55 billion tonnes of high grade iron ore found under Pilbara, Western Australia
Researchers report a 55 billion tonne deposit with more than 60% iron in the Hamersley region, valued at about 6.15 trillion AUD and published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on 27 January 2026.
- The deposit is estimated at 55 billion metric tonnes with iron concentrations exceeding 60 percent located beneath Hamersley in the Pilbara, Western Australia.
- The discovery is valued at roughly 6.15 trillion Australian dollars based on current market estimates.
- The study was published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and lists Curtin University researchers including Dr Liam Courtney-Davis and Associate Professor Martin Danisík among the authors.
- New isotopic dating revises the formation age of the deposit from around 2.2 billion years to about 1.4 billion years.
- Advanced imaging and isotope analysis revealed the deposit and showed much higher iron purity than prior estimates.
- Analysts say the find could influence global iron markets, supply chains and trade relationships and will prompt further research on extraction methods and ancient crustal processes.