Jacinth ambrosia

Jacinth and Ambrosia are two Mineral Sands Deposits at Iluka's Eucla Basin Mine

The Jacinth-Ambrosia mineral sand mining operation, that is located in the Eucla Basin Region of South Australia, contains two contiguous deposits, the Jacinth and the Ambrosia. The mining of these two deposits is designed to only disturb the smallest area possible of a tenement area stretching over 610 hectares. The mines are the first in South Australia to obtain approval to be developed within a regional reserve, the Yellabinna Regional Reserve. Mining is undertaken under a multiple use arrangement that allows the development of the reserve's natural resource alongside the main focus on biodiversity conservation.

The Jacinth-Ambrosia deposits are about five kilometres long and 900 metres wide, with a thickness between 20 and 45 metres. They consist of fine grained and free running sand. The overburden covering the deposit averages around eight metres in thickness with an average strip ratio of 0.5 to 1. There is no ground water evident at the site and the deposits are low in moisture.

The Jacinth-Ambrosia mineral sands deposits are being developed by, Iluka Resources Limited, a major global mineral sands resource company that is involved in exploration, development and marketing operations throughout the world. Iluka operates its Jacinth-Ambrosia mine using conventional dry mining techniques. Seeds and vegetation are collected and top soil, as well as sub-soil to a depth of 200mm, is safely stored for use in rehabilitation work at the site, at a later date. Other overburden material is removed from the site by excavator, scraper and haulage trucks.

Jacinth-Ambrosia Mine has a wet Concentrator Plant

The mine site at the Jacinth-Ambrosia mining operation has a wet concentrator plant able to handle up to 1,000 tonnes of ore an hour and capable of producing 120 tonnes of heavy mineral concentrate (HMC) an hour. Fine silica sand is removed with two up current classifiers. The plant has an up-dated co-disposal tailings system, as well as an on-site storage facility able to store around 200,000 tonnes of (HMC).

Jacinth-Ambrosia Concentrate Taken to Iluka Plants in Either WA or Victoria for Processing

HMC is transported from the Jacinth-Ambrosia mine site by triple road trains able to carry 90 tonnes at a time to the Port of Thevenard on the coast near Ceduna. Here, it is loaded onto ships that take it to either Iluka's Namgulu mineral separation plant at Geraldton in Western Australia, or to Portland in Victoria, where it is unloaded to be taken to Iluka's processing plant at Hamilton.

Iluka employs around 70 personnel at its Jacinth-Ambrosia mineral sand mine, the workers reside in on site accommodation when rostered on as they are taken to and from the mine on a fly-in-fly-out basis. The company, and contractors contracted to carry out certain roles at the mine, encourage interest in advancing the education of their workers and offer support and on the job training to local idigenous people. Jacinth-Ambrosia has a policy to lift indigenous employment to at least 20 percent of its total workforce.

Zircon, the main product produced at the Jacinth-Ambrosia mine, is used in the making of ceramics, sanitary utensils, wall tiles and floor tiles as well as casting and foundary applications. It is used in zirconium chemicals and zirconium metal. The mine also produces chloride ilmenite and rutile.