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  3. Mineral Resource Data System (MRDS)

Mount Keith

Producer in Western Australia, Australia with commodities Cobalt, 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 10256361
MAS/MILS ID 6020550018
Record type Site
Current site name Mount Keith
Alternate or previous names No Alternate Names

Geographic coordinates

Point of reference Ore Body
Geographic coordinates: 120.53255, -27.71293 (WGS84)
Elevation 43
Location accuracy 500(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
Cobalt Critical Secondary
Nickel Critical Primary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Chromite Unknown
Magnesite Unknown
Magnetite Unknown
Olivine Unknown
Serpentine Unknown
Talc Unknown

Nearby scientific data

Ore Body (1) 120.53255, -27.71293
ListMap

Economic information

Ore body information

  • Thickness 500M
    Length 1830M
    Width 180M
    Field Value
    Type of Orebody #1 DISSEMINATED
    Shape of Orebody #1 TABULAR
    Primary mode of Origin MAGMATIC DIFFER
    Secondary mode of Origin OXIDATION
    Primary Ore Control FAULTING
    Secondary Ore Control IGNEOUS
    Degree of Wallrock Alter. INTENSE
    Type of Wallrock Alter. #1 OTHER
    Minimum Depth to Top 20
    Min. Thick. Unconsol. Mat. 20
    Date of Last Modification 830606

Comments on the geologic information

  • GEOLOGIC AGE UNKNOWN.
  • THE DEPOSIT STRIKES S10E AND DIPS NEARLY VERTICAL.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Surface
Development status Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Significant Yes
Discovery year 1968
Mining method Open Pit
Milling method Flotation

Mining district

District name Mount Keith

Mineral rights holdings

Type of mineral rights Unknown

Land status

Ownership category Unknown

Ownership information

  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Western Mining Corp., Ltd.
    Interest 100
    Home office Australia
    Year 1993

Comments on the ownership information

  • AUSTRALIAN CONSOLIDATED MINERALS LTD. MOUNT KEITH PROPERTY FOR A REPORTED $67.5 MILLION.

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1994
    Measured 132000000mt ore
    Demonstrated 132000000mt ore
    Total resources 132000000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Nickel Ni 0.58 wt-pct Nickel Major 1994
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1990
    Measured 100000000mt ore
    Indicated 270000000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Nickel Ni 0.6 wt-pct Nickel Major 1990
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1992
    Measured 307000mt ore
    Demonstrated 307000mt ore
    Total resources 307000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Nickel Ni 0.59 wt-pct Nickel Major 1992
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1994
    Indicated 132000000mt ore
    Demonstrated 132000000mt ore
    Total resources 132000000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Nickel Ni 0.58 wt-pct Nickel Major 1994

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • 1989 FEAS. STUDY DETERMINED THAT 330 MILLION NECC. FOR DEV. 20 PCT CON WILL GO TO FINLAND AND WOULD PRODUCE 20,000 MT/YR IN FERRONICKEL. CAPITAL COST ESTIMATED AT 350 MILLION DOLLARS 1994/MARCH SHAREHOLDERS REPORT STATED THAT PROJECT IS 50% DONE AND WILL COST ABOUT $440 MILLION (AUSTRALIAN) PROJECTED CAPACITY OF 6.6 MT OF NICKEL ORE WILL PRODUCE 28,000 TONS OF CONCENTRATE PER YEAR.
  • NICKEL NEWS 10-92 STATED 307MMT AT .59 PCT NI

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Surface
    Field Value
    MAS Development Schedule # 1
    Mining Record # 1
    Status of Mining Method PROPOSED
    Mining Method OPEN PIT
    Avg. Overburden Thickness 20
    Primary Material Cover SAND, SILT
    Percentage 23
    Secondary Material Cover HARDPAN
    Percentage 77
    Hardness of Ore M-HARD ROCKS
    Capacity 17000
    Capacity Units MT ORE/DAY
    Unit Production Cost 6.51
    Units of Production $/MT ORE
    Operating Days per Year 350
    Operating Shifts per Day 3
    Year of Information 1991

Comments on other economic factors

  • OUTOKUMPU WILL PURCHASE 18,000 TONNES NI CONTAINED/YR AND SHIP IT TO FINLAND AS FEED FOR THE HARJAVALTA SMELTER.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Reserve-Resource

    TREADGOLD, TIM, WMC SEEKS MANTLE OF LOWEST COST PRODUCER",

  • Reserve-Resource

    AUSTRALIA'S MINING MONTHLY, SEPTEMBER, 1993, PP. 31-38.

  • Reserve-Resource

    "WMC WORKING ON MT KEITH", MINING WEEKLY, JUNE 10, 1994,

  • Reserve-Resource

    P. 9.

  • Deposit

    BURT, D.R.L. AND N.R. SHEPPY. "MOUNT KEITH NICKEL SULFIDE

  • Deposit

    DEPOSIT." ECONOMIC GEOLOGY OF AUSTRALIA AND PAPUA NEW

  • Deposit

    EMJ. VOL 192, NO. 6, 6/91 P.16.

  • Deposit

    REGISTER OF AUSTRALIAN MINING 1990-91, P.214.

  • Deposit

    CRU - QUARTERLY MARKET SERVICE. JULY, 1991, TABLE 2.2.

  • Deposit

    AMERICAN METAL MARKET, AUG. 1, 1991.

  • Deposit

    "OUTOKUMPU OK'S NICKEL STAKE"

  • Deposit

    1976. PP. 159-168.

  • Deposit

    METALS EXPLORATION LTD. MINING INTERNATIONAL YEARBOOK. 1978

  • Deposit

    383-384.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit CONCENTRATE IS INTENDED FOR THE PRODUCTION OF FERRONICKEL AT THE KOKKOLA WORKS IN FINLAND. IN AUGUST OF 1991, OUTOKUMPU AGREED TO BUY 50% OF ORE WAS TESTED FOR QUALITY/MAGNESIA CONTENT AND WAS DEEMED ACCEPTABLE. HENCE, OUTOKUMPU WIL PROCEED WITH PROJECT. FEASIBILITY STUDY WILL BE REVISED FOR THE NEXT FEW MONTHS, THEN OUTOKUMPU WILL PUT FORTH DEVELOPMENT PLANS. AS WELL AS PURCHASING 64% OF MT. KEITH CONCENTRATES, OUTOKUMPU HAS AGREED TO MARKET THE OTHER 10,000 TONNES NI IN CONCENTRATES PER YEAR. TO SATISFY THE NEW MT. KEITH SHIPMENTS AS WELL AS A PROSPECT AT FORRESTANIA, OUTOKUMPU IS PLANNING AN UN- SPECIFIED UPGRADE AT HARJAVALTA. *OUTOKUMPU HAS A 50% STAKE ($330M) IN THE PROJECT, WITH WESTERN NMINING HOLDING THE REMAINING SHARE. *DECISION WILL BE MADE IN 1994 IF THE MT. KEITH PROJECT WILL GO AHEAD. *THE $450 MILLION PROJECT HAS BEEN PLANNED AS A 6.6 MM MTPY OPERATION. PROJECT IS EXPECTED TO COMMENCE IN 1995.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 21-JUN-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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