Mount Whaleback mine

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Mount Whaleback mine
This was once Mount Whaleback, iron mine.jpg
2013 photo
Location
Australia Western Australia location map.svg
Schlaegel und Eisen nach DIN 21800.svg
Mount Whaleback mine
Location in Western Australia
Location Shire of East Pilbara, Pilbara
State Western Australia
Country Australia
Coordinates 23°21′55″S119°40′31″E / 23.365360°S 119.675400°E / -23.365360; 119.675400
Production
Products Iron ore
ProductionNominal capacity: 75 million tonnes/annum
Combined production: 63 million tonnes/annum (for the Newman Hub, consisting of Newman West and East) [1]
Financial year2021
History
Opened1968
Owner
Company BHP (85%)
Mitsui Iron (10%)
Itochu Minerals (5%)
Website BHP website
Mount Whaleback mine

The Mount Whaleback mine, officially the Newman West operation, [1] is an iron ore mine located in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, six kilometres west of Newman. [2]

Contents

The mine is majority-owned (85 percent) [3] and operated by BHP, and is one of five iron ore mines the company operates in the Pilbara. The company also operates two port facilities at Port Hedland, Nelson Point and Finucane Island, and over 1,000 kilometres of rail in the Pilbara. [4]

BHP is the second-largest iron ore mining company in the Pilbara, behind Rio Tinto and ahead of the Fortescue Metals Group. [5] In 2010, BHP employed 8,000 people in its Pilbara operations. [4]

Overview

Mount Whaleback Iron Mine and the town of Newman from space, 2020 Whaleback iron mine 2020.jpg
Mount Whaleback Iron Mine and the town of Newman from space, 2020
Iron ore mines in the Pilbara region Iron ore Pilbara 2.svg
Iron ore mines in the Pilbara region

The Mount Whaleback deposit was discovered in 1957 by Stan Hilditch but not publicised until 1960, when the Australian Government lifted the embargo on iron ore exports it had put in place because of concerns the mineral was in short supply. [6] The first mine to develop was the Goldsworthy mine in 1965 and a railway line, the Goldsworthy railway, as well as port facilities at Finucane Island were constructed. On 1 June 1966, the first shipment of iron ore from the Pilbara left on board of the Harvey S. Mudd. [7]

BHP's operations in Newman date back to 1968, when the Mount Whaleback mine was opened, the biggest single-pit Open-pit iron ore mine in the world, developed originally by United States company Bechtel Pacific. [6] The mine is 1.5 kilometres wide, more than five kilometres long and is scheduled to eventually reach a depth of 0.5 kilometres. [8] [9] A new town, Newman, was constructed, as well as a 426 kilometre railway line, the Mount Newman railway. The first train left Newman on 1 January 1969 and the first shipment of Newman ore left port on 1 April 1969 on board of the Osumi Maru. [7] Newman remained a "closed" company town until 1981. [6]

Ore from the mines is transported by rail to Port Hedland through two independent railways. The Mount Newman railway carries ore from Mount Whaleback, Orebodies 18, 23 and 25, Jimblebar, Yandi and Area C. The Yarrie mine is serviced by the separate, shorter Goldsworthy railway. [10]

Ore from the Mount Whaleback and the other Newman mines, as well as the Yandi mine is transported to the port at Nelson Point, while ore from Area C and Yarrie goes to Finucane Island. Ore is transported through a 1.16 kilometre long tunnel from Nelson Point to the port at Finucane Island. The average loading time for a ship is 30 hours and 800 ships are loaded annually at Port Hedland. [11]

The mine can be visited on a 1.5 hour tour. [12]

Related Research Articles

The Pilbara is a large, dry, thinly populated region in the north of Western Australia. It is known for its Aboriginal peoples; its ancient landscapes; the red earth; and its vast mineral deposits, in particular iron ore. It is also a global biodiversity hotspot for subterranean fauna.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Goldsworthy, Western Australia</span> Town in Western Australia

Goldsworthy is a former mining town in Western Australia, east of Port Hedland and located in the Shire of East Pilbara. It was the first iron ore mine in the Pilbara region of Western Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Goldsworthy railway</span> Private railway in Pilbara region of Western Australia

The Goldsworthy railway, owned and operated by BHP, is a private rail network in the Pilbara region of Western Australia built to carry iron ore. It is one of two railway lines BHP operates in the Pilbara, the other being the Mount Newman railway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Newman railway</span> Private railway in Pilbara region of Western Australia

The Mount Newman railway, owned and operated by BHP, is a private rail network in the Pilbara region of Western Australia built to carry iron ore. It is one of two railway lines BHP operates in the Pilbara, the other being the Goldsworthy railway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fortescue railway</span> Private railway in Pilbara region of Western Australia

The Fortescue railway, owned and operated by Fortescue Metals Group (FMG), is a private rail network in the Pilbara region of Western Australia built to carry iron ore. It opened in 2008. When it was completed, it was the heaviest haul railway in the world, designed for 40 tonne axle loads, 2.5 to 5 tonnes heavier than the other Pilbara iron ore rail systems. On 4 November 2014, FMG Rail commenced trialling 42-tonne axle loads.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cloudbreak mine</span> Iron ore mine in Western Australia

The Cloudbreak mine is an iron ore mine located in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, 89 kilometres west-south-west of Nullagine, in the Chichester Range.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Angelas mine</span> Iron ore mine in Western Australia

The West Angelas mine is an iron ore mine located in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, 110 kilometres North West of Newman.

The Yandicoogina mine, often shortened to Yandi, is an iron ore mine located in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, 95 kilometres north-west of Newman. it should not be confused with BHP Billiton's Yandi mine, which is located nearby.

The Christmas Creek mine is an iron ore mine located in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, 61 kilometres south-south-west of Nullagine, in the Chichester Range.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iron ore mining in Western Australia</span> Mining in Western Australia

Iron ore mining in Western Australia, in the 2018–19 financial year, accounted for 54 percent of the total value of the state's resource production, with a value of A$78.2 billion. The overall value of the minerals and petroleum industry in Western Australia was A$145 billion in 2018–19, a 26 percent increase on the previous financial year.

The Area C mine is an iron ore mine located in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, 92 kilometres west-north-west of Newman.

The Jimblebar mine is an iron ore mine located in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, 41 kilometres east of Newman.

The Pardoo mine was an iron ore mine located in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, 75 kilometres east of Port Hedland.

The Wodgina mine is an exhausted iron ore mine located in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, 90 kilometres south of Port Hedland.

The Yarrie mine is an iron ore mine located in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, 90 kilometres north-east of Marble Bar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yandi mine</span> Iron ore mine in Western Australia

The Yandi mine is an iron ore mine located in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, 90 kilometres north-west of Newman. It should not be confused with Rio Tinto's nearby Yandicoogina mine, which is also sometimes shortened to Yandi.

The Orebodies 18, 23 and 25 mine, part of BHP's Eastern Ridge hub and officially referred to as the Newman East operation, is an iron ore mine located in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, 8 kilometres east of Newman. The mine is majority-owned and operated by BHP, and is one of seven iron ore mines the company operates in the Pilbara. The company also operates two port facilities at Port Hedland, Nelson Point and Finucane Island, and over 1,000 kilometres of rail in the Pilbara.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Port of Port Hedland</span> Seaport in Western Australia

Port Hedland is one of the largest iron ore loading ports in the world and the largest in Australia. In 2022, it had the largest bulk cargo throughput in Australia. With the neighboring ports of Port Walcott and Dampier, Port Hedland is one of three major iron ore exporting ports in the Pilbara region of Western Australia.

The Railways in the Pilbara are a collection of railways in the Pilbara region of north-west Western Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roy Hill railway</span> Private railway in Pilbara region of Western Australia

The Roy Hill railway, officially the Roy Hill Infrastructure railway, owned and operated by Hancock Prospecting, is a private rail network in the Pilbara region of Western Australia built to carry iron ore.

References

  1. 1 2 "BHP Annual report 2021" (PDF). www.asx.com.au. BHP. 14 September 2021. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
  2. ↑ MINEDEX website: MT Whaleback search result Archived 2008-09-11 at the Wayback Machine accessed: 6 November 2010
  3. ↑ BHP Annual report 2010 BHP website, accessed: 10 November 2010
  4. 1 2 About BHP Iron Ore BHP website, accessed: 10 November 2010
  5. ↑ Western Australian Mineral and Petroleum Statistic Digest 2009 Department of Mines and Petroleum website, accessed: 8 November 2010
  6. 1 2 3 Newman The Sydney Morning Herald , published: 8 February 2004, accessed: 10 November 2010
  7. 1 2 History of the Iron Ore Industry and the Pilbara BHP Billiton website, accessed: 10 November 2010
  8. ↑ Mining and Processing BHP website, accessed: 10 November 2010
  9. ↑ Iron fact sheet – Australian Resources and Deposits Archived 2011-02-18 at the Wayback Machine Geoscience Australia website, accessed: 7 November 2010
  10. ↑ Rail BHP website, accessed: 10 November 2010
  11. ↑ Ports BHP website, accessed: 10 November 2010
  12. ↑ Attractions Archived 2011-04-06 at the Wayback Machine Newman website, accessed: 10 November 2010
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