The feature is based on a map produced for the August edition of sister publication RESOURCESTOCKS by IntierraRMG.

IntierraRMG selected the top 15 mines for each of gold, iron ore and thermal coal, 14 each for coking coal and base metals (including base metal-silver mines), nine nickel mines, five each for bauxite and heavy mineral sands, three brown coal mines, plus the single largest uranium, diamond, manganese, tin and phosphate mines.

Projects were selected based on mining operations and not necessarily individual mines, with more than half being open pit.

Western Australia had the most mines on the list at 45, improving over 2011’s figure of 42.

Thanks to coal, Queensland was next with 25, down from 28, while New South Wales had 17, up from 15.

The Northern Territory and Victoria each had four, South Australia had three and Tasmania had two.

Rio Tinto was the biggest owner, with 19 mines, down from 21 in 2011, while BHP Billiton had 16 on the list, down from 17.

Newly merged Glencore Xstrata had 12 of the top 100, up from 11, Anglo American had six, Barrick Gold had five and Newmont Mining had four.

Other multi-mine owners were Peabody Energy and MMG, with three on the list each, and Newcrest Mining, Gold Fields, Fortescue Metals Group, Wesfarmers, Iluka Resources, Alcoa, Alumina and Cristal Mining all with two.

MNP will be running profiles on some of Australia’s Richest Mines all month.