• The ore minerals consist mainly of fine-grained copper sulphide, uranium, gold, silver and rare earths.
• Grades of uranium greater than 0.2% U₃O₈ are known to occur in some areas of the deposit ⁽³⁾, although it is not known if these areas have been or are yet to be mined. Based on the initial ore milling data, grades up to 0.12% U₃O₈ were being processed (download Roxby Production data).
• The recovery of uranium is not too efficient, with over 30% of the contained uranium being disposed of with tailings due to the refactory (insoluble) nature of this fraction of uranium in the ore ⁽⁴⁾.

Mining

• The primary extraction method is a variant of of sublevel (underground) open stoping, in which blocks of mineralised ore are systematically blasted and the ore recovered for crushing below ground. The crushed ore is then hoisted up one of the shafts to the surface stockpile.

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⁽¹⁾ - WMC Ltd Annual Report 2001 - Financial Report.
⁽²⁾ - Based on recent WMC quarterly and half-yearly corporate reports. (Total value of production to date is approximately $4.22 billion.)
⁽³⁾ - Johns, R K, 1990, Uranium Exploration in South Australia. In "Geological Aspects of the Discovery of Some Important Mineral Deposits in Australia", Editors K R Glasson & J H Rattigan, AusIMM, Monograph 17, 1990, Melbourne, VIC, pp 495-498.
⁽⁴⁾ - WMC Ltd Environment Progress Report 1999 (see also Roxby Production data).

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Page last updated - September 12, 2002.

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