Deposits of REE in Australia

Plaser, marine

Placer deposits of Australia contain 0.8-15% of heavy minerals.

Monazite content in the ore is low and there is in a range of 0.002-0.2%. In the majority of the alluvial deposits, content of monazite is 0.03-0.06%.

Typically, the composition of sand is very simple and consists of five minerals: monazite, ilmenite, rutile, zircon, quarz.

Processing technologies for sands of these deposits can be simple of the same type. These may include:

• Gravity separation

• Magnetic separation

• Electrical separation

The resulting concentrates:

• REE concentrate (monazite)

• Titanium concentrate (ilmenite, rutile)

• Zirconium concentrat (zircon)

Approximately half of the alluvial deposits is located in Western Australia. These deposits have a more complex composition. Placers are the complex raw materials and they contain:

• REE mineral (monazite)

• Titanium minerals (ilmenite, rutile and sometimes leucoxene)

• Zirconium minerals (zircon)

• Tin minerals (cassiterite)

• Corundum

• Garnet

• Kyanite

• Quarz (ganga)

Processing techniques may be more complex. Since the content of monazite in sands of Australia is very low, these sands the can be processed profitably only with reception of all possible concentrates: Monazite, Titanium, Zirconium, Tin, Corundum, Garnet, Kyanite.

Primary deposits

Information about the primary deposits are shown in the table.

Magmatic REE deposits content 0,33-11,7% of REO. All deposits have a different composition, various minerals and a different types of ores. All deposits contain radioactive elements: thorium, and (or) uranium. The presence of radioactive elements in the ore promotes the use of radiometric separation (Radiometric sorting), and the dry technology(Dry mining operation). There are no deposits having the same composition, so it is necessary the creation of individual technologies for each specific mineral field.

During the processing of minerals containing REE, the plants use the following types of separation:

• Gravity separation

• Magnetic separation

• Electrical separation

• Special methods of separation

• Flotation

• Chemical separation

Deposits of REE in Australia

Primary deposits

• Brockman (Western Australia)

• Mount Weld (Western Australia)

  • Nolans Bore Deposit (Western Australia)

• Yangibana (Western Australia)

• Olympic Dam (South Australia)

• Port Pirie (South Australia)

• Mary Kathleen (Queensland)

• Alice Springs (Northern Territory)

Plaser, marine

• Agnes Waters (Rocky Point) (Queensland)

• Amity (Queensland)

• Bowen (Abbot Point) (Queensland)

• Byfield (Queensland)

• Coolooa (Queensland)

• Currumbin (Queensland)

• Curtis Island (Queensland)

• Frazer Island (Queensland)

• Gladstone Mainland (Queensland)

• Gold Coast (Queensland)

• Gympie (Queensland)

• Kingscliff (Cudgen) (Queensland)

• Kirra (Queensland)

• Moreton Island (Queensland)

• North Stradbroke Island (Queensland)

• North Stradbroke - Yarraman (Queensland)

• Pinkenba (Queensland)

• Rainbow Beach (Queensland)

• Allied Eneabba (Western Australia)

• Australind (Western Australia)

• Bunbury (Western Australia)

• Busselton East (Western Australia)

• Capel (Western Australia)

• Capel North (Western Australia)

• Capel South (Western Australia)

• Cataby (Western Australia)

• Cheyne Bay (Western Australia)

• Cooljarloo (Western Australia)

• Dardanup (Western Australia)

• Dongara (Western Australia)

• Eneabba (Western Australia)

• Eneabba North (Western Australia)

• Eneabba West (Western Australia)

• Gingin South (Western Australia)

• Hamel (Waroona) (Western Australia)

• Higgins (Western Australia)

• Jangardup (Western Australia)

• Jurien Bay (Western Australia)

• King Sound (Western Australia)

• Koombana Bay (Western Australia)

• Minninup (Western Australia)

• North Capel (Western Australia)

• Sandalwood (Western Australia)

• Stratham South (Western Australia)

• Waroona, North and South (Western Australia)

• Wonnerup (Western Australia)

• Wonnerup Beach (Western Australia)

• Yarloop (Western Australia)

• Yoganup Extended (Western Australia)

• Yoganup North (Boyanup) (Western Australia)

• Yoganup (Yoganup Central) (Western Australia)

• Bridge Hill Ridge (New South Wales)

• Durness (Tea Garden) (New South Wales)

• Evans Head- Yuraygir National Park area (New South Wales)

• Fullerton (New South Wales)

• Harrington (New South Wales)

• Hawks Nest (New South Wales)

• Munmorah (New South Wales)

• Nabiac (New South Wales)

• Newcastle (New South Wales)

• Newrybar (New South Wales)

• Nobiac, Southeast (New South Wales)

• Stockton Bight (New South Wales)

• Tomago (New South Wales)

• Viney Creek (New South Wales)

• WIM-150 (Victoria)

• Naracoopa (Tasmania)

@ Ph.D. Natalia Petrovskaya

June 2, 2016

nataliapetrovsky@gmail.com