Australia to Ban Shale Mining Under Great Barrier Reef

SYDNEY - Mining for shale oil under the Great Barrier Reef will likely be banned by Australia's government, the Guardian newspaper reported Thursday, citing briefing documents. 

Queensland Energy Resources is building an onshore open-cut rock mine and a demonstration processing plant near Gladstone to determine whether to develop areas holding an estimated 8 billion barrels of shale oil after the state government lifted a moratorium on the shale-oil industry in February. 

But a briefing sent to federal environmental minister Tony Burke seen by the Guardian reportedly says that Canberra has the power to put a brake on the nascent shale-oil industry if it interferes with the reef, which is a world heritage site. 

"World heritage principals on mineral extraction are absolutely clear," the newspaper quotes Mr. Burke as saying. "You can't extract minerals or oil from under the Great Barrier Reef." 

Queensland Energy said it has no plans to mine shale reserves below the high tide line, the Guardian added.

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Australia to Ban Shale Mining Under Great Barrier Reef

SYDNEY - Mining for shale oil under the Great Barrier Reef will likely be banned by Australia's government, the Guardian newspaper reported Thursday, citing briefing documents. 

Queensland Energy Resources is building an onshore open-cut rock mine and a demonstration processing plant near Gladstone to determine whether to develop areas holding an estimated 8 billion barrels of shale oil after the state government lifted a moratorium on the shale-oil industry in February. 

But a briefing sent to federal environmental minister Tony Burke seen by the Guardian reportedly says that Canberra has the power to put a brake on the nascent shale-oil industry if it interferes with the reef, which is a world heritage site. 

"World heritage principals on mineral extraction are absolutely clear," the newspaper quotes Mr. Burke as saying. "You can't extract minerals or oil from under the Great Barrier Reef." 

Queensland Energy said it has no plans to mine shale reserves below the high tide line, the Guardian added.

Copyright (c) 2013 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.

Generated by readers, the comments included herein do not reflect the views and opinions of Rigzone. All comments are subject to editorial review. Off-topic, inappropriate or insulting comments will be removed.

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Friday's mining news: Sable nears Nimba resource estimate

Sable Mining Africa announced good progress at its Nimba iron ore project in Guinea, while Xstrata unveiled plans to increase production.

Sable nears maiden Nimba resource estimate

Sable Mining Africa (SBLM) on Friday said it expected a maiden Joint Ore Reserves Committee resource from its Nimba iron ore project in Guinea in the first quarter of 2013.

Sable intends to follow this with completion of a pre-feasibility study, environmental impact assessment submission and mining licence application.

The mine remains the focus for the company, which it believes has near-term direct shipping ore potential.

Sable remains well financed, with $23.4 million (

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Thursday's mining news: Amur gets licence boost

Amur Minerals was lifted by progress on a mining licence application in Russia, but a disposal warning dented African Copper shares.

Amur expects mining licence progress

Amur Minerals Corporation (AMC) has welcomed the news that the responsibility for determining the value of concentrates from its Kun-Manie project in Russia will be passed from the Ministry of Economic Development to the Ministry of Natural Resources.

There have been delays in the process, which is needed to determine how much the company will have to pay for the conversion of an exploration licence to a mining licence, and as such responsibility has been reassigned.

Amur said this should speed up the process, and the markets seemed to agree, with the stock trading up 11% on Thursday morning.

African Copper falls on disposal warning

African Copper (ACU) has released a further cautionary statement in line with those throughout the year and most recently on 3 October. Shares in the firm lost 7.7% on Thursday morning.

South African company ZCI, which is trying to realise value from its 84.9% holding in African Copper, may dispose of its entire interest in the firm.

African Copper advised shareholders that the process was ongoing and could have a material effect on the price of the company's securities.

Bellzone flagship project doubles resource

Bellzone Mining (BZM) has released a 99% increase in the resource for its flagship Kalia project in the Republic of Guinea.

The resource tonnage has increased by 99%, with a 2.8% increase in grade for its total oxide and supergene-banded iron formation resources from 413.9 to 822.6 million tonnes, at 36.8% iron content.

The total direct shipping ore resources are 87.5 million tonnes at a grade of 54.1%, which can be upgraded to a product grade ore through crushing and screening.

Bellzone intends to make its first shipment of iron ore in December, the first in Guinea since 1966, despite commissioning issues with a floating transhipment system, which pushed shipment into late December.

Rambler makes steady progress

Rambler Metals and Mining (RMM) produced a total of 4,955 wet metric tonnes (wmt) of concentrate in the three months to 31 October to reach a total of 7,450 wmt since the start of commissioning in May 2012.

Concentrate averaged 27% copper with six grams of gold per tonne and 49 grams of silver per tonne, with milling recoveries for copper and gold consistently averaging 90% and 65% respectively.

Revenues were $9.5 million (

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Monday's mining news: Anglo Asian signs Glencore contract

Anglo Asian Mining was buoyed by a new copper sales contract with Glencore International, while Aurum Mining announced encouraging drilling results.

Anglo Asian signs Glencore sales agreement

Shares in Anglo Asian Mining (AAZ) gained 4.5% on the news that it has signed a contract with Glencore International (GLEN) for the sale of 2,500 wet metric tonnes (WMT) and 550 dry metric tonnes of copper concentrate, when available, from its Gedabek gold/copper/silver mine in Azerbaijan.

Under the terms of the sales agreement, which is due to commence before the end of the current year, Glencore will purchase 250 WMT per month of copper concentrate product.

There is also an option for Anglo Asian to stop selling copper concentrate product to Glencore after 1,500 WMT has been sold.

Further positive results for Aurum and Ormonde

Aurum Mining (AUR) and Ormonde Mining (ORM) have reported further encouraging results from a trenching programme at their joint venture, the Cabeza de Caballo Gold Prospect in Spain.

Results received from samples collected in the latest two trenches excavated on an extensive gold-in-soil anomaly have encountered gold mineralisation over wide zones of good grade. The results came from two trenches and followed initial results that encountered similar gold mineralisation.

Trench CABTR004 encountered two main zones of veining and mineralisation of 19 metres and 30 metres width. The best interval within the two mineralised zones included four metres at 8.17 grams per tonne (g/t) gold, and one metre at 14 g/t.

If zero gold grade is assigned to the intervals that were not sampled in this zone, then this gives an average grade of 0.97 g/t over the 30 metres.

Trench CABTR006, located approximately 90 metres south of the first, returned 21 metres grading at 3.71 g/t from a similar zone of quartz-sulphide veining.

These trenches are located on a gold-in-soil anomaly, which has a strike length of 800 metres.

Shares in Ormonde gained 7.8% on Monday morning, while Aurum moved up 3%.

Stellar Diamonds ups Droujba resource

Stellar Diamonds (STEL) has increased the resource estimate at its Droujba Kimberlite Project, Guinea.

A 475-metre long section of Katcha dyke has added a further 446,500 carats to the resource, increasing the total Joint Ore Reserves Committee-compliant resource increased to 2.9 million carats.

Katcha remains open with an estimated strike length of five kilometres based on field mapping. An economic scoping study is planned for the first quarter of 2013.

Despite the upgrade, shares in the firm lost 4.5% on Monday morning.

Afferro unveils testing results

Afferro Mining (AFF) has released the results from the direct shipping ore bulk metallurgical testing conducted on material from the Nkout project in Cameroon.

Over five tonnes of potential ore material was tested from 12 representative holes across the Nkout deposit, with the fines product achieved with a 63.4% iron grade and low-deleterious materials, using simple attrition scrubbing.

Low-cost crushing was implied, due to the soft, incompetent rock with a very low bond work index of 2,600 kilowatt hours per tonne.

Saprolite and magnetite bulk metallurgical testing is expected to be delivered in January 2013.

Amur drilling doubles mineralisation length

Amur Minerals (AMC) has doubled the strike length of mineralisation at its Maly Kurumkon nickel-copper sulphide project in Russia as a result of its 2012 drilling programme.

A total of 4,149 metres of drilling in 23 holes were completed in a 1.5 kilometre-long area immediately east of Maly Kurumkon. Results confirmed the mineralisation extends eastward along strike for a total of two kilometres, doubling the previous drill-defined length within the 2007 pre-feasibility study.

Historical and 2012 drill results indicated that that mineralisation at Maly Kurumkon remains open along strike in both directions and at depth, providing the company with the potential to further increase the resource at this deposit.

Red Rock raises

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Friday's mining news: Afferro settles tax dispute

Afferro Mining settled a Liberian tax dispute, while Jubilee Platinum announced a tailings-processing agreement in South Africa.

Afferro settles Liberian tax dispute with $10 million payment

Afferro Mining (AFF) has announced the signature of a compromise and settlement agreement with the Liberian government in relation to outstanding tax claims made by the government. The claim relates to the sale of Afferro's 38.5% minority interest in Severstal Liberia Iron Ore to Lybica, an affiliate of Severstal.

The parties have agreed that a single payment of $9.8 million (

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