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Bauxite in the Wessel Islands, Arnhem Land, Northern Territory of Australia

Created 16/10/2025

Updated 16/10/2025

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Pisolitic bauxite containing between 40 and 50 per cent available alumina was discovered on islands off the north-east coast of Arnhem Land in 1949, and after preliminary reconnaissance in 1951 a thorough exploration of the deposits on Marchinbar Island, Wessel group was undertaken by the Australian Aluminium Production Commission. The island is composed of a gently titled alternating sequence of sandstone, siltstone and shale of upper Proterozoic age bearing remnants of a lateritized surface which includes the bauxite occurrences. Bauxite has developed by lateritization of a sericite-quartz siltstone containing rather more than 50 per cent sericite. The rock contains 65 per cent total silica, 19 per cent alumina and 6 per cent potash. Economic bauxite is mainly confined to the Pisolitic zone which has a maximum depth of 16.5 feet and rests upon red or red and black tubular and massive laterite. Over limited areas high alumina values persist downwards into the red tubular zone for a few feet. The deposits were proved by sampling pits sunk at intersections of rectangular grids spaced at 400 feet by 200 feet, except for one deposit (Fox), which was tested on a wider scale. Proved reserves are given in the following table, but the figures for Fox deposits are of a lower order of accuracy and should be regarded as indicated reserves. [See record for full details]. The total is equivalent to 4,500,000 tons of available alumina or 2,380,000 tons of aluminium metal.

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Field Value
Title Bauxite in the Wessel Islands, Arnhem Land, Northern Territory of Australia
Language eng
Licence Not Specified
Landing Page https://data.gov.au/data/dataset/892283ea-0c4a-49ef-8ced-fc8863f71eed
Contact Point
Geoscience Australia Data
clientservices@ga.gov.au
Reference Period 22/04/2018
Geospatial Coverage
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
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  "type": "Polygon"
}
Data Portal Geoscience Australia

Data Source

This dataset was originally found on Geoscience Australia "Bauxite in the Wessel Islands, Arnhem Land, Northern Territory of Australia". Please visit the source to access the original metadata of the dataset:
https://ecat.ga.gov.au/geonetwork/srv/eng/csw/dataset/bauxite-in-the-wessel-islands-arnhem-land-northern-territory-of-australia