After iron and aluminium, copper is the third most-used metal in the industrialised world. Malleable, corrosion-resistant and highly conductive, it’s an ideal material for electrical and electronic components, as well as construction, medical and numerous other applications. It’s so ubiquitous, its price is regarded as a general indicator of global economic health.
Finding new deposits is, therefore, a top priority for the world’s mining companies. The challenge, as in all mineral exploration, is doing so while minimising the environmental impact and being able to explore at greater surface depths.
Hillgrove Resources faced exactly this dilemma at its Kanmantoo Copper Gold Mine, which lies about 55 kilometres (34 miles) southeast of Adelaide. Copper was first discovered and mined underground there in the 1840s, with open-cut mining operations finally ending in the 1970s. In the early 2000s, Hillgrove proved substantial additional copper resources at the site; and in 2021 announced plans to expand the mine, going as deep as 900m below the surface.
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