Bridge Hill Ridge

Past Producer in New South Wales, Australia with commodities Titanium, Zirconium
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. Ownership information
  12. Production statistics
  13. Reserves and resources
  14. Workings at the site
  15. Links to other databases
  16. Bibliographic references
  17. General comments
  18. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10231754
MAS/MILS ID 6020150024
Record type Site
Current site name Bridge Hill Ridge
Alternate or previous names Stockton Bight, Myall Lakes/Smith Lakeshigh Dunes, Newcastle Bight Dunes, Big Gibber Area

Geographic coordinates

Point of reference Ore Body
Geographic coordinates: 152.04854, -32.39632 (WGS84)
Elevation 30
Location accuracy 500(meters)

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

New South Wales(province)

Australia(country)

Australia(continent)

Land(continent)

Geographic areas

Country State
Australia New South Wales

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Titanium Critical Primary
Zirconium Critical Primary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Ilmenite Unknown
Quartz Unknown
Rutile Unknown
Tourmaline Unknown
Zircon Unknown

Nearby scientific data

Ore Body (1) 152.04854, -32.39632

Economic information

Ore body information

  • Length 19000M
    Depth to top 0.1M
    Field Value
    MAS Matrix # 1
    MAS Column # 1
    Type of Orebody #1 PLACER
    Shape of Orebody #1 MASSIVE
    Primary mode of Origin SEDIMENTATION
    Primary Ore Control BEDDING
    Degree of Wallrock Alter. NONE
    Minimum Depth to Top 0
    Avg. Thick. Unconsol. Mat. .1
    Min. Thick. Unconsol. Mat. 0
    Date of Last Modification 840530
  • Area 435HA
    Field Value
    Total Surface Area (HA) 435
    Date of Last Modification 910418

Comments on the geologic information

  • OTHER MINERALS ARE RECOVERABLE, BUT NOT LISTED. THESE MAY INCLUDE QUARTZ, GARNET, TOURMALINE AND MONAZITE (MAINLY QUARTZ). BASED ON A TOTAL CONCENTRATE ANALYSIS, THESE MINERALS MAKE UP 10-15% OF THE TOTAL. ZIRCON WAS NOT LISTED IN THE DATA BASE MANUAL. THEREFORE, WHEN CALCULATIONS USING ZIRCONIUM, AS LISTED IN THE COMMODITY TABLE, ARE USED, A CONVERSION FACTOR OF 0.67 IS UTILIZED.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Surface
Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Significant No
Mining method Dredging
Year of first production 1974
Milling method Magnetic And Electrostatic

Mining district

District name Myall Lakes

Ownership information

  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Mineral Deposits Ltd.
    Interest 100
    Home office Australia
    Year 1982

Comments on the ownership information

  • THE TITANIUM ALLOY MANUFACTURING CO. PTY. LTD. (TAMCO), A WHOLLY OWNED SUBSIDIARY OF THE NATIONAL LEAD CO. OF USA, HELD A CONTROLLING INTEREST IN MINERAL DEPOSITS LTD. IN 1979, UTAH MINING AUSTRALIA LTD. (UMAL) PURCHASED CONTROLLING STOCK IN TAMCO. ON MARCH 28, 1980 TAMCO INITIATED A TAKEOVER PROPOSAL OF MDL. AS OF JUNE 30, 1980 TAMCO OWNED 94.9% OF MDL.

Production statistics

  • Year 1974
    Description Rutile/Zircon/Ilmenite Ore 5000000 Mt Ore
  • Year 1978
    Description Rutile/Zircon/Ilmenite Ore 11250000 Mt Ore
  • Year 1982
    Description Rutile/Zircon/Ilmenite Ore 13000000 Mt Ore

Comments on the production information

  • THE ONE PRODUCT A IS A CONCENTRATE WITH 45.55% RUTILE, 15.03% ILMENITE, AND 39.42% ZIRCON.

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1982
    Inferred 77026999mt ore
    Total resources 77026999mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Titanium TiO2 0.16 wt-pct Titanium Major 1982
    Titanium TiO2 0.08 wt-pct Titanium Major 1982
    Zirconium ZrO2 0.15 wt-pct Zirconium Major 1982

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • COMBINED REPORT FOR HAWKS NEST-BRIDGE HILL RIDGE, CRESCENT HEAD -BALK BEACH, POINT PLOMER, VINEY CK. AND STOCKTON BIGHT. OPERATION CLOSED IN 1985 DUE TO DEPLETION OF RESERVES. MDL THEN OPENED STOCKTON BIGHT AND VINEY CREEK (6020150025) AS REPLACEMENTS. DRY PLANT AT HAWKS NEST, NOW SERVICES THOSE OPERATIONS.
  • THE BRIDGE HILL RIDGE DEPOSIT IS EXPECTED TO BE EXHAUSTED BY 1983. AT THIS TIME THE STOCKTON BIGHT DEPOSIT WILL BE DEVELOPED AND IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN PRODUCTION IN 1993. THE RESERVES FOR STOCKTON BIGHT WERE ADDED TO THOSE IN B.H.R. TO MAKE ONE TOTAL "Q".

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Surface
    Area 435HA
    Field Value
    MAS Development Schedule # 1
    Mining Record # 1
    Status of Mining Method ESTIMATE
    Mining Method DREDGING
    Avg. Overburden Thickness .05
    Primary Material Cover SAND, SILT
    Hardness of Ore SAND, SILT
    Capacity 40373
    Capacity Units MT ORE/DAY
    Preprod. Stripping Vol. 0
    Unit Production Cost .58
    Units of Production $/MT ORE
    Operating Days per Year 322
    Operating Shifts per Day 3
    Year of Information 1982

Comments on the workings information

  • THE STOCKTON BIGHT AREA CONSISTS MOSTLY OF LARGE SAND DUNES AND LOW LYING SWAMP AREA LIGHTLY VEGETATED WITH TEA TREES. ALSO SOME OF THE OLD DUNES TO THE WEST ARE VEGETATED BY RED GUM FORESTS. THE AREA OF BRIDGE HILL RIDGE AND STOCKTON BIGHT WAS PREVIOUSLY USED FOR LOGGING AND MINING. HOWEVER, NOW THE AREA IS A NATIONAL PARK.

Comments on other economic factors

  • ONLY THE ZIRCON PART OF THE CONCENTRATE IS FOB MILL. THE RUTILE AND ILMENITE PARTS OF THE CONCENTRATE GO ON TO A PIGMENT PLANT IN NEWCASTLE.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    MINERAL DEPOSITS LTD., VOL. 1. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

  • Deposit

    STUDY AND STATEMENT OF PROPOSED SAND MINING OPERATION ON

  • Deposit

    BRIDGE HILL RIDGE, NSW. COMPILED BY COFFEY AND

  • Deposit

    HOLLINGSWORTH PTY. LTD. MAY 1973.

  • Deposit

    MINERAL DEPOSITS LTD. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STUDY REPORT

  • Deposit

    FOR PROPOSED HEAVY MINERAL SAND MINING OPERATIONS IN THE NEW

  • Deposit

    CASTLE BIGHT DUNES, NORTH OF STOCKTON. SEPTEMBER 1977.

  • Deposit

    SIR MAURICE MAWBY VOLUME. DRY MINERAL SAND SEPARATION

  • Deposit

    PLANT OF MINERAL DEPOSITS LTD., NSW. EXTRACT FROM MINING

  • Deposit

    METALLURGICAL PRACTICES IN AUSTRALIA. EDITED BY J.T. WOOD-

  • Deposit

    COCK, MONOGRAPH SERIES NO. 10, 1980, PP. 771-775.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit B.H.R. IS DEVELOPING OLDER AND STATIONARY DUNES, WHEREAS STOCKTON BIGHT IS DEVELOPING DUNES THAT ARE NOT STABILIZED AND ARE MOVING INLAND, DUE TO THE WIND ASSOCIATED WITH THE AREA. THE B.H.R. DUNES EXHIBIT WEAK PODZOLIZATION, MAKING THEM MORE STATIONARY, WHEREAS THE STOCKTON DUNES SHOW NO PODZOLIZATION. THE AVERAGE DEPTH TO MINERALIZATION IS NOT EXACTLY SPECIFIED. HOWEVER, REMOVAL OF APPROXIMATELY 16-42 CM OF TOPSOIL AND VEGETATION IS NECESSARY TO BEGIN MINING. STOCKTON BIGHT CONSISTS OF TWO PARALLEL ORE BODIES, BOTH ABOUT 2.4 KM LONG, WITH THE SAME CHARACTERISTICS AS THE B.H.R. DEPOSIT. THE WIDTH WAS NOT SPECIFIED. HOWEVER, B.H.R. IS MINING A 503 M WIDTH OF THE MINERALIZATION. ALSO, THE THICKNESS OF THE ORE ZONE WAS NOT SPECIFIED, AS IT VARIES CONSIDERABLY. THERE WERE THREE STRIKES GIVEN FOR THE THREE ORE BODIES ON THE PROPERTY; ALL STRIKES WERE NORTH WITH NO DIP.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 05-JAN-95 Fantel, Richard J. U.S. Bureau of Mines

Beyond USGS

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