Mount Isa Mines

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Mount Isa copper, lead zinc and silver mines near Mount Isa, Queensland, Australia are part of the Xstrata mining company.

1 History
2 Ore
3 Production
4 References
5 External links

[edit] History

In 1923 the orebody containing lead, zinc and silver was discovered by the miner John Campbell Miles. The company Mount Isa Mines was founded 1924 but full scale production was not reached before 1931. The lead and zinc mining continued with a break between 1943 and 1946. The copper ore was first discovered in 1927 and production grew steadily with a peak between 1957 and 1965.

[edit] Ore

The orebody is 4.5 km long 1 km broad and reaches a thickness of 1.6 km and separated into the sulfidic silver-lead-zinc ore body and the copper ore body consisting mainly out of carbonates (dolomite).

[edit] Production

5.4 mio tonns copper ore with 3.3% copper (1986)
4.6 mio tonns silver-lead-zinc ore wit 154g/t silver 5.4% lead 6,5% zinc (1986)

Smelter operations release sulphur dioxide emissions very close to the city of Mount Isa. The Mount Isa Mines Panel Assessment Study recently spent 4 years investigating the air quality and the effects on community health. The panel found no evidence of adverse effects from mine ^[1].

At 274m, the Lead Chimney was Australia's tallest non-tower structure until 2005.^{[citation needed]}