The Australian Resource Reviews are periodic national assessments of individual mineral commodities. The reviews include evaluations of short-term and long-term trends for each mineral resource, world rankings, production data, significant exploration results and an overview of mining industry developments.

The Australian Resource Reviews are periodic national assessments of individual mineral commodities. The reviews include evaluations of short-term and long-term trends for each mineral resource, world rankings, production data, significant exploration results and an overview of mining industry developments.

The Australian Resource Reviews are periodic national assessments of individual mineral commodities. The reviews include evaluations of short-term and long-term trends for each mineral resource, world rankings, production data, significant exploration results and an overview of mining industry developments.

The Provisional Administration of the Territories of Papua and New Guineas is investigating the possibility of manufacturing portland cement in the vicinity of Moresby and the question of supply of raw materials in that area has been referred to the Bureau of Mineral Resources. No field investigations into the supply and distribution of these materials has yet been undertaken, and these preliminary notes have been compiled from geological data and observations made available from previous geological reports. The raw materials from which portland cement is produced are limestone clay or shale and a small quantity of iron oxide. The availability and suitability of rock materials for cement manufacture in the Port Moresby area are discussed at length in this report. The general geology of the area and the availability of other materials required for the manufacturing process are briefly described.

This note concerns the request by the Midland Mining Co. Ltd. for financial assistance in the development of a deposit of kyanite to the north of Yanmah, in the Southern Division of Western Australia. The report comprises brief notes on the geology of the area, proposed work, and the occurrence of kyanite as these relate to the proposed further development of the deposit.

Attention was directed to the inadequacy of supplies of acid grade fluorspar in Australia when the Bureau of Mineral Resources was asked to sponsor an application to import a quantity from England in 1948. The British Ministry of Supply released a proportion of the amount required but advised that the supply position in England was not secure and only limited quantities could be released for export in the future. The Ministry suggested that if known Australian requirements were likely to be heavy, some material might be supplied as a matter of urgency. An investigation of the fluorspar industry in Australia was then undertaken to estimate future requirements and the extent to which these could be met from domestic sources; the results of this investigation are the subject of this report. The uses, grading, consumption, supply, prices, and projected future supplies of fluorspar are discussed.

The following notes are designed to summarise the work done during my recent visit to North America and United Kingdom. The purpose of the trip to the U.S.A. was to act as an alternate representative at the International Materials Conference, Washington. The International Materials Conference was convened in February 1951, its primary function being to ensure the equitable distribution of certain scarce commodities, and to consider what steps should be taken to expand production, increase availabilities, and conserve supplies.

Bores sunk at Cremorne in 1891 struck coal at approximately 2802 feet. A company was formed to work the coal, but was refused permission to operate at Cremorne. A site at Balmain was secured, and the Birthday Shaft was sunk to a depth of 2,937 feet between 1897 and 1902. This report provides an overview of the occurrence of natural gas and workings for the period 1897 to 1948. Gas yields, commercial production, leakage problems, and the use of testing to determine the behaviour of gas in the mine are the key subjects that are addressed in this report.

The Great Cobar ore deposit was discovered in 1870. Production commenced in 1871 and since that date mining at Cobar has been more or less continuous. The field has produced copper, gold, and silver to the value of approximately £A27,000,000. Cobar has been the most important producer of copper in New South Wales, and in recent years, has also been the most important gold-mining centre. The Zinc Corporation Limited is carrying out, with the aid of the Bureau, an extensive geological and geophysical examination of the area, with the hope of finding other orebodies. The Bureau itself has extended geological mapping over an area of approximately 2,000 square miles in the Cobar-Nymagee-Canbelego district with the ultimate aim of discovering other ore deposits, or even fields of the Cobar type. In the Nymagee district, North Broken Hill Limited is also carrying out, in co-operation with the Bureau, an extensive exploration programme. The history, production, reserves and prospects of the New Occidental, Chesney, and New Cobar mines are discussed in this report.

Shortly after I took up the appointment of Mineral Economist, the high quality of the mica from the Harts Range came to my notice. Accordingly, I paid a visit to Harts Range between the 22nd September and 4th October. In judging the possibilities of developing the mica deposits of the Harts Range, the difficulty is the almost complete lack of reliable detailed mining data in the past - production data for the later war years only are available. However, by comparing the degree of areal concentration of the pegmatites, the type of deposits and the quality and sizes of the mica so far produced with those in India, a reasonable picture can be obtained of comparative possibilities. The method of approach throughout this report, therefore, will be comparison of the Harts Range with India mica. This report gives an account of the present state of the Australian mica industry, including descriptions of current trade terms, the grading and classification of mica, and the Harts Range Mica Belt deposits. Suggestions and recommendations for the development of the industry are discussed.