Large resources also occur in the Roper iron field, hosted in the Roper Group of the McArthur Basin, south of the Roper River. The field contains more than 1 billion tonnes of moderate grade iron ore, with around 85 million tonnes of higher grade direct shipping ore (57-59% Fe) at the Roper Valley and Roper Bar deposits. Mining occurred at Roper Bar in 2013-2014, with export through Bing Bong port. Iron ore in the Roper field varies from massive to oolitic and pisolitic haematite, within the Mesoproterozoic Sherwin Ironstone Member.

Advanced projects

In approvals process

• Roper Valley – NT Iron Ore Pty Ltd 529.3 Mt @ 42.9% Fe including 41.1 Mt @ 57.8% Fe
• Roper Bar (care and maintenance) – Nathan River Resources Pty Ltd 629.7 Mt @ 40.3% Fe including 44.1 Mt @ 58.5% Fe

Iron resources also occur as part of TNG Ltd’s Mount Peake vanadium-rich magnetite project in the Aileron Province, where feasibility studies propose the production of high purity Fe₂O₃ with vanadium pentoxide and titanium dioxide.

Advanced projects

In approvals process

• Mount Peake – TNG Ltd 160.4 Mt @ 23% Fe, 0.28% V₂O₅, 5.3% TiO₂

Pine Creek Orogen hosts a number of high grade and low tonnage hydrothermally-enriched hematite deposits.

Advanced projects

In approvals process

• Yarram – Gold Valley Iron Pty Ltd  15.1 Mt @ 52.1% Fe and 0.24% P including 4.5 Mt @ 61.7% Fe

Historical mining of gold- and copper-bearing ironstone at Tennant Creek has produced tailings containing up to 70% magnetite at a number of sites that are located near the Alice Springs-Darwin railway line and existing infrastructure.

Advanced projects

Under feasibility

• Warrego tailings – Wisdom Initiative Pty Ltd 7.72 Mt @ 35.2% Fe for magnetite concentrate of 2.92 Mt @ 67.1% Fe

• NTGS Report 13 – Iron ore, manganese and bauxite deposits of the Northern Territory (2001)
• Glass and de Chaeney, AGES 2014 Abstracts Volume – Frances Creek iron ore deposit - a unique style of iron mineralisation?