Mineral resources
- Australia's Identified Mineral Resources 2007
- Australia's Identified Mineral Resources 2006
- Australia's Mineral Exploration Review 2005
- Australian Mines Atlas
- Minerals Alert newsletter
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Updated:
29 May 2008
Australia's Identified Mineral Resources 2007
Table 1 Australia's resources of major minerals and world figures as at 31 December 2006
| Commodity | Units | AUSTRALIA | WORLD | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Demonstrated Resources |
Inferred Resources (a) |
Accessible EDR (b) |
JORC Reserves (c) (% of AEDR) |
Mine Production 2006 (d) |
Economic Demonstrated Resources (e) |
Mine production 2006 (f) |
||||
| Economic (EDR) |
Subeconomic | |||||||||
| Para- marginal |
Sub- marginal |
|||||||||
| Antimony | kt Sb | 93 | 31 | 53 | 52 | 93 | 58 (62%) | - | 1 800 | 117 |
| Asbestos | ||||||||||
| Chrysotile ore | kt | - | 46.2 | - | 75 | - | - | - | large | 2.3(g) |
| Crocidolite fibre | kt | - | 0.4 | - | 2 | - | - | - | large | |
| Bauxite | Gt | 5.7 | 0.7 | 1.4 | 1.1 | 5.4 | 1.8 (33%) | 0.062 | 25 | 0.169(e) |
| Black coal | ||||||||||
| in situ | Gt | 57.3 | 3.7 | 10.7 | 94.2 | |||||
| recoverable | Gt | 39.6 | 2 | 7.2 | 58.9 | 39.5 | 12.1(h) (31%) | 0.404(i) | 734(j) | 5.1(j)(k) |
| Brown coal | ||||||||||
| in situ | Gt | 41.5 | 43.4 | 18.1 | 112 | |||||
| recoverable | Gt | 37.3 | 39 | 16.3 | 100.8 | 29.8 | 4.9(h) (16%) | 0.067(j) | 155(j) | 0.85(j) |
| Cadmium | kt Cd | 62.9 | 9.6 | 18.6 | 1 | 62.9 | 53 (84%) | 0.46 | 583 | 18 |
| Cobalt | kt Co | 1 399 | 239 | 104 | 1 523 | 1 399 | 469 (34%) | 5.02 | 7 000 | 57 |
| Copper | Mt Cu | 42.4 | 6.4 | 1.1 | 34.8 | 42.4 | 18.1 (43%) | 0.875 | 498 | 15.3 |
| Diamond | ||||||||||
| gem & near gem | Mc | 109.9 | 96.8 | 0.2 | 12.9 | 109.9 | 108.4 (99%) | 14.4 | - | 101 |
| industrial | Mc | 114.3 | 100.7 | 0.3 | 13.4 | 114.3 | 112.8 (99%) | 14.9 | 600 | 75 |
| Fluorine | Mt F | - | 0.2 | 23.7 | 21.3 | - | - | - | 112(l) | 2.4 |
| Gold | t Au | 5 480 | 1 265 | 128 | 4 499 | 5 420 | 3 329 (61%) | 246 | 42 480 | 2 500 |
| Iron ore | Gt | 18.6 | 0.2 | 1.8 | 17.9 | 18.5 | 7.8 (42%) | 0.275 | 163 | 1.7 |
| Lead | Mt Pb | 23.5 | 7.9 | 2.6 | 19.6 | 23.5 | 10.6 (45%) | 0.668 | 75 | 3.36 |
| Lithium | kt Li | 170 | 54 | 26 | 7 | 170 | 145 (85%) | (m) | 4 100 | 21.3(n) |
| Magnesite | Mt MgCO3 | 344 | 22 | 35 | 931 | 344 | 37.5 (11%) | 0.447 | 7 630 | 14.05(n) |
| Manganese ore | Mt | 139 | 23 | 167 | 160 | 139 | 112 (80%) | 4.6 | 1 200 | 31 |
| Mineral sands | ||||||||||
| Ilmenite | Mt | 218.5 | 48.8 | 0.1 | 126 | 182 | 41.3 (23%) | 2.4 | 1 124 | 9.47 |
| Rutile | Mt | 21.7 | 13.7 | 0.14 | 28 | 16 | 4.19 (26%) | 0.232 | 55 | 0.51(n) |
| Zircon | Mt | 33.9 | 19.9 | 0.15 | 30 | 25.7 | 5.3 (21%) | 0.49 | 78 | 0.93 |
| Molybdenum | kt Mo | 0.4 | 282.5 | 3.7 | 441 | 0.4 | 0 (-) |
- | 8600 | 179 |
| Nickel | Mt Ni | 23.7 | 2.3 | 1.2 | 22.2 | 23.7 | 7 (29%) | 0.185 | 63.8 | 1.5 |
| Niobium | kt Nb | 194 | 129 | 0 | 389 | 194 | 21 (11%) | (o) | 4400 | 59.9 |
| Phosphate rock | Mt | 85* | 980* | - | 1 085* | 85* | 85* (100%) | 2.145 | 18 000 | 145 |
| PGM (Pt, Pd, Os, Ir, Ru, Rh) |
t metal | 19.9 | 119 | 39.3 | 135 | 15.6 | 0.7 (4%) | 0.72 | 71 000 | 445(p) |
| Rare earths (REO & Y2O3) |
Mt | 0.5 | 2 | 12.2 | 12 | 0.1 | 0 (-) |
- | 89 | 0.1 |
| Shale oil | GL | 4.6 | 202 | 3 719 | 41 425 | 4.6 | 4.6 (100%) | 0 | 612 363(q) | 0.668(r) |
| Silver | kt Ag | 45.6 | 19.8 | 7.7 | 34.1 | 45.6 | 26.4 (58%) | 1.727 | 285 | 19.5 |
| Tantalum | kt Ta | 52 | 32 | 0.2 | 69 | 52 | 40.3 (78%) | 0.58(s) | 55 | 1.14 |
| Tin | kt Sn | 247 | 48 | 128 | 309 | 247 | 137 (56%) |
1.478 | 6 100 | 273 |
| Thorium | kt Th | - | 46.3(t) | - | 406 | - | - - |
- | - | - |
| Tungsten | kt W | 72.1 | 10 | 27.5 | 48 | 72.1 | 68.1 (94%) |
0 | 2 900 | 73.3 |
| Uranium | kt U | 714 | 12 | 0 | 518 | 562 | 342 (61%) |
7.584 | 2 643(u) | 39.35(v) |
| Vanadium | kt V | 832 | 213 | 1 710 | 3 051 | 0 | 0 (-) |
0 | 13 000 | 62.4 |
| Zinc | Mt Zn | 40.6 | 17.1 | 2.5 | 27.2 | 40.6 | 21.7 (54%) | 1.362 | 228 | 10 |
Notes for Table 1
Abbreviations
t = tonne; m3 = cubic metre; L = litre; kt = 103t; Mc = 106 carat; Mt = 106t; Gt = 109t; GL = 109L.
Notes
- Total inferred resources in economic, sub-economic and undifferentiated categories.
- Accessible EDR (AEDR) is the portion of total EDR that is accessible for mining. AEDR does not include resources which are inaccessible for mining because of environmental restrictions, government policies or military lands.
- Joint Ore Reserves Committee (JORC) Proven and Probable Ore Reserves as stated in company annual reports and reports to Australian Stock Exchange.
- Sources: Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics (ABARE).
- Sources: Geoscience Australia for Australian figures, USGS Mineral Commodities Summaries for other countries.
- World mine production for 2006, mostly USGS estimates.
- Includes chrysotile production.
- Black and brown coal reserves include both JORC reserves and Geoscience Australia estimated reserves for operating mines that do not publish JORC reserves.
- Raw coal.
- Geoscience Australia estimate.
- Saleable coal.
- Excludes Morocco and USA.
- 222 101 t of spodumene concentrate (Sons of Gwalia Ltd).
- Excludes USA.
- Not reported by mining companies.
- Latest production figure is 358 t for 2003 from USGS Mineral Commodities Summaries 2004.
- Source: WEC Survey of Energy Resources 2004.
- Latest production figures for end 2002 from WEC Survey of Energy Resources 2004.
- Tantalum production from company data.
- Paramarginal resources 29.2 kt from Nolan's Bore and 17.1 kt from Toongi, inferred resources include 24.1 kt from Nolan's Bore and 17.9 kt from Toongi.
- Source: OECD/NEA & IAEA (2006). Compiled from the most recent data for resources recoverable at <US$80/kg U.
- Source: Ux Weekly, 26 March 2007.
For more information contact: Aden McKay