Mt gordon

Mining was suspended at the Aditya Birla Minerals owned Mount Gordon copper mine in Queensland in July 2012, due to falling world copper prices. This action followed an announcement in February, 2013, that it had appointed the ANZ Corporate Advisory Division, to begin a Mount Gordon mine strategic review. The review is looking at the feasibility of switching from open stope trucking haulage to sub-level hoist and caving techniques. Bids for the mine began at the end of July 2013.

Mt Gordon Copper Mine is Owned by the Aditya Birla Group
Mount Gordon Mine is owned by Aditya Birla Minerals, which is, in turn, majority owned by Hindalco Industries, a wholly owned subsidiary of giant Indian company, Aditya Birla Group. It is located 120 kilometres north of Mt.Isa and has been producing copper in concentrate form at a rate of 20,000 tonnes each year from a capacity to produce 1.3 million tonnes of ore annually. The world price of copper fell seven percent in the last 12 months and reached its lowest level in three years in June 2013. This price drop coincided with mine production also dropping to a lower level than expected which resulted in the cost per pound becoming unacceptable to the company.

Mount Gordon Underground Follows the Closure of the Former Esperanza Open cut Mine
The Mount Gordon Mine has been operating as an underground mine, exploiting the Mammoth decline, since the Esperanza open cut, at the same site, became mined out in 2005. Although mining operations have been suspended at the Mount Gordon Mine exploration activities are continuing in keeping with the companies long term strategy.

Underground Mining at Mount Gordon Carried out by Barminco
Since the Esperanza open cut mine was worked out all mining operations at Mount Gordon have focused on the Mammoth underground workings. The Mammoth decline extends to a depth of 750 metres with all mining being undertaken by mining contractor Barminco using diesel and electro- hydraulic equipment.

Ore at the Mount Gordon underground mining operation was drilled with the use of electro-hydraulic drilling rigs to prepare it for blasting. The blasted ore is then loaded by load/haulage dump trucks that fill the 60 tonne capacity trucks that take the ore to the surface. On the surface it is stockpiled or placed on the surface ROM pad while awaiting crushing and grinding.

Underground mining at Mount Gordon has been carried out via a longhole open stoping method with the stopes averaging 25 metres in height, 30 metres in length and 15 metres in width. Pillars are retained between stopes.

Mount Gordon ore Processed On-site
Ore processing at Mount Gordon is carried out on-site and consists of a sulphide flotation circuit following the crushing and grinding process that consists of a jaw crusher and a semi-autogenous grinding (SAG) mill. This is followed by screening and subjecting the ore to a cycloning tower and regrind ball mill. The ore slurry then enters the flotation circuit and finally finishes up as copper concentrate. The grade of the concentrate is then upgraded through two cleaning stages of flotation. It is then de-watered and trucked to Cloncurry from where it is loaded onto railway wagons that take it to Townsville for shipment to Hindalco Copper's Dahej copper smelting facility in India.
†