REGIONAL GOLD EXPLORATION 101

Dirga David Suhendi – Regional Exploration Geologist

DERMAGA ‘90 – January 14th, 2023

SPEAKER PROFILE
Personal Information

Name : Dirga David Suhendi

Place, DoB : Klaten, August 16th 1993

Fieldwork Experiences
E-mail : [email protected]
Gosowong
Education : B.Sc of Geology, ITB (2011-2015)
M.Sc of Geology, ITB (2022-now)

Working Experiences :
▪ September 2016 – Present Cibaliung Pongkor East Java Oksibil

Regional Exploration Geologist – Unit Geomin PT Antam Tbk

Presentation Outline

1. Introduction

2. Deposits Geology

3. Regional Exploration Strategies

4. Significant Issues
Introduction

Antares Mountains, Papua

Why is Gold Valuable?
Why is Gold Valuable?
Global Gold Potential

Source : https://www.visualcapitalist.com/mapped-the-
10-largest-gold-mines-in-the-world-by-production/
Magmatic Arcs of Indonesia (Carlile and Mitchel, 1994)

Magmatic Arc
Metallogenic Provinces of Indonesia (van Leeuwen, 2018)
 Indonesia Au-Cu Prospectivity
Risked high-ranking Terrains by Technical Merit (Sutopo, 2018)

Tier 2

Tier 2
Tier 3

Tier 1A

Tier 4

Tier 1B

Tier 1A : Papua & Papua Nugini ( >300 Moz Au)

Tier 1B: East Java, NTB & NTT ( >100 Moz Au)
Tier 2 : Aceh, North Sulawesi & Halmahera ( >50 Moz Au)
Tier 3 : Kalimantan( >40 Moz Au)
Tier 4 : Sumatera & West Java (20 Moz Au)
Deposits Geology

Antares Mountains, Papua

Mineral Deposit System

Simplified alteration minerals zone model using ASD TerraSpec (Harrison, 2013)

Sillitoe, 2010
Porphyry Cu-Au Evolution
Early Late

Corbett, 2009
Idealized Porphyry Deposit Model (Lowell and Gilbert, 1970)
Porphyry

Grasberg Gold Mine, Papua

Epithermal High Sulfidation

Schematic section illustrating the alteration relationship of the high-sulfidation epithermal

system in a flow dome setting (Arribas et al., 2000 modified from Sillitoe, 1999)
Epithermal Low Sulfidation
Hishikari Mine, Kagoshima

Photo credits: National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science

Cibaliung Mine, Banten Pongkor Mine, Bogor and Technology (AIST) and Sumitomo Metal Mining Co., Ltd.
Epithermal Intermediate Sulfidation
Un-telescoped PCD – HSE system
Lithocap
Lithocap

Subang et al., 2016

 High Tonnage Med Tonnage
Low Grade Med Grade

The open-pit mine of Freeport's Grasberg copper and gold mine complex in Indonesia © Reuters http://www.womp-int.com/story/2013vol04/story027.htm

What’s your Target?

Low Tonnage
High Grade

© UBPE Pongkor, Antam

© UBPE Pongkor, Antam
 Exploration Camp

Regional Exploration Strategies

Antares Mountains, Papua

 Greenfield vs Brownfield
Greenfield exploration refers to uncharted territory, where Brownfield exploration, also known as near-mine exploration,
mineral deposits are not already known to exist (Regional refers to areas where mineral deposits were previously
Exploration) discovered (Near-mine Exploration)
Greenfield Exploration

Martabe (Sutopo, 2011)

Greenfield Exploration Stages

Geological Mapping Laboratory Analisis Drilling

• Regional • Petrography • Geomodelling
• Semi-detailed • Mineragraphy • Resource
• Detailed • Fluid Inclussion Estimation
• Geochemical
Analysis, etc.

Desktop Study
(Area Selection)
Discovery

Camp Preparation Geochemical Survey Geophysical Survey

• Logistic • Soil Sampling • Magnetic
• Manpower • BLEG • Gravity
• SS • TDIP, etc.
1. Area Selection
Indonesia Gold Mining Concession
https://momi.minerba.esdm.go.id/public/
 1. Area Selection : Western Sunda-Banda Arc

https://barugold.com/projects/miwah-gold-project/
1. Area Selection : Eastern Sunda-Banda Arc

Rohrlach (2011)
1. Area Selection : Kalimantan Arc

Prihatmoko, 2010
1. Area Selection : Sulawesi Arc

The occurrences of
significant hydrothermal
ore mineralization in the
Western Sulawesi Arc
(modified from Soeria-
Atmadja et al., 1999)
 1. Area Selection : Halmahera Arc

Simplified geologic map

of Halmahera island,
showing Tertiary-
Quaternary volcanics-
dominated
west half, and
widespread ultramafic
rocks in the eastern half
(purple).

Carlile et al., 1998

1. Area Selection : Papua Arc
1. Area Selection : Finding Circular Feature

Lihir Island, PNG

Sillitoe, 2010

Successive stages of erosion, from active volcano (top) to

completely eroded (bottom). CF, PF, MF, DF= Central, Proximal,
Medial and Distal facies of volcanic deposits (from Isnawan and
Bronto 1997)

Lihir Gold Mine, Newcrest

1. Area Selection : Finding Lineament Intersection

Kim et al. (2004)

Harding (1973)
1. Area Selection : Illegal Miners Occurences
1. Area Selection : Illegal Miners Occurences
 2. Camp Preparation

Radio Antenna

Camp Geos
Camp THL

Bridge

Helipad
3. Geological Mapping
4. Geochemical Exploration Methods - Soil Sampling
Geochemical map of soil sampling results for As, Zn, Pb, W; pan-concentrate
sampling results for Au and old drill holes were made by MAYASA in 1980
4. Geochemical Exploration Methods – BLEG Stream

Metode BLEG (Bulk Leach Extractable Gold), Tujuan : Untuk mendapatkan anomali-anomali logam yang terendap di sedimen
sungai serta untuk mempersempit daerah yang disurvey atau untuk mencari daerah target (Prospect Area).

196.0 ppb
15.3 ppb

7.0 ppb

Batu Hijau
Au Cu porphyry
1.9 ppb 8.7 ppb

7.4 ppb

0 km 3
Indian Ocean

Data are BLEG Au in ppb, From Maula and Levet (1996) B. Sutopo
Presentation

www.antam.com
4. Geochemical Exploration Methods – Pan Concentrate

Metode Pan Concentrate, Tujuan : Untuk mengetahui kandungan mineral berat pada endapan sedimen di daerah tersebut.
4. Geochemical Exploration Methods – Stream Sediment

Metode Stream Sediment, Tujuan : Untuk mendapatkan anomali-anomali logam yang terendap di sedimen sungai serta
untuk mempersempit daerah yang disurvey atau untuk mencari daerah target (Prospect Area).

www.antam.com 44
Agung Basuki Presentation
5. Petrography & Mineragraphy Analysis
The description and systematic classification of rocks, aided by the microscopic examination of thin sections
Thin Section Polished Section

krs

Py
plag

opk 500 µm 125 µm

bio Mo
krs (a) //-Nikol (b) //-Nikol

Py
Mo
kf

Py

125 µm 500 µm
krs

(c) //-Nikol (d) //-Nikol

H-3
plag
Mo
H-1

opk Py
bio Qz
krs H-2
H-2
125 µm 500 µm

kf (e) X-Nikol (f) X-Nikol

6. Laboratory Analysis

Au, Ag

Gold Fire Assay

ICP-MS Lab
6. Laboratory Analysis
7. Geophysical Survey

Airborne Magnetic Induced Polarization

Groundmagnetic
Gravity
Batu Hijau Elang

Hoschke, 2012
Alumbrera - Argentina

Hoschke, 2012
Martabe

Hoschke, 2012
 8. Drilling

Drilling is used to obtain

very detailed information
about rock types, mineral
content, rock fabric and
the relationships between
rock layers close to the
surface and at depth.

Drilling is only used in

areas that have been
selected as "targets"
from geological,
geophysical and/or
geochemical methods.
Significant Issues

Antares Mountains, Papua

It’s getting deeper…
 “I suggest that the best geologist is he who has seen most rocks”
Herbert Harold Read

Exploration Camp

Greenfield Exploration
Strategies

Antares Mountains, Papua

Antares, Papua