL OUTPUT CAPACITY 2 MILLION TPY, POSSIBLE EXPANSION TO 3 MILLION TPY

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1974
    Total resources 100000000000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Manganese Mn 20 wt-pct Manganese Major 1974

Comments on the workings information

  • STRIPPING-RATIO 1:2, SEVERAL OPERS. SEPERATED ACCORDING TO BASINS, RESULTING FROM PRECRET.RELIEF.

Comments on development

  • GEMCO IS A 100 % SUBSIDIARY OF BROKEN HILL PTY ; ECON.COM: TRUCK-TRANSPORT OF ORES 16 KM TO PORT AT MILNER-BAY

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    RYAN, G.R. (EDITOR) 1976: EXCURSION GUIDE NO.49 AC, MINING CENTRES OF NORTHERN AUSTRALIA. 25TH INTERNATIONAL GEOLOGICAL CONGRESS.

  • Deposit

    WEISS, S.A. 1977: MANGANESE THE OTHER USES. METAL. BULL. BOOKS LTD. LONDON

  • Deposit

    ANONYM, 1976: MINING AND TREATMENT OF MANGANESE ORES AT GROOTE EYLANDT. AUSTRALIAN MINING DECEMBER 1976

  • Deposit

    MINING MAGAZINE, JANUARY, 1987, P. 60.

  • Production

    AUSTRALIAN MINERAL INDUSTRY, 1970 TO 1975 REVIEW;

  • Reserve-Resource

    MINING JOURNAL 1974 NO.7261 PAGE 336

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit GROOTE EYLANDT BEDS MIDDLE PROTEROZOIC, 600 M SHALLOW DIPPING MASSIVE FELDSPATIC SANDSTONE. GROOTE EYLANDT BEDS OVERLY ARCHEAN AND LOWER PROTEROZOIC IGNEOUS AND METAMORPHIC ROCKS MULLAMAN BEDS HAVE MAXIMUM THICKNESS OF OVER 100 M

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-JUL-1978 Krauss, Ulrich H. U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

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