Mount Whaleback Mine, Newman, East Pilbara Shire, Western Australia, Australiai
| Regional Level Types | |
|---|---|
| Mount Whaleback Mine | Mine |
| Newman | - not defined - |
| East Pilbara Shire | Shire |
| Western Australia | State |
| Australia | Country |
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Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):
23° 21' 41'' South , 119° 40' 22'' East
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):
Type:
Köppen climate type:
Nearest Settlements:
| Place | Population | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Newman | 5,138 (2012) | 6.4km |
Owned/operated by:
BHP (85%), Mitsui Iron (10%)
An iron mine discovered in 1957. Owned by Mount Newman Iron / BHP Billiton. Billed as the largest open cut, single deposit iron ore mine in the world (5 km long). Produced 26.3 million tons of ore (1984). Pit is 300 meters deep.
The orebody was discovered in 1957 by Stan Hilditch, but not publicised until 1960, when the Australian Government lifted its embargo on iron ore exports. It had been worried the mineral was in short supply, but considering iron ore of various grades covers much of the vast Pilbara region, they were a little off target with this thought. The mine was developed by Bechtel Pacific but soon taken over by BHP Billiton, which still owns and operates the mine. The town of Newman was constructed to service the mine, and the ore is railed to Port Hedland. Production started in 1968. At present (2013) it produces about 30 million tonnes of ore pa.
In recent years BHP Billiton has expanded its operations into a number of satellite mines in the surrounding region. These include Wheelarra, Hashimoto, South Jimblebar (known collectively as Jimblebar) 41 kilometres east of Newman; Area C 10 kilometres west of the Hope Downs Mine (owned by another company); nearby Yandi; orebodies 29, 30 and 35 adjacent to Whaleback, and orebodies 18, 23, 24 and 25.
The Whaleback pit is 1.5 kms wide, 5 kms long and will eventually reach a depth of 0.5 kms.
The orebody is hosted by the Brockman Iron Formation of hard microplaty hematite ore, and overlays the Mount McRae Shale Formation, the uppermost member of the Colonial Chert.
The Brockman Iron Formation's lowest unit is the Dales Gorge Member which at Mount Whaleback contains high grade hematite. The unit is an alternating assemblage of 17 banded iron formation and 16 shale macro bands, the shale 0.1-2 metres thick, and the BIF 1-7 metres thick. This member at Mount Whaleback is 65 metres thick, but up to 135 metres thick in unenriched areas.
The Dales Gorge Member is overlain by the Whaleback Shale Member which forms the hanging wall. Within this are three zones. A 6-8 metre thick basal shale of 5 alternating shale, cherty BIF macro bands; 2-7.5 metre thick strongly contorted central chert; and a 12-25 metre thick upper shale of numerous chert bands.
Overlying this is the Joffre Member, 240 metres thick, banded iron formations with minor thin shale interbeds, with goethite, and regular macro banding absent.
The deposit is structurally very complex. There are two major westerly plunging synclines, with major faulting terminating the orebody in the north-west, causing an associated major reversal of plunge.
Hematite ore at Mount Whaleback is hard, blue, fine grained and weakly banded, containing minor primary magnetite amd martite octehedra. It is 69% Fe. Massive, occassionally banded, goethitic hematite occurs near the surface to 30 metres deep, caused by the hydration of the hematite ore.
The public can join tours of the mine.
The orebody was discovered in 1957 by Stan Hilditch, but not publicised until 1960, when the Australian Government lifted its embargo on iron ore exports. It had been worried the mineral was in short supply, but considering iron ore of various grades covers much of the vast Pilbara region, they were a little off target with this thought. The mine was developed by Bechtel Pacific but soon taken over by BHP Billiton, which still owns and operates the mine. The town of Newman was constructed to service the mine, and the ore is railed to Port Hedland. Production started in 1968. At present (2013) it produces about 30 million tonnes of ore pa.
In recent years BHP Billiton has expanded its operations into a number of satellite mines in the surrounding region. These include Wheelarra, Hashimoto, South Jimblebar (known collectively as Jimblebar) 41 kilometres east of Newman; Area C 10 kilometres west of the Hope Downs Mine (owned by another company); nearby Yandi; orebodies 29, 30 and 35 adjacent to Whaleback, and orebodies 18, 23, 24 and 25.
The Whaleback pit is 1.5 kms wide, 5 kms long and will eventually reach a depth of 0.5 kms.
The orebody is hosted by the Brockman Iron Formation of hard microplaty hematite ore, and overlays the Mount McRae Shale Formation, the uppermost member of the Colonial Chert.
The Brockman Iron Formation's lowest unit is the Dales Gorge Member which at Mount Whaleback contains high grade hematite. The unit is an alternating assemblage of 17 banded iron formation and 16 shale macro bands, the shale 0.1-2 metres thick, and the BIF 1-7 metres thick. This member at Mount Whaleback is 65 metres thick, but up to 135 metres thick in unenriched areas.
The Dales Gorge Member is overlain by the Whaleback Shale Member which forms the hanging wall. Within this are three zones. A 6-8 metre thick basal shale of 5 alternating shale, cherty BIF macro bands; 2-7.5 metre thick strongly contorted central chert; and a 12-25 metre thick upper shale of numerous chert bands.
Overlying this is the Joffre Member, 240 metres thick, banded iron formations with minor thin shale interbeds, with goethite, and regular macro banding absent.
The deposit is structurally very complex. There are two major westerly plunging synclines, with major faulting terminating the orebody in the north-west, causing an associated major reversal of plunge.
Hematite ore at Mount Whaleback is hard, blue, fine grained and weakly banded, containing minor primary magnetite amd martite octehedra. It is 69% Fe. Massive, occassionally banded, goethitic hematite occurs near the surface to 30 metres deep, caused by the hydration of the hematite ore.
The public can join tours of the mine.
Select Mineral List Type
Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Chemical ElementsCommodity List
This is a list of exploitable or exploited mineral commodities recorded at this locality.Mineral List
8 valid minerals.
Rock Types Recorded
Select Rock List Type
Alphabetical List Tree DiagramDetailed Mineral List:
Gallery:
List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification
| Group 2 - Sulphides and Sulfosalts | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ⓘ | Pyrite | 2.EB.05a | FeS2 |
| Group 4 - Oxides and Hydroxides | |||
| ⓘ | Goethite | 4.00. | Fe3+O(OH) |
| ⓘ | Magnetite | 4.BB.05 | Fe2+Fe3+2O4 |
| ⓘ | Hematite | 4.CB.05 | Fe2O3 |
| ⓘ | var. Martite | 4.CB.05 | Fe2O3 |
| ⓘ | Quartz | 4.DA.05 | SiO2 |
| Group 5 - Nitrates and Carbonates | |||
| ⓘ | Dolomite | 5.AB.10 | CaMg(CO3)2 |
| Group 9 - Silicates | |||
| ⓘ | Muscovite | 9.EC.15 | KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
| ⓘ | Kaolinite | 9.ED.05 | Al2(Si2O5)(OH)4 |
| Unclassified | |||
| ⓘ | 'Chlorite Group' | - | |
| ⓘ | 'Apatite' | - | Ca5(PO4)3A |
List of minerals for each chemical element
| H | Hydrogen | |
|---|---|---|
| H | ⓘ Goethite | Fe3+O(OH) |
| H | ⓘ Kaolinite | Al2(Si2O5)(OH)4 |
| H | ⓘ Muscovite | KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
| C | Carbon | |
| C | ⓘ Dolomite | CaMg(CO3)2 |
| O | Oxygen | |
| O | ⓘ Dolomite | CaMg(CO3)2 |
| O | ⓘ Goethite | Fe3+O(OH) |
| O | ⓘ Hematite | Fe2O3 |
| O | ⓘ Kaolinite | Al2(Si2O5)(OH)4 |
| O | ⓘ Magnetite | Fe2+Fe23+O4 |
| O | ⓘ Hematite var. Martite | Fe2O3 |
| O | ⓘ Muscovite | KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
| O | ⓘ Quartz | SiO2 |
| O | ⓘ Apatite | Ca5(PO4)3A |
| Mg | Magnesium | |
| Mg | ⓘ Dolomite | CaMg(CO3)2 |
| Al | Aluminium | |
| Al | ⓘ Kaolinite | Al2(Si2O5)(OH)4 |
| Al | ⓘ Muscovite | KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
| Si | Silicon | |
| Si | ⓘ Kaolinite | Al2(Si2O5)(OH)4 |
| Si | ⓘ Muscovite | KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
| Si | ⓘ Quartz | SiO2 |
| P | Phosphorus | |
| P | ⓘ Apatite | Ca5(PO4)3A |
| S | Sulfur | |
| S | ⓘ Pyrite | FeS2 |
| K | Potassium | |
| K | ⓘ Muscovite | KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
| Ca | Calcium | |
| Ca | ⓘ Dolomite | CaMg(CO3)2 |
| Ca | ⓘ Apatite | Ca5(PO4)3A |
| Fe | Iron | |
| Fe | ⓘ Goethite | Fe3+O(OH) |
| Fe | ⓘ Hematite | Fe2O3 |
| Fe | ⓘ Magnetite | Fe2+Fe23+O4 |
| Fe | ⓘ Hematite var. Martite | Fe2O3 |
| Fe | ⓘ Pyrite | FeS2 |
Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality
Australia
- Western Australia
- Fortescue BasinBasin
- Hamersley BasinBasin
- Pilbara CratonCraton
- Warakurna Large Igneous ProvinceGeologic Province
- West Australian ElementCraton
Australian PlateTectonic Plate
- West Australian Craton
- Pilbara CratonCraton
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References
Morris, R. C. (1980) A textural and mineralogical study of the relationship of iron ore to banded iron-formation in the Hamersley iron province of Western Australia. Economic Geology, 75 (2) 184-209 doi:10.2113/gsecongeo.75.2.184
Angerer, Thomas; Thorne, Warren; Hagemann, Steffen G.; Tribus, Martina; Evans, Noreen J.; Savard, Dany (2022) Iron oxide chemistry supports a multistage hydrothermal genesis of BIF-hosted hematite ore in the Mt. Tom Price and Mt. Whaleback deposits. Ore Geology Reviews, 144. 104840 doi:10.1016/j.oregeorev.2022.104840
Mount Whaleback Mine, Newman, East Pilbara Shire, Western Australia, Australia