Cyclone threat closes Australian port

(Corrects headline and first paragraph to remove erroneous reference to Chevron's use of the port)

SYDNEY, May 1 (Reuters) - An Australian port has been forced to close by a cyclone off the country's west coast, though the country's largest iron ore port was not impacted.

The Port of Ashburton was shut at 0400 GMT, the Pilbara Ports Authority said.

But Australia's largest iron ore export terminal, Port Hedland, and the port of Dampier, one of two used by Rio Tinto (Xetra: 855018 - news) to ship iron ore, remain open, the authority added.

Tropical Cyclone Quang is expected to hit the Australian west coast within a few hours, the Australian Bureau of Meteorology said, bringing winds up to 100 kilometres per hour.

The cyclone is expected to weaken as it makes landfall, the weather bureau said.

(Reporting by Colin Packham)