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The ABS 1999 Yearbook for South Australia states, concerning Opal Mining at Mintabie, that: The opal fields at Coober Pedy, Mintabie and Andamooka, together with fields in New South Wales, supply most of the world’s precious opal. The estimated value of raw opal production in South Australia was $40.7m in 1997.
Coober Pedy (/ ˈ k uː b ər ˈ p iː d i /) is a town in northern South Australia, 846 km (526 mi) north of Adelaide on the Stuart Highway.The town is sometimes referred to as the "opal capital of the world" because of the quantity of precious opals that are mined there.
The Olympic Australis opal is the largest and most valuable opal yet found (as of 1961) [1] and was valued at A$2,500,000 in 1997. [2] It was found in 1956 at the 'Eight Mile' opal field near the town of Coober Pedy in South Australia. [3] The opal was found at a depth of 9.1 metres (30 ft).
Opal was discovered there in 1930, [11] and the town developed out of the scattered miners' camps which established in the area. An Andamooka Opal Fields Post Office was not opened until 13 January 1947, and was renamed Andamooka in 1990. [12] The road into Andamooka was sealed in the 1990s, some remaining roads in the town are still unsealed.
The Mintabie Opal Field in South Australia located about 250 km (160 mi) northwest of Coober Pedy has also produced large quantities of crystal opal and the rarer black opal. Over the years, it has been sold overseas incorrectly as Coober Pedy opal.
The District Council of Coober Pedy is a local government area located around the opal mining town of the same name in Outback South Australia.The district's economy is based on the large opal deposits found beneath it, which have made it a major mining centre and also a popular tourist destination.
Australia is the world's third largest exporter of fossil fuel carbon dioxide-emissions potential. [63] “Australia mines about 57 tonnes of CO2 potential per person each year, about 10 times the global average”. [63] Mining has had a substantial environmental impact in some areas of Australia.
The Fire of Australia opal is a 998 gram uncut opal mined by Walter Bartram in 1946 at the Eight Mile field in Coober Pedy, South Australia. [1] [2]