Mccarthur River Mine Research Paper

Located in the Gulf of Carpentaria in the Northern Territory, the McArthur river zinc mine is one of the world’s largest zinc deposits of its kind. The mine first started in 1995 with the opening of the underground mine. The mine further developed in 2007-2008 with the opening of the open pit mine. The McArthur River mine is the largest producer of zinc in concentrate form and supplies 70% of the global demand. Over the last couple of years, there has been a lot of dispute as to whether the mine should be shut down. Many Aboriginal groups have been angered by the treatment of the land and the effects the mine is having on the environment.

Zinc is a silver/white transition metal and is currently the fourth most widely used metal in the world. Zinc has strong anti-corrosive properties and is used a lot in zinc galvanizing. It is often combined with other metals to form materials that are used in cars, household fixtures, and electrical components. Zincs atomic number is 30, its atomic mass is 65.38 and its electron configuration is 1s22s22p63s23p63d104s2 and is sometimes written as [Ar] 3d10 4s2. Zinc is essential to everyday life as it prolongs the life of steel used in houses, bridges, energy lines, telecommunications and transport while also helping save natural resources …show more content…
The zinc is transported from the mine to a loading facility and is then put on a barge and taken to loading ships in the Gulf of Carpentaria. From here it is transported to numerous places around the world including Europe and Asia. The mine makes a major economic contribution regionally and statewide. The mine brings in over $400 million a year with about a quarter of this money being generated within the Northern Territory. The mine also makes a significant contribution to supporting the local community by supplying jobs, skills, training, paying taxes and supporting community development