The Robinson Ranges are a range of hills approximately 120 kilometres (75 mi) north of Meekatharra in central Western Australia

Western Australia

Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...

. The range is a unique physographic feature located within the upper section of the Padbury group sequence in the Palaeoproterozoic basin. Robinson Range is situated on the boundary between the younger Gascoyne province to the North and the older Yilgarn block to the South.

It forms the boundary between the upper catchments of the Murchison

Murchison River (Western Australia)

The Murchison River is the second longest river in Western Australia. It flows for about from the southern edge of the Robinson Ranges to the Indian Ocean at Kalbarri. It has a mean annual flow of about 200 million cubic metres.-Course:...

 and Gascoyne

Gascoyne River

At 760 km, the Gascoyne River is the longest river in Western Australia.The river rises below Wilgoona Hill in the Robinson Ranges west of the Gibson Desert and it flows into Shark Bay and the Indian Ocean at Carnarvon....

 Rivers. The former arises from the southern slopes, flowing around 780 kilometres west to the Indian Ocean

Indian Ocean

The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...

.

Iron Ore

Iron

Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...

 and manganese

Manganese

Manganese is a chemical element, designated by the symbol Mn. It has the atomic number 25. It is found as a free element in nature , and in many minerals...

 tenements exist close to the range and are held under native title by the traditional owners, the Nharnuwangga Wajarri and Ngarlawangga peoples. The mining company involved, Midwest Corporation, expect to begin advanced exploration in 2009 following a heritage agreement being completed in 2008.
The Palaeoproterozoic formation contains a high amount of Hematite

Hematite

Hematite, also spelled as haematite, is the mineral form of iron oxide , one of several iron oxides. Hematite crystallizes in the rhombohedral system, and it has the same crystal structure as ilmenite and corundum...

 and Goethite

Goethite

Goethite , named after the German polymath Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, is an iron bearing oxide mineral found in soil and other low-temperature environments. Goethite has been well known since prehistoric times for its use as a pigment. Evidence has been found of its use in paint pigment samples...

minerals that were first discovered in the 1970s.

Further reading

• Western Australia. Dept. of Land Administration. Cartographic Services Branch.(1991) Land systems of the Murchison River catchment and surrounds : map series to accompany W.A. Department of Agriculture technical bulletin no. 84 Map Data: Scale 1:250,000 (E 115o10'--E 118o45'/S 25o--S 28o10').Notes: "Land systems of the Murchison River catchment and surrounds by K.A. Leighton ... [et al.]". "Date of survey: 1986-1988". Location maps:Belele, Byro, Cue, Glenburgh, Murgoo, Robinson Range.