Irvine Island facts for kids
Irvine Island is a cool island found off the coast of Western Australia. It's part of a group of islands called the Buccaneer Archipelago.
This island is about 11 kilometers (7 miles) from the main coast. It's also around 250 kilometers (155 miles) northeast of Broome. And it's about 140 kilometers (87 miles) north of Derby.
Irvine Island covers an area of about 893 hectares (2,207 acres). That's pretty big! It sits close to other islands like Koolan and Cockatoo Islands. All these islands share the same special rocks that contain iron. Irvine Island is about 5 kilometers (3 miles) west of Cockatoo Island.
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Rocks and Minerals
Irvine Island is made up of rocks from something called the Yampi Formation. These rocks are very old, from a time called the Paleoproterozoic Era. They are sedimentary rocks, which means they formed from layers of sand and mud that hardened over millions of years.
What are these rocks made of?
The rocks on Irvine Island include different types of sandstone, which is rock made from sand. There's also siltstone, which is like hardened mud. Some of these rocks have a lot of hematite, which is a type of iron ore. There are also rocks called hematitic conglomerate, which are made of pebbles and gravel stuck together with iron.
How Iron Ore Formed Here
Irvine Island, along with its neighbors Koolan and Cockatoo, is special because it has a lot of iron ore. This iron ore formed at the bottom of the Yampi Formation. The main type of iron ore found here is hematite. There's also a small amount of magnetite.
These iron-rich rocks formed a long, long time ago near an ancient shoreline. Heavy minerals containing iron were washed up and gathered on beaches or sandbars. Over time, these minerals were buried and turned into the iron ore we see today.
Mining in the Area
Mines on Koolan and Cockatoo Islands have been digging for iron since 1951. The iron deposits on Irvine Island are still being checked out. Scientists and mining companies are trying to figure out how much iron is there and if it can be mined.
Island Exploration History
Companies have been looking for iron on Irvine Island for a long time. BHP, a big mining company, started exploring for iron on Koolan, Cockatoo, and Irvine Islands in the early 1900s.
In the 1930s and 1950s, BHP was given special permission to explore and mine on Irvine Island. This shows that people have known about the island's iron for many years.
