Chapter 10
I 1. Introduction
II 2. The Role Of Technology
III 3. Some Highlights Of Australian Minerals Technology
IV 4. Other Technological Achievements (in brief)
i Manganese
ii Tin
iii Tungsten
iv Tantalum
v Uranium
vi Gallium
vii Lithium
viii Silicon
ix Platinum
x Rare Earths
xi Phosphate
xii Diamonds
V 5. Export Of Technology
VI 6. Education And Research
VII 7. The Scientific Societies
VIII 8. Conclusion
References
Index
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Phosphate
The discovery of a world ranking deposit of phosphate rock in the Duchess region of north-west Qld has been recognised as a most outstanding example of geological deduction, stemming from the identification of phosphate at 1000 m depth in drill cores from an unsuccessful oil exploration campaign in the Georgina Basin, followed by tracing of the deepseated marine sedimentary formation to its emergence at a depth suitable for open cut mining. Despite the problems of distance and logistics and the volatile world market, which proved too great for the initial mining and concentration operations in the late 1970s and early 1980s, the Duchess and neighbouring deposits containing some 2000 Mt of ore amenable to concentration to marketable grade must be ranked as a major ultimate reserve for domestic or export utilization or both.
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Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering |  |
© 1988 Print Edition page 769, Online Edition 2000
Published by Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre, using the Web Academic Resource Publisher
http://www.austehc.unimelb.edu.au/tia/739.html