Mount Weld mine
  Location in Western Australia | |
 Interactive map of Mount Weld | |
| Location | |
|---|---|
| Products | Rare earths |
| Company | Lynas |
| Website | lynasrareearths |
Mount Weld mine is a rare earth mine in Western Australia, located about 30 km (20 mi) south of Laverton and 120 km (75 mi) east of Leonora. It is owned by Lynas Corporation. Mining began at the Mount Weld site in 2011.
Geology
[edit]Rare-earths are contained in secondary phosphates and aluminophosphates, presumably derived from weathering of the Proterozoic Mount Weld carbonatite.[1] The primary commercial interest at the site is targeted towards oxides as well as further niobium and tantalum deposits within the intrusive pipe of the Mount Weld carbonatite, which is approximately 3 km (1.9 mi) in diameter.[2]
The main deposits are hosted within the soil and regolith horizon that blankets the entire carbonatite and form shallow lenses within 60 m (200 ft) of the surface. The most important rare-earth oxide deposit, the Central Lanthanide Deposit, CLD, discovered in 1988, is located at the centre of the carbonatite, with the niobium/tantalum and other deposits generally located towards outer fringes.[citation needed]
As of 2005[update] it was one of the largest rare earth deposits in the world.[3]
Location
[edit]Mount Weld mine is located 30 km (20 mi) south of Laverton and 120 km (75 mi) east of Leonora.[4]
Ownership
[edit]The Mount Weld deposit is owned by ASX-listed Lynas Corporation,[5] which raised A$450 million equity from J. P. Morgan in 2009[6] to fund the development of a mine and also a processing plant in Kuantan, Malaysia. The mine opened in 2011 and as of 2021[update] is an important source for rare-earth elements.[7][8]
References
[edit]- ↑ Lottermoser, B (1990). "Rare-earth element mineralisation within the Mt. Weld carbonatite laterite, Western Australia". Lithos. 24 (2): 151–167. doi:10.1016/0024-4937(90)90022-S.
- ↑ "Rare earths". Chemlink. Retrieved 23 October 2008.
- ↑ C. K. Gupta, N. Krishnamurthy, Extractive Metallurgy of Rare Earths, CRC Press, 2005, ISBN 0-415-33340-7.
- ↑ "Mount Weld Mine, Mount Weld Station, Laverton Shire, Western Australia, Australia". Retrieved 16 March 2017.
- ↑ Lynascorp.com Archived 2010-11-26 at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ "Completion of Equity Raising" (PDF). Lynas Corporation Ltd. 11 November 2009. Retrieved 16 May 2019.
- ↑ Zhukova, Irina A; Stepanov, Aleksandr S; Jiang, Shao-Yong; Murphy, David; Mavrogenes, John; Allen, Charlotte; Chen, Wei; Bottrill, Ralph (1 December 2021). "Complex REE systematics of carbonatites and weathering products from uniquely rich Mount Weld REE deposit, Western Australia". Ore Geology Reviews. 139 104539. doi:10.1016/j.oregeorev.2021.104539. hdl:1885/289169. ISSN 0169-1368.
- ↑ Latimer, Cole (5 August 2011). "Mt Weld rare earths mine officially open". Australian Mining. Archived from the original on 6 October 2022. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
Further reading
[edit]- I.B.P. U.S.A. (January 2006). Australia Mineral and Mining Sector Investment and Business Guide. ISBN 978-0-7397-5067-4.