The Jacinth-Ambrosia Mine is a mine operated by

Iluka Resources Iluka Resources is an Australian-based resources company, specialising in mineral sands exploration, project development, operations and marketing. Iluka is the largest producer of zircon and titanium dioxide-derived rutile and synthetic rutil ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

. The primary output of the mine is

zircon Zircon () is a mineral belonging to the group of nesosilicates and is a source of the metal zirconium. Its chemical name is zirconium(IV) silicate, and its corresponding chemical formula is Zr SiO4. An empirical formula showing some of the r ...

, used in making ceramics. The mine exploits both the Jacinth and Ambrosia deposits which were discovered in 2004. Mining commenced in 2009. Ore is processed onsite to produce a concentrate which is transported to Thevenard then shipped to a plant at Narngulu in

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

for further processing into

rutile Rutile is an oxide mineral composed of titanium dioxide (TiO2), the most common natural form of TiO2. Rarer Polymorphism (materials science), polymorphs of TiO2 are known, including anatase, akaogiite, and brookite. Rutile has one of the highest ...

and

ilmenite Ilmenite is a titanium-iron oxide mineral with the idealized formula . It is a weakly magnetic black or steel-gray solid. Ilmenite is the most important ore of titanium and the main source of titanium dioxide, which is used in paints, printing ...

. The concentrate is transported to Thevenard by road, with approximately 18 B-triple trucks per day carrying 96 tonnes each. A 100 kilometre unsealed haul road was constructed for the mine, along with upgrading 80 kilometres of the Ooldea Road. The mine operates inside of the

Yellabinna Regional Reserve The Yellabinna Regional Reserve is a protected area in the Australian state of South Australia located about north of Ceduna. To the west it borders Nullarbor Regional Reserve, to the south Yumbarra Conservation Park and Pureba Conservati ...

and is served by Jacinth Ambrosia Airport. Around 70 workers operate on a

Fly-in fly-out Fly-in fly-out is a method of employing people in remote areas by flying them temporarily to the work site instead of relocating employees and their families permanently. It is often abbreviated to FIFO when referring to employment status. This is ...

basis. It is the first mine in South Australia to be approved for development in a regional reserve. Seed and topsoil are collected and stored for later site rehabilitation. The

mineral sands Heavy mineral sands are a class of ore deposit which is an important source of zirconium, titanium, thorium, tungsten, rare-earth elements, the industrial minerals diamond, sapphire, garnet, and occasionally precious metals or gemstones. Heavy m ...

deposit is in tertiary-age sediments of the

Eucla Basin The Eucla Basin is an artesian depression located in Western Australia and South Australia. The onshore-offshore depression covers approximately 1,141,000 km² and slopes southward to an open bay known as the Great Australian Bight. It ext ...

References

{{reflist Zirconium mines in Australia Mines in South Australia