Browns polymetallic ore deposit "sulfide" resources. The oxide resources consist of supergene or weathered sulfide ore where the ore mineralogy is dominated by metal oxides, hydroxides, clays and carbonates after the original sulfide mineralogy. The Browns deposit is currently being developed as a major base metals mine by Compass Resources NL, an Australian public company, in joint venture with Hunan Nonferrous Metals Corporation, a Chinese government company. The mine is due to be complete in August 2008, after suffering cost escalation and construction delays, and will produce 15,000 tonnes of copper, 4,000 tonnes of cobalt and 4,000 tonnes of nickel per annum, with a
Broken Hill ore deposit mining is concentrated in the Blackwood Open Cut, which commenced in 1973, and the Kintore Open Cut. Stope fill, plus remnant supergene silver and sulphide ore characterize the ore reserve. Pasminco Limited took over the leases of The Zinc Corporation, Limited, and New Broken Hill Consolidated Limited. Their main shafts included ZC, NBHC and Southern Cross. These ZC Mines Leases lie south of the MMM Mining Leases along the Broken Hill "line of lode". By the early 1950s the Broken Hill area had suffered a major drought of over 8 years which was close to shutting down the mining operation.