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Windarra

Producer in Western Australia, Australia with commodities Copper, Nickel
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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. Nearby scientific data
  8. Ore body information
  9. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  10. Mining district
  11. Mineral rights holdings
  12. Land status
  13. Ownership information
  14. Reserves and resources
  15. Workings at the site
  16. Links to other databases
  17. Bibliographic references
  18. General comments
  19. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10288495
MAS/MILS ID 6020550017
Record type Site
Current site name Windarra
Alternate or previous names Windarra/South Windarra, Mt. Windarra/South Windarra

Geographic coordinates

Point of reference Ore Body
Geographic coordinates: 122.1492, -28.5295 (WGS84)
Elevation 500
Location accuracy 1000(meters)

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
Copper Primary
Nickel Critical Primary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Antigorite Unknown
Chalcopyrite Unknown
Chromite Unknown
Magnetite Unknown
Pentlandite Unknown
Pyrite Unknown
Pyrrhotite Unknown
Talc Unknown

Nearby scientific data

Ore Body (1) 122.1492, -28.5295
ListMap

Economic information

Ore body information

  • Strike N90E
    Dip 45S
    Length 1280M
    Width 25M
    Depth to top 122M
    Field Value
    MAS Matrix # 2
    MAS Column # 1
    Type of Orebody #1 DISSEMINATED
    Shape of Orebody #1 IRREGULAR
    Type of Orebody #2 BRECCIA FILL
    Shape of Orebody #2 LENTICULAR
    Primary mode of Origin MAGMATIC DIFFER
    Secondary mode of Origin OXIDATION
    Primary Ore Control IGNEOUS
    Secondary Ore Control LITHOLOGY
    Degree of Wallrock Alter. MODERATE
    Type of Wallrock Alter. #1 OTHER
    Strike And Dip N90E:45S
    Minimum Depth to Top 45
    Avg. Thick. Unconsol. Mat. 30
    Date of Last Modification 830627
  • Length 1520M
    Width 8M
    Depth to top 350M
    Field Value
    MAS Matrix # 3
    MAS Column # 1
    Type of Orebody #1 DISSEMINATED
    Shape of Orebody #1 IRREGULAR
    Type of Orebody #2 BRECCIA FILL
    Shape of Orebody #2 LENTICULAR
    Primary mode of Origin MAGMATIC DIFFER
    Secondary mode of Origin OXIDATION
    Primary Ore Control IGNEOUS
    Secondary Ore Control LITHOLOGY
    Degree of Wallrock Alter. UNKNOWN
    Type of Wallrock Alter. #1 UNKNOWN
    Date of Last Modification 830627
  • Area 10HA
    Field Value
    Total Surface Area (HA) 10
    Date of Last Modification 910418

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Underground
Development status Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Significant No
Discovery year 1969
Mining method Filled Stopes - Inclined Cut and Fill
Year of first production 1974
Milling method Flotation

Mining district

District name Western Australia

Mineral rights holdings

Type of mineral rights Unknown

Land status

Ownership category Unknown

Ownership information

  • Type Owner
    Owner Western Mining Corp., Ltd.
    Interest 50
    Year 1981
  • Type Owner
    Owner Shell Minerals Exploration (Autralia)
    Interest 50
    Year 1981
  • Type Operator
    Owner Windarra Nickel Mines Pty. Ltd.
    Year 1981

Comments on the production information

  • COPPER IS PRODUCED FROM THE SHERRITT GORDON SMELTER AND THEN MUST BE SMELTED AND REFINED.

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1975
    Demonstrated 12000000mt ore
    Total resources 12000000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Nickel Ni 1.47 wt-pct Nickel Major 1975
    Copper Cu 0.09 wt-pct Copper Major 1975
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1975
    Total resources 11400000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Nickel Ni 1.14 wt-pct Nickel Major 1975
    Copper Cu 0.05 wt-pct Copper Major 1975

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • M1C1=M9C4:M2+M3=M1: MATRIX 2=SOUTH WINDARRA RESOURCE MATRIX 3-MT. WINDARRA RESOURCE

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Surface
    Area 1800HA
    Field Value
    MAS Development Schedule # 1
    Mining Record # 1
    Status of Mining Method ESTIMATE
    Mining Method OPEN PIT
    Percent Waste Rock 5
    Avg. Overburden Thickness 30
    Primary Material Cover SAND, SILT
    Secondary Material Cover SAND, GRAVEL
    Hardness of Ore HARD ROCKS
    Avg. Bench Height (meters) 10
    Max. Pit Slope (degrees) 49
    Capacity 2080
    Capacity Units MT ORE/DAY
    Preprod. Stripping Vol. 4513
    Operating Days per Year 300
    Year of Information 1981
  • Type of workings Underground
    Field Value
    MAS Development Schedule # 1
    Mining Record # 1
    Status of Mining Method ACTUAL
    Mining Method SUBLEVEL 10-43
    Percent Waste Rock 10
    Percent Recovery 80
    Hardness of Rock HARDROCK FISSURED WITH MODERATE WATER
    Rock Characteristics NO PLANES OF WEAKNESS
    Rock Support Chars. UNSUPPORTING MAY SLOUGH
    Mine Support Chars. POST, HEADBOARD, CAPS, ROOF BOLTS
    1st Condition of Workings OPEN
    Capacity 1200
    Capacity Units MT ORE/DAY
    Units of Production $/MT ORE
    Operating Days per Year 300
    Year of Information 1990

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Reserve-Resource

    REGISTER OF AUSTRALIAN MINING, 1990-91, P.215.

  • Deposit

    AUSTRALIAN MINING. "THE WINDARRA NICKEL PROJECT" FEBRUARY

  • Deposit

    1974. P.80.

  • Deposit

    "DESCRIPTION OF OPERATIONS-WINDARRA NICKEL PROJECT."

  • Deposit

    ENGINEERING AND MINING JOURNAL. "THE POSEIDON STORY."

  • Deposit

    FEBRUARY 1975. P.53.

  • Deposit

    ROBERTS, J.B. "WINDARRA NICKEL DEPOSITS." ECONOMIC GEOLOGY

  • Deposit

    OF AUSTRALIA AND PAPUA AND NEW GUINEA. VOL.1. 1975.

  • Deposit

    P.129.

  • Deposit

    ROBINSON,W.D., E.C. STACK AND R. WRIGHT. "THE DISCOVERY AND

  • Deposit

    EVALUATION OF THE WINDARRA NICKEL DEPOSITS." THE

  • Deposit

    AUSTRALIAN IMM CONFERENCE, MAY 1973.

  • Deposit

    AUSTRALIA'S MINING MONTHLY, JUNE 1989, P.37.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit THE WINDARRA/SOUTH WINDARRA MINE CONSISTS OF TWO DEPOSITS, MOUNT WINSARRA AND SOUTH WINDARRA, SEPARATED BY ABOUT 17 KM. MOUNT WINDARRA IS MINED UNDERGROUND USING TWO METHODS, SUBLEVEL WITH UPHOLE BENCHING AND MECHANIZED CUT AND FILL. SOUTH ID MINED OPEN PIT. PRODUCTION FROM 1982 TO 1985 IS ESTIMATED ON THE BASIS OF THIS COMBINATION OF UNDERGROUND AND SURFACE MINING. AFTER 1985, "THE SOUTH WINDARRA OPERATION WILL GO UNDERGROUND AND MT. WINDARRA PRODUCTION WILL INCREASE..." (BIB. LINES 004,005. P.58.) THE ESTIMATED PRODUCTION AFTER 1985 IS A TOTAL OF THE TWO UNDERGROUND OPERATIONS. REGISTER OF AUSTRALIAN MINING 1990-91, STATES THAT THE WINDARRA WAS SCHEDULED TO BE CLOSED, BUT THE RELATIVELY HIGH PRICE OF NICKEL ALLOWED THE MINING OF LOW GRADE ORES AT DEPTH TO CONTINUE. AS OF 1990 SURFACE ORE REMOVED IN THE MARCH QUARTER WAS 74,812 TONNES @0.96% NICKEL AND UNDERGROUND CONCENTRATES GRADED A COMBINED 8.8% NICKEL WITH A 76% RECOVERY. 1991 ANNUAL REPORT MENTIONS THAT RESERVE IS NERALY EXHAUSTED. ANY PRODUCTION IN 1992 WILL BE MINIMAL

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 17-APR-1995 Bleiwas, Donald U.S. Bureau of Mines

Beyond USGS

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

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