Olympic Dam, South Australia
Encyclopedia
Olympic Dam is a mining centre in South Australia
located some 550 km NNW of Adelaide
, the capital city of South Australia. It is the site of an extremely large iron oxide copper gold deposit
producing copper
, uranium
, gold
and silver
. The site hosts an underground mine as well as an integrated metallurgical processing plant. It is the fourth largest copper deposit and the largest known single deposit of uranium in the world, though uranium represents only a minority of the mine's total revenue.
The deposit was discovered by Western Mining Corporation
in 1975 near Roxby Downs Sheep Station and started production in 1988. It now belongs to BHP Billiton
, which acquired WMC Resources in 2005. The mine currently operates by an underground mining method called sublevel open stoping, using modern and highly productive mining equipment. The March 2005 mine production rate is an annualised 9.1 million tonnes making it one of Australia's larger mines. 2005 metal production is thought to be in excess of 220,000 tonnes of copper, 4500 tonnes of uranium oxide
, plus gold and silver. The copper and uranium oxide are exported through Port Adelaide. Most of the mine workers live in the nearby towns of Roxby Downs and Andamooka
. Regular flights to Olympic Dam Airport
serve Olympic Dam.
The Olympic Dam mine uses 35 million litres of Great Artesian Basin
water each day, making it the largest industrial user of underground water in the southern hemisphere. Water is pumped along an underground pipeline from two bore fields which are located 110 km and 200 km to the north of the mine. The salty bore water requires desalination
before it is used. Some studies have indicated that extraction of water is causing nearby mound springs to dry which is impacting rare and endangered flora and fauna .
Contaminated water from mining operations is passed through a series of sealed ponds where it evaporates.
As of 2007, BHP Billiton has attracted some public attention for delaying the release of its environmental impact statement
for the Olympic Dam expansion, and for the company's response to inconsistencies in the scope and configuration of the proposed expansion.
In December 2008, South Australia's Premier Mike Rann
moved to end uncertainty over the Olympic Dam project, by revealing advice from BHP Billiton that the project would proceed as an open-cut operation. On 10 October 2011, Federal Government approval for the mine expansion, which will make it world's largest open-cut mine, was given.
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
located some 550 km NNW of Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
, the capital city of South Australia. It is the site of an extremely large iron oxide copper gold deposit
Iron oxide copper gold ore deposits
Iron oxide copper gold ore deposits are important and highly valuable concentrations of copper, gold and uranium ores hosted within iron oxide dominant gangue assemblages which share a common genetic origin....
producing copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
, uranium
Uranium
Uranium is a silvery-white metallic chemical element in the actinide series of the periodic table, with atomic number 92. It is assigned the chemical symbol U. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons...
, gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
and silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
. The site hosts an underground mine as well as an integrated metallurgical processing plant. It is the fourth largest copper deposit and the largest known single deposit of uranium in the world, though uranium represents only a minority of the mine's total revenue.
Operations
WMC Resources
WMC Resources Limited was an Australian diversified mining and fertilizer company formerly listed on the Australian Stock Exchange. WMC was an acronym for Western Mining Corporation. It was delisted on 29 June 2005 following a successful takeover by BHP Billiton...
in 1975 near Roxby Downs Sheep Station and started production in 1988. It now belongs to BHP Billiton
BHP Billiton
BHP Billiton is a global mining, oil and gas company headquartered in Melbourne, Australia and with a major management office in London, United Kingdom...
, which acquired WMC Resources in 2005. The mine currently operates by an underground mining method called sublevel open stoping, using modern and highly productive mining equipment. The March 2005 mine production rate is an annualised 9.1 million tonnes making it one of Australia's larger mines. 2005 metal production is thought to be in excess of 220,000 tonnes of copper, 4500 tonnes of uranium oxide
Uranium oxide
Uranium oxide is an oxide of the element uranium.The metal uranium forms several oxides:* Uranium dioxide or uranium oxide * Uranium trioxide or uranium oxide...
, plus gold and silver. The copper and uranium oxide are exported through Port Adelaide. Most of the mine workers live in the nearby towns of Roxby Downs and Andamooka
Andamooka, South Australia
Andamooka is a town located approximately 600 km north of Adelaide in the South Australian outback. Opal was discovered in the region in the late 1920s, and the town developed out of the scattered miners' camps which established in the area...
. Regular flights to Olympic Dam Airport
Olympic Dam Airport
Olympic Dam Airport is an airport in Olympic Dam, South Australia. It is planned that the airport be relocated due to the expansion of the Olympic Dam mine. The appropriate location and timing are to be determined.-Statistics:...
serve Olympic Dam.
The Olympic Dam mine uses 35 million litres of Great Artesian Basin
Great Artesian Basin
The Great Artesian Basin provides the only reliable source of freshwater through much of inland Australia. The basin is the largest and deepest artesian basin in the world, stretching over a total of , with temperatures measured ranging from 30°C to 100°C...
water each day, making it the largest industrial user of underground water in the southern hemisphere. Water is pumped along an underground pipeline from two bore fields which are located 110 km and 200 km to the north of the mine. The salty bore water requires desalination
Desalination
Desalination, desalinization, or desalinisation refers to any of several processes that remove some amount of salt and other minerals from saline water...
before it is used. Some studies have indicated that extraction of water is causing nearby mound springs to dry which is impacting rare and endangered flora and fauna .
Contaminated water from mining operations is passed through a series of sealed ponds where it evaporates.
Expansion
The Olympic Dam expansion will complete the pre-feasibility stage during 2008, and the first step of expansion is scheduled for completion by late 2013. Further development is planned to take the mine production rate to some 72 million tonnes per year and 730,000 tonnes copper, 19,000 tonnes of uranium oxide and 25 t of gold per year. The mine will at this point also ship ore concentrates to smelters in China besides refined copper and uranium concentrate.As of 2007, BHP Billiton has attracted some public attention for delaying the release of its environmental impact statement
Environmental impact statement
An environmental impact statement , under United States environmental law, is a document required by the National Environmental Policy Act for certain actions "significantly affecting the quality of the human environment". An EIS is a tool for decision making...
for the Olympic Dam expansion, and for the company's response to inconsistencies in the scope and configuration of the proposed expansion.
In December 2008, South Australia's Premier Mike Rann
Mike Rann
Michael David Rann MHA, CNZM , Australian politician, served as the 44th Premier of South Australia. He led the South Australian branch of the Australian Labor Party to minority government at the 2002 election, before attaining a landslide win at the 2006 election...
moved to end uncertainty over the Olympic Dam project, by revealing advice from BHP Billiton that the project would proceed as an open-cut operation. On 10 October 2011, Federal Government approval for the mine expansion, which will make it world's largest open-cut mine, was given.
See also
- Kevin BuzzacottKevin BuzzacottKevin Buzzacott , often referred to as Uncle Kev as an Aboriginal elder, is an Indigenous Australian from the Arabunna nation in northern South Australia...
- List of Australian inquiries into uranium mining
- Uranium mining in AustraliaUranium mining in AustraliaRadioactive ores were first extracted at Radium Hill in 1906, and Mount Painter in South Australia in the 1930s, to recover radium for medical use. Several hundred kilograms of uranium were also produced....
- Uranium ore deposits