Silica Sand
It’s not every day that a government geoscience leader talks about AI assistants, rare earth mapping, and century-long prosperity in the same breath – but that’s exactly what Melissa Harris did in Perth.
A waste stream from iron ore processing is proving it can outperform conventional materials in building mine haul roads and deliver major environmental gains.
New rules, stricter enforcement and a state-wide crackdown are forcing South Australian mines and quarries to radically rethink how they manage crystalline silica exposure - or risk being shut down.
A new study in Occupational Medicine has found that respirable crystalline silica (RCS) exposures in the Western Australian mining industry are now so low that the risk of silicosis is negligible - even in job categories traditionally considered high risk.
As ore grades decline and sustainability pressures rise, mining operations are being forced to find new ways to optimise resource extraction.
Western Australia’s mining safety watchdog has released its June incident report, revealing a combined 338 notifiable and reportable incidents across the state’s operations, including several serious occurrences resulting in injuries and substantial corporate penalties.
It’s not often that a guidance document—rather than an actual regulation—sends shockwaves through the mining sector.
The NSW Resources Regulator has released a revised Technical Reference Guide (TRG): Monitoring and Control of Worker Exposure to Airborne Dust, aimed at helping mine operators meet legal obligations and safeguard workers from inhalable hazards, including respirable crystalline silica.
A new player in Western Australia’s industrial minerals space is making a serious tilt at Asia’s booming demand for high-purity quartz (HPQ), with a dual-mine revival strategy backed by testwork breakthroughs, smart ore sorting, and a boots-on-ground presence in China’s quartz processing heartland.
In the scrubby sands of Western Australia’s Mid West, a quietly ambitious mining development is nearing a final government tick — and it’s shaping up to be a masterclass in low-impact, high-efficiency industrial minerals extraction.
