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Australia's Identified Mineral Resources 2008

Table 1: Australia's resources of major minerals and world figures as at 31 December 2007.

Commodity Units Australia World
Demonstrated Resources Inferred Resources (a) Accessible EDR (b) JORC Reserves (c) (% of AEDR) Mine Production 2007 (d) Economic Demonstrated Resources (e) Mine production 2007 (f)
Economic (EDR) Subeconomic
Para-marginal Sub-marginal
Antimony kt Sb 136 43 36 60 136 96 (70%) - 2100 135
Bauxite Gt 6.2 0.2 1.4 0.69 5.4 1.9 (35%) 0.062 25 0.190(e)
Black coal  
in situ Gt 56.4 4.1 9.8 97.7  
recoverable Gt 38.9 2.2 6.7 61.1 38.8 12.5(g) (30%) 0.421(h) 687(i) 5.5(i)(j)
Brown coal  
in situ Gt 41.4 43.4 18.1 112  
recoverable Gt 37.3 39 16.3 100.8 32.3 4.9(g) (15%) 0.066(i) 148(i) 0.86(i)
Cadmium kt Cd 60.8 10.0 10.2 0.3 60.8 51.3 (84%) 0.46 490 19.9(m)
Cobalt kt Co 1521 183 106 1519 1521 462 (30%) 4.74 7075 60
Copper Mt Cu 59.4 6.9 1.6 38.5 59.4 18.3 (31%) 0.87 525 15.7
Diamond  
gem & near gem Mc 97.3 98.2 0.2 13.1 97.3 95.7 (98%) 9.4 - 106
industrial Mc 101.3 102.2 0.3 13.7 101.3 99.6 (98%) 9.8 590 69
Fluorine Mt F - 0.2 23.7 21.3 - - - 117(k) 2.6
Gold t Au 5839 1272 138 4336 5780 3 284 (56%) 245 42000 2 476
Iron ore Gt 20.3 0.3 1.7 24.4 20.2 8.1 (40%) 0.299 154 1.9
Lead Mt Pb 23.3 8.5 1.6 19.3 23.3 10.6 (45%) 0.641 78 3.6
Lithium kt Li 169 54 25 7 170 145 (85%) (l) 4269 25.0(m)
Magnesite Mt MgCO3 344 22 35 931 344 37.5 (11%) 0.447 7630 15.96(m)
Manganese ore Mt 164 23 167 137 164 148 (90%) 5.29 1300 35
Mineral sands  
Ilmenite Mt 221.4 35.3 0.1 128.0 185.0 45.7 (25%) 2.326 1276 10.4
Rutile Mt 23.1 9.6 0.14 31.0 17.4 5.2 (30%) 0.312 46 0.6(m)
Zircon Mt 39.0 14.6 0.15 35.7 30.8 8.9 (29%) 0.601 83 1.29
Molybdenum kt Mo 198 93 262 489 198 196.5 (99%) - 8800 187
Nickel Mt Ni 25.8 1.6 1.1 21.9 25.8 6.58 (25%) 0.185 68.7 1.7
Niobium kt Nb 40 144 0 811 40 21 (52%) (n) 2700 45
Phosphate rock Mt 81.6 911.6 - 1150.1 81.6 81.6 (100%) 2.129(o) 18000 147
PGM (Pt, Pd, Os, Ir, Ru, Rh) t metal 19.1 119 35.3 135 14.8 0.12 (8%) 0.742 71000 462(p)
Rare earths (REO & Y2O3) Mt 1.13 0.7 26.1 24.4 1.13 0 (-) 0 (-) 84 0.13
Shale oil GL 4.5 208.5 3 719 246115(q) 4.5 4.5 (100%) 0 449266(r) 0.859(s)
Silver kt Ag 50.1 20.4 8.0 31.0 50.1 26.2 (52%) 1.879 289 20.4
Tantalum kt Ta 41 32 0.2 87 41 40.3 (98%) 0.435(t) 130 0.985
Thorium kt Th - 46.3(u) - 440.0 - - - - -
Tin kt Sn 247 59 195 306 247 216 (87%) 2.071 6100 300
Tungsten kt W 86.6 10.0 18.9 52.9 86.6 10.8 (12.5%) 0.0 2900 89.6
Uranium kt U 983 10 0 621 824 228 (28%) 8.603 2 867(v) 41.926(w)
Vanadium kt V 898 121 4124 2757 898 5.3 (0.6%) 0 13000 58.6
Zinc Mt Zn 42.5 18.3 2.3 23.3 42.5 22.2 (52%) 1.514 179 10.6

Notes for Table 1

Abbreviations

t = tonne; m3 = cubic metre; L = litre; kt = 103t; Mc = 106 carat; Mt = 106t; Gt = 109t; GL = 109L.

Notes

  1. Total inferred resources in economic, sub-economic and undifferentiated categories.
  2. 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.
  3. Joint Ore Reserves Committee (JORC) Proven and Probable Ore Reserves as stated in company annual reports and reports to Australian Stock Exchange.
  4. Sources: Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics (ABARE).
  5. Sources: Geoscience Australia for Australian figures, USGS Mineral Commodities Summaries for other countries.
  6. World mine production for 2007, mostly USGS estimates.
  7. Black and brown coal reserves include both JORC reserves and Geoscience Australia estimated reserves for operating mines that do not publish JORC reserves.
  8. Raw coal.
  9. Geoscience Australia estimate.
  10. Saleable coal.
  11. Excludes Morocco and USA.
  12. 192 277 t of spodumene concentrate containing 4.8% to 7.5% Li2O (Talison Minerals Ltd).
  13. Excludes USA.
  14. Not reported by mining companies.
  15. Production of phosphate rock at Duchess mine (Qld) for 2006-07. Production data for Christmas Island not available for commercial-in-confidence reasons.
  16. Latest production figure is 358 t for 2003 from USGS Mineral Commodities Summaries 2004.
  17. This total inferred resource includes a 'total potential' shale oil resource of the Toolebuc Formation, Queensland of 245 000 GL that was estimated by the Bureau of Mineral Resources and CSIRO in 1983 (Refer to Shale oil section).
  18. Source: World Energy Council (WEC) Survey of Energy Resources 2007.
  19. Latest production figures for end 2005 from WEC Survey of Energy Resources 2007.
  20. Tantalum production from Western Australian Department of Industry and Resources data.
  21. 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.
  22. Source: OECD/NEA & IAEA (2007). Compiled from the most recent data for resources recoverable at costs of less than US$80/kg U.
  23. Source: Cameco Corporation Annual Report 2007.

Contact:

minerals@ga.gov.au

Updated: 16 09 2009