Grange Resources - Savage River Mine
| Site | Savage River Mine |
| Location | Tasmania Australia |
| System | 2 instrument |
| Commissioned | 2002 |
The Savage River mine and concentrator plant are 100 kilometres south west from Burnie by road. The pelletising plant and dedicated port facilities at Port Latta are located 70 kilometres north west of Burnie. The operations at Savage River and Port Latta operate continuously 24 hours per day, seven days per week. The mine is accessed by sealed road that branches off the main north-south Link Road from Burnie to Rosebery. Savage River Mine is located in North West Tasmania at an elevation of 100-350m. The terrain is rugged and mountainous, and covered with dense rain forest.
The mine and concentrating plant are both in the Savage River valley, with the Savage River flowing through the mine site and ultimately discharging into the Pieman River, which then flows westwards to the coast. The climate of the area is characterised by cool temperatures, and high and consistent annual rainfall. The average annual rainfall at Savage River is 1,953.9mm.
The mine comprises three principal open pits – North, Central and South Pits – Oriented north-south covering a 4km strike length and separated by unmined zones of thin or low grade material. An exploration lease is also held over Long Plains which is another occurrence of magnetite mineralization further south. Centre Pit is separated from North Pit by the Savage River which runs through a pillar area left to retain the river channel. The pits average 100-150m in depth – the proposed cut back and extensions will deepen them by up to a further 250m.
Mining activities in the open pit involve the use of conventional off – highway rear-dump trucks and hydraulic excavators, with drilling and blasting being used to prepare the ground ahead of mining. Grade control sampling is conducted on all blast holes within the orebody, as well as on selected holes around the periphery.
