The incident comes come barely a day after BHP reported rockfall damage to a culturally significant site in the Pilbara region.

Underlying dynamics suggest it isn’t going to be a repeat of the epic China-led boom at the start of this century.

Ten years after the adoption of United Nations principles, a study shows most miners have yet to step up efforts to improve their human rights record.

It has lodged an application for a new exploration license in the area where is already developing the Havieron gold-copper project with Newcrest.

The miner is giving $9bn in cash back to shareholders and has laid out plans to tackle its global customers' carbon footprint.

It has partnered with German steel group SHS-Stahl-Holding-Saar and engineering group Paul Wurth for potential industrial scale low-carbon iron production in Canada.