Mount Whaleback Mine
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The Mount Whaleback Mine ( German: Walrückenberg mine ) is an iron ore mine in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, 6 kilometers west of Newman.
Major shareholder of the mining company with 85% BHP Billiton, which operates seven mines in the Pilbara region. BHP Billiton also operates two iron ore shipping facilities at Port Hedland, Nelson Point and Finucane on Iceland and over 1,000 kilometers of rail lines to transport ore.
BHP Billiton is the second largest iron ore mine operators in the Pilbara, according to Rio Tinto, while Fortescue Metals Group in third place. In 2010, BHP 8,000 people in the production of iron ore in the region.
History
The iron ore deposit at Mount Whaleback was discovered in 1957 by Stan Hilditch, but only published in 1960, when the Australian government lifted the embargo in 1938. The first iron ore mine, which became operational, was the Goldsworthy mine in 1965. The produced iron ore was transported to the Goldsworthy Railway to the port facilities at Finucane Iceland and loaded onto ships. On 1 June 1966, the first shipment left with Australian iron ore aboard the Harvey S. Mudd this port.
BHP's activities Newman go back to 1968 when the Mount Whaleback mine resumed their degradation. This mine is the largest open mining in the world, is degraded in iron ore. This method was developed by the U.S. company Bechtel Pacific. The mining industry is 1.5 kilometers wide and more than five kilometers long with a mining depth of 500 meters. In the vicinity of the mine, the new city Newman were built and 426 km railway track laid, which operates the railway undertaking Mount Newman Railway. The first train left loaded on 1 January 1969, Newman and the first Denene loaded with iron ore from this mine ship was the Osumi Maru, which took off on April 1, 1969. Newman remained until 1981 a "closed" city of the mining company, since it is under the management of the East Pilbara Shire.
Mining operation
Ore from the mine is transported by rail from two private companies to Port Hedland. The Mount Newman Railway transports iron ore from Mount Whaleback and the iron ore - bodies of Orebodies 18, 23 and 25 mine, Jimblebar Mine Yandi mine and Area C mine. Yarrie the mine is operated by the separate, shorter Goldsworthy Railway.
Ore from the Mount Whaleback and other mines at Newman as well as from the Yandi mine is transported to Nelson Point and Area C ore mine and mine Yarrie after Finucane Iceland. The trains take you through a 1.16 km long tunnel to the port on Finucane Iceland. A ship loading requires an average duration of 30 hours and 800 ships can be loaded annually.
The mine can be committed in a 1.5 hour long guided tour.