Mining
Spodumene at Greenbushes is mined from the fresh, unweathered zones in the pegmatite that are exposed in the open pits.
Mining at Greenbushes started in the alluvial washes in local creeks and later moved to the weathered pegmatite. Both open pit and underground mining methods have been used to mine the deposits. Dredging operations were also used for a number of years to recover surface deposits.
Today, waste and ore are drilled and then blasted on either five or ten metre benches using explosives emulsion. The broken material is removed using a hydraulic excavator and 90 tonne dump trucks. Ore is taken to the Run of Mine (ROM) pad where it is stockpiled according to its mineralogical characteristics and grade. Waste material is trucked to designated areas within the site where it is contoured and replanted as part of an ongoing rehabilitation plan.
