Cobalt and scandium opportunities in New South...

Co & ScJ U LY 2 0 1 7

Cobalt and scandiumOpportunities in New South Wales, Australia澳大利亚新南威尔士州钴矿与钪矿投资机遇

To Adelaide

Summervale

Syerston Flemington

Bungonia

Pacific Highway

Hurlls Hill

OwendaleSyerston

Nyngan ScandiumProject

Thackaringa

ThuddungraWest Arm

ThuddungraEast Arm

New EnglandOrogen

LachlanOrogen

Thomson Orogen

Murray Basin

Delamerian OrogenCurnamonaCraton

DUBBO

Wentworth

Cobar

WOLLONGONG

Nyngan

Walgett

Coonamble

BrokenHill

Narrabri

Inverell

Goulburn

Griffith

NOWRA

Batemans Bay

Narooma

Bega

Cooma

Moree

WAGGAWAGGA

ALBURY

GraftonYamba

Ballina

LISMORE

NEWCASTLE

Balranald

Deniliquin

Tibooburra Lightning Ridge

Eden

BATHURST

PORT MACQUARIE

COFFS HARBOUR

Kempsey

Taree

Muswellbrook

Bourke

TAMWORTH

Armidale

SYDNEY

CANBERRA

Mudgee

ORANGEParkes

Cowra

Gunnedah

A.C.T.

Q U E E N S L A N D

V I C T O R I A

SO

UT

H A

US

TR

AL

I A

OwendaleOwendale

Sca

ndiu

m

REFERENCE

OccurrenceSmallMediumLargeDepositUltramafic rocks/serpentinitesExport portRailway Major road, sealedMajor road, unsealedGas pipeline

Cob

alt-

Sca

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Cob

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200 km

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Overview 概况

• Cobalt demand is increasing for lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles, various other rechargeable devices, and for super alloys.

• New South Wales (NSW) has excellent investment opportunities for cobalt and scandium, which are critical specialty metals with high supply risk.

• NSW hosts the world’s largest scandium-only resource.

Cobalt and scandium are key ‘tech metals’ that can add value to nickel and base-metal projects.

Cobalt 钴矿

Cobalt is a hard and lustrous metal and is mainly recovered as a by-product of smelting copper, zinc and nickel. About 36,000 tonnes or 29% of world cobalt production in 2015 was for batteries.

Scandium 钪矿

Lightweight scandium super alloys are used for aerospace and new high-tech applications, given their excellent strength and corrosion resistant properties.

Recent global consumption is 10–15 tonnes per year, mainly from recycling of military airframes and as a by-product of processing residual ore stockpiles and tailings (source — USGS).

Geological setting 地质环境

Cobalt occurs naturally as the arsenide Co(As2), known as smaltite or speiss cobalt; as cobalt sulfarsenide CoAsS, known as cobaltite or cobalt glance; glaucodot (Co,Fe)AsS; and as hydrated arsenate (Co(AsO4)2.8H2O), known as erythrite or cobalt bloom.

www.resourcesandenergy.nsw.gov.au

World resources 世界资源

Cobalt occurs in sediment-hosted stratiform copper deposits in Congo (Kinshasa) and Zambia. Cobalt and scandium commonly occur in lateritic deposits, mainly developed over orthomagmatic sulfide deposits and ultramafic and mafic rocks in Australia, Canada, Russia, and the United States. In laterite, they are adsorbed into clay minerals — e.g. Ni-Co asbolite (Ni,Co)2-xMn4+(O,OH)4.nH2O.

Cobalt is extracted by several processes including flotation, reduction, roasting, with electro-winning being the final stage.

NSW occurrences 新州产地

Cobalt has been produced as a by-product of smelting of base-metal ore at Broken Hill, manganiferous grits near Bungonia and has been produced from laterites near Carcoar and Port Macquarie. Extensive deep weathering during the ‘Tertiary’ period (Paleogene–Neogene) formed numerous laterite-hosted deposits.

Exploration opportunities 勘探机遇

Many prospective areas in NSW await systematic exploration for cobalt and scandium. They include:

• nickel–cobalt laterites developed over the Owendale–Syerston, Tout and Alaskan-type Fifield igneous complexes in the central Lachlan Orogen

• deeply weathered serpentinites such as the Great Serpentinite Belt (e.g. Port Macquarie deposits), the Coolac Serpentinite Belt and Jindalee Group (Thuddungra)

• ultramafic rock sequences under shallow cover

• residual manganese–cobalt rich ‘grits’ of Tertiary age near Bungonia, 160 km southwest of Sydney.

Tertiary laterite development 第三纪红土开发Surface

Hematitic (pisolitic) clay

Limonitic clay

Saprolite (smectitic clay)

Weathered serpentinite

Fresh serpentinite

Nickel-richCobalt-rich

Scandium-rich

10–1

00

m

World cobalt production (2016) 世界钴矿产量（2016）

Other 7%Zambia 4%

South Africa 2%

Russia 5%

Philippines 3%New Caledonia 3%

Madagascar 3%

Cuba 3%

USA 1%Australia 4%Canada 6%

China 6%

DemocraticRepublicof Congo 53%

Source: http://minerals.usgs.gov/

Cobalt uses (2016) 钴矿用量与用途（2016）

31%Chemical applications

16%Other metal applications

8%Cemented carbides – hardened

45%Superalloys (mainly jet turbines)

Source: http://minerals.usgs.gov/

Further information 详细信息

The Advanced Mineral Projects & Exploration Highlights in NSW Map summarises recent exploration activities and ore reserve/resource announcements. This map is updated every six months and is available at www.resourcesandenergy.nsw.gov.au

Project highlights 亮点项目

Deposit name Current resources and reservesContained cobalt (t)

Contained scandium (t)

Hurlls Hill Prospect (inferred) 10.8 Mt @ 0.66% Ni, 0.010% Co & 41ppm Sc 1080 443

Nyngan scandium project (measured & indicated) 16.9 Mt @ 235 ppm Sc (100 ppm cutoff) – 3972

Owendale (measured, indicated & inferred) 25.9 Mt @ 381 ppm Sc, 0.34 g/t Pt, 0.12% Ni, 0.06% Co, 42 ppb Pd, 51% FeO & 1.1% MgO 15 540 9868

Summervale (inferred) 16 Mt @ 0.06% Co 9600 –

Syerston (measured, indicated & inferred) 25.4 Mt @ 414 ppm Sc (300 ppm cutoff) 1.2 Mt @ 666 ppm Sc (600 ppm cutoff) – 10 516

Syerston Flemington (measured, indicated & inferred) 3.143 Mt @ 434 ppm Sc – 1363

Thackaringa (Big Hill, Pyrite Hill & Railway) total global resource (indicated & inferred) 54.9 Mt @ 910 ppm Co (500 ppm cutoff) 49 959 –

Thuddungra East Arm (inferred) 34.6 Mt @ 0.77% Ni & 0.08% Co 27 680 –

Thuddungra West Arm (inferred) 20.5 Mt @ 0.81% Ni & 0.07% Co 14 350 –

Contact: mra.info@industry.nsw.gov.au | +61 2 4931 6689

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