Phosphate and Potash
Prospectivity
The Georgina Basin is a world-class phosphate province with numerous large Cambrian sedimentary phosphorite deposits in both the Northern Territory and Queensland. The Territory has Australia’s largest undeveloped rock phosphate deposits in the Georgina Basin, including Verdant Minerals Ltd’s Ammaroo deposit and Avenira Ltd’s Wonarah deposit. These deposits comprise high-tonnage, near-surface sedimentary phosphorite. The resources have potential for near-term production of rock phosphate as direct shipping ore, with potential for value added products including yellow phosphorus, phosphoric acid, ammonium fertilisers and LFP cathode material. Potential exists for further phosphate discoveries in the vast Georgina and Wiso basins.
The Nolans rare earths deposit in the Aileron Province near Aileron, is hosted within fluorapatite, and contains 11% phosphate. A definitive feasibility study by Arafura Resources has proposed annual production of 144,400 tonnes of merchant grade phosphoric acid as a by-product of rare earths processing.
Significant potential for potash resources occurs within brines in aquifers associated with salt lakes in Central Australia as well as in evaporitic deposits within the Neoproterozoic to Palaeozoic Amadeus Basin. The Karinga Lakes potash project, southwest of Alice Springs, contains hundreds of salt lakes with associated sub-surface brines enriched in salts containing potassium, magnesium and sulfate.
Read the phosphate and potash factsheet PDF (2.3 MB)
Projects
In approvals process
| Region | Project | Resource | Company |
|---|---|---|---|
| Georgina Basin | Ammaroo | 1,141 Mt @ 14% P2O5 | Verdant Minerals Ltd |
| Georgina Basin | Wonarah | 842 Mt @ 18.1% P2O5 (DSO 66 Mt @ 30% P2O5) | Avenira Ltd |
| Aileron Province | Nolans | 56 Mt @ 2.6% REO, 11% P2O5 | Arafura Rare Earths Ltd |
JORC resources
| Region | Project | Resource | Company |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amadeus Basin | Karinga Lakes | 129 Mt @ 0.463% K2O (insitu brine resource) | No operator |
| Georgina Basin | Highland Plains | 53 Mt @ 16% P2O5 | Gibb River Diamonds Ltd |
More information
- Kruse et al 2013. Georgina Basin. In Geology and mineral resources of the Northern Territory. NTGS Special Publication 5, Chapter 28.
- Khan et al 2007. Phosphate testing of waterbores and diamond drillcore in the Georgina, Wiso and Daly basins, Northern Territory. NTGS Record 2007-003.
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