CSA is one of the deepest underground mines in Australia at...

CSA is one of the deepest underground mines in Australia at 1.75km deep. It appears only the Mount Isa Enterprise Copper mine in Qld is deeper at 1.9km depth. Both resources are very high grade copper ore. MIM (part of Glencore Group) owns Mt Isa Mine & CSA was sold by Glencore to MAC. Mining at those depths underground comes with a whole range of issues. Ventilation being one of them.

Mount Isa Mines (Copper, lead, zinc & silver) is currently the highest atmospheric emitter of sulphur dioxide, lead and several other metals in Australia. Other research has confirmed that there has been widespread contamination of soils with lead, copper and other metals in and around Mount Isa and that these contaminants are derived from both historic and ongoing smelter emissions and fugitive dust from Mount Isa Mines.

Mt Isa Copper occurs in brecciated "silica-dolomite" rock. Primary minerals are chalcopyrite, pyrrhotite and arsenopyrite. Minor amounts of cobaltite, marcasite, valleriite, chalcostibite, galena and others are reported. Cobaltite is a sulfide mineral composed of cobalt, arsenic, and sulfur, CoAsS. Its impurities may contain up to 10% iron and variable amounts of nickel. Structurally, it resembles pyrite (FeS2) with one of the sulfur atoms replaced by an arsenic atom.