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Australia's Identified Mineral Resources (AIMR) 2009

Table 1: Australia's resources of major minerals and world figures as at 31 December 2008

Commodity Units Australia World
Demonstrated Resources Inferred Resources (a) Accessible EDR (b) JORC Reserves (% of AEDR) (c) Mine Production 2008 (d) Economic Demonstrated Resources 2008(e) Mine production 2008 (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 0.91 5.4 1.9 (35%) 0.064 27 0.205(e)
Black coal  
in situ Gt 56.2 3.0 10.3 106.0  
recoverable Gt 39.2 1.5 6.7 66.7 39.1 13.4(g) (34%) 0.425(h) 681(i) 5.7(i)(j)
Brown coal  
in situ Gt 44.3 43.1 18.1 112.3  
recoverable Gt 37.2 38.8 16.3 101.1 32.2 4.8(g) (15%) 0.066(i) 147(i) 0.87(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 1495 154 101 1915 1495 485 (32%) 4.79 7095 70.3
Copper Mt Cu 77.8 6.6 1.0 34.2 77.8 19.8 (25%) 0.89 603 15.7
Diamond  
gem & near gem Mc 91.9 99.7 0 14.3 91.9 91.2 (99%) 7.7 - 101
industrial Mc 95.7 103.8 0 14.9 95.7 94.9 (99%) 8.0 586 67
Fluorine Mt F - 0.5 0.1 2.8 - - - 117(k) 2.7
Gold t Au 6255 1478 123 4596 6130 3409 (54%) 215 48655 2407
Iron ore Gt 24.0 0.3 1.6 28.9 23.9 10.8 (45%) 0.341 158 2.2
Lead Mt Pb 26.8 6.6 0.5 18.6 26.8 10.7 (40%) 0.65 82 3.9
Lithium kt Li 584 0 25 25 584 - (l) 4514 27.4(m)
Magnesite Mt MgCO3 344 22 35 931 344 37.5 (11%) 0.126 7630 15.48(m)
Manganese ore Mt 181 23 167 133 181 152 (84%) 4.8 1370 41
Mineral sands  
Ilmenite Mt 212.3 23.8 0.1 123.2 175.9 42.7 (24%) 2.042 1266 10.4
Rutile Mt 22.9 6.5 0.15 32.1 17.2 5.1 (30%) 0.325 46 0.6(m)
Zircon Mt 39.1 9.8 0.15 36.5 30.9 9.7 (31%) 0.550 87 1.75
Molybdenum kt Mo 225 101 260 664 225 223.1 (99%) - 8600 212
Nickel Mt Ni 26.4 1.1 1.0 20.9 26.4 7.1 (27%) 0.2 69.9 1.6
Niobium kt Nb 115 29 0 811 115 - (n) 2700 60
Phosphate rock Mt 81.6 997.04 - 1574.4 81.6 81.6 (100%) 2.154 15000 167
PGE (Pt, Pd, Os, Ir, Ru, Rh) t metal 18.9 118.5 35.3 145.3 14.6 0.12 (1%) 0.710 71000 406
Rare earths (REO & Y2O3) Mt 1.65 0.36 34.30 20.17 1.65 0 (-) 0 (-) 84 1.97
Shale oil GL - 213 2074 1272(p) - - 0 449266(q) 0.859(r)
Silver kt Ag 61.4 14.7 3.5 30.0 61.4 26.2 (43%) 1.93 302 21.0
Tantalum kt Ta 51 15 0.3 80 51 19 (37%) 0.680(s) 130 1.058
Thorium kt Th - 75.7(t) - 413.7(t) - - - - -
Tin kt Sn 145 59 48 429 145 57 (39%) 1.783 5660 332
Tungsten kt W 111.5 10.0 10.9 73.5 111.5 10.7 (9.6%) 0.008 3000 54.6
Uranium kt U 1163 13 3 500 1062 264 (25%) 8.432 3047(u) 44.019(v)
Vanadium kt V 1750 10 4124 3759 1750 991 (57%) 0 13000 60
Zinc Mt Zn 53.1 7.2 1.4 21.9 53.1 20.2 (42%) 1.52 193 11.3

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) Proved 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 2008, 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. 239 528 t of spodumene concentrate from Western Australian Department of Mines and Petroleum.
  13. Excludes USA.
  14. Not reported by mining companies.
  15. Production of phosphate rock at Duchess mine (Qld) for 2007-08. Production data for Christmas Island not available for commercial-in-confidence reasons.
  16. Total Inferred Resource excludes 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.
  17. Source: World Energy Council (WEC) Survey of Energy Resources 2007.
  18. Latest production figures for end 2005 from WEC Survey of Energy Resources 2007.
  19. Tantalum production from Western Australian Department of Mines and Petroleum.
  20. Thorium resources reduced by 10 per cent to account for mining and processing losses.
  21. Source: OECD/NEA & IAEA (2007). Compiled from the most recent data for resources recoverable at costs of less than US$80/kg U.
  22. Source: World Nuclear Association.

Contact:

minerals@ga.gov.au

Updated: 20 11 2009