After 37 years of operations and having exhausted its economic reserves, Rio Tinto’s iconic Argyle mine in the remote east Kimberley region of Western Australia has officially celebrated its last day of mining.
Rio Tinto’s Chief Executive of Copper and Diamonds, Arnaud Soirat, said 50 years ago there were very few people who believed there were diamonds in Australia – even fewer could have foreseen how the Argyle story would unfold.
“To arrive at this final chapter has required vision, courage and determination to overcome significant challenges to enter new territory in diamond exploration, mining and marketing,” Mr Soirat said.
“Today Argyle’s influence stretches into many spheres and over many continents and I am very proud to acknowledge all those people who have contributed to the discovery and development of the mine and the production of some of the finest diamonds the world has ever seen.”
The Argyle ore body, a single pipe known as AK1, was discovered in October 1979. Alluvial operations commenced in 1983, open-pit mining began in 1985 and the mine transitioned to a fully underground operation in 2013.
The underground operation was technologically advanced, and Argyle was the first block cave mine in Western Australia. Block cave mining involves undercutting the ore body and allowing it to break up or ‘cave’ under its own weight.
Since commencing production, the mine has produced more than 865 million carats of rough diamonds, becoming one of the world’s largest producers of diamonds and the largest supplier of natural coloured diamonds – including white, champagne, cognac, blue, violet and the rare and the highly-coveted Argyle pink and red diamonds. Due to their extreme rarity, pink, red and purple diamonds command much higher prices than equivalent white diamonds.
In 2018, Rio Tinto’s Argyle Pink Diamonds Tender was headlined by The Argyle Muse, a 2.28-carat polished oval diamond, the largest purplish red diamond ever offered at Tender. The diamond was sold to an anonymous buyer, with an estimated price of anywhere between $14 and 21 million [1].
Today Argyle employees, Traditional Owners and local stakeholders attended an event at the mine, signalling the formal transition from an operational mine to the commencement of closure.
The closure process is expected to take some five years to decommission and dismantle the mine and undertake rehabilitation, followed by a further period of monitoring.
Argyle will employ a smaller workforce after the final mining and diamond production activities, continuing to contribute to the local economy.
General Manager of the Argyle mine, Andrew Wilson, said its is a historic day for the Argyle mine and the east Kimberley region and a great source of pride for this unique Australian success story.
“A new chapter will now begin as we start the process of respectfully closing the Argyle mine and rehabilitating the land, to be handed back to its traditional custodians,” he said.
