Lachy, suggest you brush up your geology a bit. Looks like there...

Lachy, suggest you brush up your geology a bit. Looks like there may be some gaps at the moment. The granitic intrusive at Balama, which, after a few hundred million years of erosion, is now Mt Coronge, is believed by the SYR geologists to have caused secondary metamorphism. This recrystallized the adjacent graphitic schists, generating a zone of large-flake graphite, and meaning that SYR, unlike most graphite producers, is in a position to meet demand for a wide range of flake sizes.

Granite does not occur as layers, between layers of graphite, at Balama, or anywhere else. Granite is an igneous intrusive rock, whereas graphite typically results from the regional metamorphism of sedimentary rocks. Balama - a classic example of this situation - has extensive, very thick graphite occurrences, outcropping at the surface, with virtually zero overburden to dig for decades to come..

Perhaps you are confusing this situation with that at some other graphite mines, (possibly close by, as you suggest) where there are substantial beds of low-grade material between the graphitic layers, resulting in high strip ratios. Can you think of any?

Cheers,

Prime1