The Kings Valley 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 ...

mine operated by the

Fortescue Metals Group Fortescue Metals Group Limited (often referred to as Fortescue Metals Group, FMG, or simply Fortescue) is an Australian iron ore company. As of 2017, Fortescue is the fourth-largest iron ore producer in the world. The company has holdings of m ...

(FMG) and located in the

Pilbara 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 gl ...

region of

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to ...

, north of Tom Price. The mine, along with

Firetail mine The Firetail mine is an iron ore mine operated by the Fortescue Metals Group (FMG) and located in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, north of Tom Price. The mine is part of the company's Solomon Hub, one of three of its active mining ar ...

, is part of the company's

Solomon Hub Fortescue Metals Group Limited (often referred to as Fortescue Metals Group, FMG, or simply Fortescue) is an Australian iron ore company. As of 2017, Fortescue is the fourth-largest iron ore producer in the world. The company has holdings of m ...

, one of three FMG's mining areas, the others being the

Chichester Hub Fortescue is a global metal mining and green energy company headquartered in Australia. Fortescue focused on iron ore mining under the name of Fortescue Metals Group until July 2023.https://www.hydrogeninsight.com/production/fortescue-future-i ...

and the Western Hub.

Native title issues

The mine is located on the traditional land of the

Yindjibarndi people The Yindjibarndi are an Aboriginal Australian people of the Pilbara region of Western Australia. They form the majority of Aboriginal people around Roebourne (the Millstream area). Their traditional lands lie around the Fortescue River. Langu ...

, with the proposed mining at the Solomon hub leading to a long-standing dispute between the

native title Aboriginal title is a common law doctrine that the land rights of indigenous peoples to customary tenure persist after the assumption of sovereignty under settler colonialism. The requirements of proof for the recognition of aboriginal title, t ...

holders and the Fortescue Metals Group over compensation. The issue split the local community to a point where the

Yindjibarndi Aboriginal Corporation Yinjibarndi is a Pama–Nyungan language spoken by the Yindjibarndi people of the Pilbara region in north-western Australia. Yinjibarndi is mutually intelligible with Kurrama, but the two are considered distinct languages by their speakers. ...

rejected FMG's offers, which led to a rival group, the Wirlu-Murra Yindjibarndi Aboriginal Corporation, being formed, which chose to work with the mining company. The dispute was eventually settled in 2020, after 17 years of legal battle, when the

High Court of Australia The High Court of Australia is Australia's apex court. It exercises original and appellate jurisdiction on matters specified within Australia's Constitution. The High Court was established following passage of the ''Judiciary Act 1903''. It ...

ruled in favour of the

traditional owners Native title is the designation given to the common law doctrine of Aboriginal title in Australia, which is the recognition by Australian law that Indigenous Australians (both Aboriginal Australian and Torres Strait Islander people) have rights ...

, refusing the right of appeal to FMG. However, in 2021 negotiations over an

Indigenous Land Use Agreement Native title is the designation given to the common law doctrine of Aboriginal title in Australia, which is the recognition by Australian law that Indigenous Australians (both Aboriginal Australian and Torres Strait Islander people) have rights ...

failed, and the Yindjibarndi Aboriginal Corporation is leading a native title compensation claim in the Federal Court, asserting that FMG have been mining on Yindjibarndi land without an agreement. According to the

National Native Title Tribunal The National Native Title Tribunal (NNTT) is an independent body established under the '' Native Title Act 1993'' in Australia as a special measure for the advancement and protection of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples (Indigenous A ...

, the Federal Court needs to make a determination on whether the community is eligible for "compensation for the loss, impairment, diminution or extinguishment of native title rights and interests in the area".

History of the mine

In March 2011, FMG lodged an application with the

Environmental Protection Authority of Western Australia The Environmental Protection Authority of Western Australia (EPA) is a statutory authority within the Government of Western Australia, established on 1 January 1972, which acts as the primary provider of independent environmental advice to the go ...

for approval of the Solomon iron ore project, consisting of the Kings Valley and

, and of new railway line to connect the mines with the existing

Fortescue railway 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. the Kings Valley mine was opened on 28 March 2014. The mine, the second operation of the Solomon Hub, was scheduled to produce 40 million tonnes of iron ore per annum, while the Firetail mine was planned to produce half this amount for a projected total annual production for the hub of 60 million tonnes. The opening of the Kings Valley mine marked the end of $A9.96 billion expansion plan by Fortescue which had been ongoing since 2010 and expanded the company's production to 155 million tonnes of iron ore per annum. A proposed three-fold expansion of the Solomon Hub mining area was approved by the Environmental Protection Authority in late 2016, despite long-standing opposition by the traditional owners of the land, the Yindjibarndi people, as well as concerns over the effects on the nearby Hammersley Gorge, located in

Karijini National Park Karijini National Park is an Australian national park centred in the Hamersley Ranges of the Pilbara region in the northwestern section of Western Australia. The park is located north of the Tropic of Capricorn, from the state's capital city, ...

. The expansion was rejected by the Yindjibarndi Aboriginal Corporation but approved of by the rival Wirlu-Murra Yindjibarndi Aboriginal Corporation. Mining at the Solomon Hub was temporarily suspended in late September 2021, after a fatality at one of the mines, when a male employee died in a ground collapse.

Other mines

A third operation within the Solomon Hub, the

Queens Valley mine Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...

, was approved for construction in 2019 at a projected cost of A$417 million. The mine, located west of the Kings Valley mine, is scheduled to open in 2022. Apart from the Solomon Hub, , the company also mines the Chichester Hub, consisting of the

Christmas Creek The Christmas Creek, a perennial stream that is part of the Macleay River catchment, is located in the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. Course and features Christmas Creek rises below Roses Knob, about east by north of the ...

and Cloudbreak mines, and the Western Hub, consisting of the Eliwana mine.

References

External links

MINEDEX website: Solomon - Greater Solomon
Database of the

Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety The Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety is a department of the Government of Western Australia The Government of Western Australia, formally referred to as His Majesty's Government of Western Australia, is the States and ter ...

Solomon Iron Ore Project

{{Iron ore mining in Western Australia, state=collapsed Iron ore mines in Western Australia Surface mines in Australia Shire of Ashburton Fortescue Metals Group 2014 establishments in Australia Aboriginal land rights in Australia