australia's identified mineral resources 2005 - Geoscience Australia

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AUSTRALIA’S IDENTIFIED MINERAL RESOURCES 2005 ■ Westralia Iron and Steel Corporation Ltd has proposed a 1.5 Mpta pig iron plant for Collie in Western Australia. ■ Aviva Corporation is proposing to construct a DRI plant at Geraldton based on coal from Eneabba and iron ore from the Mid-West Region of Western Australia Lithium Lithium is a silvery grey metal with a density about half that of water. Sons of Gwalia’s Greenbushes mine in Western Australia is the world’s second largest producer of lithium minerals. Greenbushes products have a range of uses that include production of specialty glasses, ceramics and ceramic glazes, glass bottles. Its ore (predominantly spodumene Li 2 O.Al 2 O 3 .4SiO 2 ) is also a feedstock for the production of lithium carbonate in the chemical industry. Resources All of Australia’s lithium resources are in Western Australia and the Greenbushes deposit, the world’s largest and highest grade spodumene deposit, in the southwest of the state accounts for all EDR. EDR increased marginally in 2004 to 170 000 t, due mainly to a reassessment of resources. Other resource classifications remained unchanged. Exploration There are no statistics available on exploration expenditure for lithium. With continuing world oversupply of lithium, particularly in the form of lithium-rich brines notably from Chile, as well as increased resource definition at Greenbushes, substantial exploration expenditure in Australia is unlikely in the near future. Production Chile is the largest producer of lithium minerals in 2004, followed by China and potentially Australia. The supply of lithium carbonate from brine operations in Chile and Argentina, along with increased production in China, is continuing to impact negatively on the price and supply of lithium minerals on the world markets. World Resources According to estimates published by the USGS, Chile holds approximately 73% of the world’s lithium resources followed by China with 13%, Brazil with 4.5% and Australia with just over 4%. Resource data are not available for some important producing countries including Argentina and Russia. Lithium resources occur in two distinct categories – lithium minerals and lithium-rich brines. Lithium brine resources, now the dominant feedstock for lithium carbonate production, are produced dominantly by Chile. Canada, China and Australia have the most significant resources of lithium minerals. 44 World production of lithium in 2004 from Geoscience Australia and USGS data is estimated to be 15 500 t of contained lithium, a slight increase since 2003. Chile with production of 41% remained the world’s largest producer, followed by China (17%), Australia (10% for half year), and Argentina (8%). Information on US and Russian production is not published by the USGS for commercial reasons. Industry Developments Sons of Gwalia went into receivership in 2004. Production of lithium from Greenbushes, however, is expected to continue.
AUSTRALIA’S IDENTIFIED MINERAL RESOURCES 2005 Magnesite Magnesite (magnesium carbonate) is marketed in three main forms: (1) crude magnesite, primarily for use in chemicals and agriculture; (2) dead-burned magnesia, a durable refractory for use in cement, glass, steel and in metallurgical industries; and (3) caustic calcined magnesia, for use in making oxychloride and oxysulphate cements for flooring and wallboards, mouldings and acoustic tiles, and various environmental and chemical applications. Resources EDR of magnesite was virtually unchanged at 344 Mt in 2004, with only a slight reduction through production from the Kunwarara mine in Queensland. South Australia has the largest holding of EDR with a global resource of 579 Mt of magnesite of which 235 Mt is classified as EDR. Queensland has the second largest inventory of EDR. The bulk of this is at Kunwarara (70 km northwest of Rockhampton), where Australian Magnesium Corporation Ltd has an inferred global resource of 1 200 Mt of magnesite-bearing material. Within this resource, which contains an inferred resource of 500 Mt of magnesite, the company has identified several high-grade magnesite zones, which are classified by Geoscience Australia as EDR. The Kunwarara deposit contains substantial accumulations of very high-density “bone-type” magnesite, which is characterised by nodular and cryptocrystalline structure and low iron-content. The Arthur River deposit in Tasmanian has indicated resource of 26 Mt of magnesite, which is classified as EDR. Magnesite in this deposit is typically around 42.8% MgO and is part of a much larger resource of 195 Mt in the Arthur-Lyons River area (about 53 km south of Burnie). Subeconomic demonstrated resources of 57 Mt of magnesite are unchanged from 2003. All of these resources occur in Queensland and Tasmania. Inferred resources are also the same at around 930 Mt, with Queensland accounting for 50% followed by South Australia (31%) and Tasmania (16%). Accessible EDR All magnesite EDR is accessible for mining. JORC Reserves Around 10% of AEDR comprise JORC Code reserves. The remaining represents resources assessed by Geoscience Australia from the measured and indicated categories of industry reported mineral resources, as defined under the Code and other classification systems used by companies not listed on the Australian Stock Exchange. At the rate of production in 2004, magnesite resources in the JORC Code reserves categories are adequate for 64 years. Exploration Data relating to exploration expenditure for magnesite are not published by ABS on either a state or national basis. Production In 2004, Australian Magnesium Corporation Ltd mined 3.83 Mt (3.02 Mt 2003) of crude magnesite ore at Kunwarara, which was beneficiated to produce 543 306 t of magnesite (470 038 t in 2003). This produced 86 854 t of dead-burned magnesia (108 190 t in 2003), 62 299 t of calcined magnesia (56 143 t 2003) and 25 324 t of electrofused magnesia (25 064 t in 2003). 45 World Ranking According to Geoscience Australia and USGS data, Australia has about 5% of the world’s EDR of magnesite. Russia, North Korea and China, together, account for nearly 70% of the world’s EDR of magnesite. The Kunwarara deposit is the world’s largest known resource of cryptocrystalline, nodular magnesite, a high quality ore.
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