Paraburdoo Mine
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The Paraburdoo mine is an
iron ore Iron ores are rocks and minerals from which metallic iron can be economically extracted. The ores are usually rich in iron oxides and vary in color from dark grey, bright yellow, or deep purple to rusty red. The iron is usually found in the f ...
mine located in the
Pilbara The Pilbara () is a large, dry, sparsely populated regions of Western Australia, region in the north of Western Australia. It is known for its Indigenous Australians, Aboriginal people; wealth disparity; its ancient landscapes; the prevailing r ...
region of
Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...
, near Paraburdoo. The mine is owned and operated by Rio Tinto, and is one of twelve iron ore mines the company operates in the Pilbara.Pilbara
Rio Tinto Iron Ore, accessed: 6 November 2010
Mining
Rio Tinto Iron Ore, accessed: 6 November 2010
In 2009, the combined Pilbara operations produced 202 million tonnes of iron ore, a 15% increase over 2008. The Pilbara operations accounted for almost 13% of the world's 2009 iron ore production of 1.59 billion tonnes. The
Hamersley Range The Hamersley Range is a mountainous region of the Pilbara region of Western Australia. The range was named on 12 June 1861 by explorer Francis Thomas Gregory after Edward Hamersley, a prominent promoter of his exploration expedition to the ...
, where the mine is located, contains 80% of all identified iron ore reserves in Australia and is one of the world's major iron ore provinces.


Overview

Rio Tinto's iron ore operations in the Pilbara began in 1966. The mine itself began operations in 1972. The combined production capacity of the Paraburdoo,
Eastern Range The Eastern Range (ER) is an American rocket range (Spaceport) that supports missile and rocket launches from the two major List of rocket launch sites, launch heads located at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and the Kennedy Space Center ( ...
and Channar mines is 20 million tonnes of iron ore. The ore is processed on site before being loaded onto rail.Paraburdoo mine
Rio Tinto Iron Ore, accessed: 6 November 2010
Ore from Paraburdoo, like Brockman, Mount Tom Price, Channar,
Eastern Range The Eastern Range (ER) is an American rocket range (Spaceport) that supports missile and rocket launches from the two major List of rocket launch sites, launch heads located at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and the Kennedy Space Center ( ...
, Marandoo and Yandicoogina are transported as lump and fines ore product from the mines to Dampier via rail. Before being loaded onto ships for export, the product is blended and rescreened. The maximum size for the lumps is 31.5 mm, while the fines are at a maximum of 6.3 mm. Ore from the mine is then transported to the coast via the Hamersley & Robe River railway line, where it is loaded onto ships.Rail
Rio Tinto
The mine's workforce lives in Paraburdoo. In 2009, the combined operations of Paraburdoo, Channar and Eastern Range employed 1,081 people, a decrease compared to 2008 when it employed 1,324.Western Australian Mineral and Petroleum Statistic Digest 2009
Department of Mines & Petroleum The Department of Mines and Petroleum was a department of the Government of Western Australia until it was superseded by the Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety on 1 July 2017.
2010
The mine is owned by Hamersley Iron, a subsidiary of Rio Tinto, which owns six mines in the Pilbara, including Paraburdoo, and partly owns two more mines in the region.


References


External links


Rio Tinto Iron OreMINEDEX
Database of the
Department of Mines & Petroleum The Department of Mines and Petroleum was a department of the Government of Western Australia until it was superseded by the Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety on 1 July 2017.
{{Iron ore mining in Western Australia, state=collapsed Iron ore mines in Western Australia Surface mines in Australia Rio Tinto Iron Ore Hamersley Range Shire of Ashburton 1972 establishments in Australia