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The Ranger Uranium Mine is a uranium mine in the Northern Territory of Australia. It is surrounded by, but separate from Kakadu National Park, 230 km east of Darwin. The orebody was discovered in 1969, and the mine commenced operation in 1980, reaching full production of uranium oxide in 1981. It is operated by Energy Resources of Australia, a 68% subsidiary of Rio Tinto Group. Uranium mined at Ranger is sold for use in nuclear power stations in Asia, Europe and North America.〔 The original orebody was completely mined out by the end of 1995, although some ore remains stockpiled. A second orebody ("Ranger 3") began mining in 1997. Both have been open-pit mines. Open cut mining finished at Ranger in late 2012 and the mine is now processing stockpiled ore.〔 As of 2013, the ageing Ranger mine and has incurred financial losses in recent years, as a result of the continuing market slump which has followed the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster. Water management and waste management continue to be controversial issues. ==Discovery and operation of the mine== The Ranger orebody was discovered in 1969, and the mine commenced operation in 1980, reaching full production of uranium oxide in 1981. Owing to the environmental sensitivity of the site, a special statutory authority, the Supervising Scientist, was created to provide oversight of the operation and conduct environmental research in the region. Ranger mine covers two of a line of uranium orebodies that extend from near Nourlangie Rock in Kakadu north-eastwards to Koongarra, underneath Mount Brockman, then northwards through the Ranger One line of orebodies (in order Number 2, Number 1, and Number 3), then via Hades Flat, where there is uranium mineralisation, to Jabiluka where the line turns westward through the Barote and Ranger 4 orebodies. The mine covers No 1 Orebody and No 3 Orebody. No 2 orebody was excluded from the mining lease at the request of the traditional owners and included in Kakadu National Park. From Ranger 4 the line again turns northwards and then swings westward round an Archaean basement dome before turning south towards Nourlangie Rock again. Uranium mineralisation is known at several other places along this line but has never been explored in detail because of the creation of Kakadu. The name 'Ranger' for the series of discoveries made by Geopeko Limited, the exploration arm of the Australian mining company Peko-Wallsend Limited, in the period 1969 to 1972, was thought up by Judy Ryan, the wife of the geologist in charge of the program. Koongarra and Jabiluka were retained by the companies that found them: Noranda Australia and Pancontinental Mining respectively, although since sold to other parties. The other discoveries are enclosed in the National Park, locking up an energy source that is estimated to be greater than the oil reserves of Saudi Arabia. (12) Energy Resources of Australia Ltd (ERA) was named Explorer of the Year at the sixth annual Australian Mining Prospect Awards held in Sydney on Wednesday 11 November 2009. During 2008, ERA's exploration programme identified a very significant mineral resource adjacent to the existing Ranger 3 operating pit. The area, known as Ranger 3 Deeps, is estimated to contain 34 thousand tonnes of contained uranium oxide, and ranks among the world's most significant uranium discoveries in recent years.〔http://www.energyres.com.au/media/38_media_releases_2447.asp〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Ranger Uranium Mine」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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