PROCEEDINGS OF PAPUA AND MALUKU RESOURCES 2013 MGEI ANNUAL CONVENTION

2-3 December 2013, Kuta, Bali, Indonesia

Grade Control Practices at the Big Gossan Stope Mine;

optimizing the confidence in grade and tonnage

Dhani Haflil, Ari Soeldjana, George Macdonald, Geoffrey de Jong, Lasito Soebari,
Benjamin Webb, Fernandy Meiriyanto, Michael Siahaan, and Katerina Sari

PT. Freeport Indonesia

ABSTRACT

The Big Gossan Mine is the first open stope-paste backfill underground mine operated by PT. Freeport Indonesia
and offers numerous challenges for the Mine Geology Department. The demand of having a low operational cost
while maintaining high confidence grade and tonnage estimates forces the Mine Geology Department to optimize
its grade control program. Grade control programs aim to deliver economic tonnage to the mill via accurate
definition of ore and waste. This can be achieved via high-quality sampling data from the grade control drilling
program, supported by comprehensive data management and a high-precision modeling system. The grade-
control drilling program is designed to be suited to the style of mineralization and ore shape complexity.
Appropriate drill sampling and assaying procedures are also required with ongoing quality assurance/quality
control (QA/QC) monitoring and review. The high-quality assay data obtained will be crucial in modeling the ore
boundary and block modeling. This paper presents grade control practices at the Big Gossan Mine from the grade
control drilling program to the core handling and modeling system.

INTRODUCTION (General Overview PTFI, April 2013 ). Big Gossan

PT Freeport Indonesia is well-known for its
world class deposits and mining operations in
Papua Indonesia (Fig. 1). Nearly 200,000 tons of
ore per day are produced from its world class
deposits; the Grasberg surface mine and DOZ-
ESZ-Big Gossan underground mines.
The Big Gossan deposit was first identified
through field reconnaissance in the mid 1970’s
and was in the early 1990’s systematically
drilled from surface. Underground exploration
and systematic delineation drilling become
possible in 1992 when the 3030L exploration
underground drift opened via the Amole
Grasberg dewatering drift.
Previous studies have showed that the Big
Gossan is a near-vertical deposit of pyroxene-
garnet-chalcopyrite skarn, hosted in the Tertiary
Waripi Formation, in the lower sandy dolomite
unit. The ore body is a tabular with a length of
more than 1.2km, a height of about 500m and a
width of 200m. There are 54 million tons of
mineable reserves at 2.26% Cu and 0.97g/t Au
will be mined as a transverse blasthole open
stoping operation utilizing a delayed cemented
paste backfill mining method. The production
sequence is essentially a primary-secondary
sequence with initial multiple stoping blocks,
followed by continuous mining.
Ore mined on the production levels will be
delivered to 3 meter diameter wide ore passes.
The ore is than loaded from chutes on the 2540
Haulage Level and delivered to the jaw crusher
with a capacity of 500 tons per hour. Crushed
ore is loaded into two skips and hoisted in a
concrete-lined shaft. The head works is located
on the 3100-meter level. Ore is unloaded from
the skips onto a conveyor which delivers ore via
a transfer to the GRS-70/71 conveyor out to the
mill stockpile (Fig. 2).
Underground infrastructure development
began in 2005 by tunneling the inter-level ramp
access in 2525L via the AB tunnel, by developing
the 2860m level via the Kasuang portal and
3020L Amole drift.

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2-3 December 2013, Kuta, Bali, Indonesia

Figure 1. District geology map showing major deposit

Figure 2. Perspective view of the Big Gossan stope mine design

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GEOLOGY AND ALTERATION
The Big Gossan skarn is hosted in; (stratigraphic
sequence from oldest to youngest), Cretaceous
Kembelangan Ekmai group, consisting of
sandstone, limestone and shale member and
the Tertiary Waripi formation (Fig. 3). Big
Gossan mineralization and skarn alteration lies
dominantly in the New Guinea limestone group
of the Tertiary Waripi formation overlaying the
sandstone, limestone and shale members of the
upper Kembelangan Group. The footwall
contact of the mineralization is marked by a
thin layer of the shale member of the
Kembelangan Group (Kkeh). This is a biotite-
feldspar-epidote-quartz hornfels altered unit.
Skarn alteration occurs in Waripi formation and
in the limestone member of the Kembelangan
Group (Kkel).
Skarn Waripi formation consists of prograde
and retrograde skarn. Prograde skarn consists
of garnet and clinopyroxene. Meinert et al.
(1997) subdivided the skarn into three zones
relative to the main fluid conduit along the
Ekmai-Waripi contact. The proximal zone is
garnet-rich. The intermediate zone contains sub
equal amounts of relatively coarse-grained
green pyroxene and brown garnet. The distal
zone is dominated by iron-rich pyroxene.
Retrograde alteration (mostly amphibole and
epidote) and sulfide minerals (mostly pyrite and
pyrrhotite) are abundant at the hanging wall
skarn-marble contact.
MINERALIZATION
Mineralization in Big Gossan is associated with a
series of 3 to 4Ma old. Meinert et al. (1997)
granodioritic dikes which intruded close to the
near-vertical faulted shale member of the
Cretaceous Ekmai formation and Waripi
formation contact. Mineralization and
alteration occurs mainly in the purer carbonate
precursor-host rocks of the Waripi Formation.
Sulphide and iron oxides are mostly deposited
in cavities and fractures of clinopyroxene and
garnet-rich skarns.
Chalcopyriye is the most dominant ore mineral
marked by a distinct silver-yellow color. Other
metallic minerals that occured in skarn are
pyrite, sphalerite, galena and pyrrhotite. The
Mine Geology Department divide the
mineralization in Big Gossan into two types. In
the Lower Big Gossan (2540L-2860L)
mineralization occurs in skarn and partly in a
hydrothermal breccia, while in the Upper Big
Gossan (2860L to 3060L) mineralization occurs
in skarn altered sedimentary formations only.
In Lower Big Gossan the hydrothermal breccia
overprints the proximal skarn and is developed
until the distal skarn zone into the unaltered
Waripi marble sediments. A mineralization
event came after the emplacement of the
hydrothermal breccia, which makes the marking
of the ore-waste boundary not necessarily in
the hydrothermal breccia in the Lower Big
Gossan. The skarn-marble contact needs to be
marked as generally an ore-waste boundary. In
the Upper Big Gossan, the hydrothermal breccia
occurs in Waripi marble in the hangingwall.
Mineralization overprints most of the (Tw)
skarn and the overall ore-waste boundary
coincide with the skarn-marble contact.
GRADE CONTROL PRACTICES
Introduction
Grade control practices have evolved from
paper-based recording methods to
computerized three dimensional modeling and
geostatistical simulations. However, the
foundation of all programs is that of geological
understanding of the deposit led by sampling
and geological mapping (Dominy et al., 2011).
As a selective stope mine, the Mine Geology
Department is challenged to produce effective,
un-biased, safe and in a timely operational
manner, a grade control program. The Big
Gossan skarn-type deposit also offers numerous
challenges regarding marking the ore-waste
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2-3 December 2013, Kuta, Bali, Indonesia

Figure 3. Stratigraphic column of Big Gossan

boundary. The hydrothermal breccia rock
boundary is not automatically also the ore-
waste boundary.
Grade Control Drilling
Big Gossan mine stope development began the
first footwall access in 20 and/or 40m elevation
intervals. Stope access development followed in
developing cross-cuts perpendicular to the
direction of the mineralization in Big Gossan.
To optimise the grade control program, Mine
Geology proposed that the grade control drilling
must first be done before any stope access
developed (Fig. 4).
The major objectives in the grade control
drilling program is to identify the grade
boundary in certain levels and to guide the
mine planning in preparing the stope shape as
well as the stope access development. Other
objectives can be achieved from the grade
control drilling program such as the observation
of structural geological conditions, hydrological
features and other development-related issues.
There are many examples that showed that the
grade control drilling program is very useful to
the mining operations, such as identifying
broken zones, locating gas and groundwater
continuity. All the pre-stope-development
geological information helps the engineering
development team towards the final stope
design.
The grade control drilling program is planned
for every future mined stope. The grade control
drilling program is designed in a fan-like-drilling
pattern, so that the drilling covers the stope
and also 40m above and 40 m below the
targeted stope (Fig. 5). The grade control
drilling uses a NQ diamond drilling core size
from a mobile rig. If no gas or water is
anticipated, than drilling is done without a
collar standpipe installed.
The drilling design for this grade control
program is guided by the stope location and
resource block model. The drilling design is
usually from the footwall of the mineralization
towards the hangingwall of the mineralization.

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2-3 December 2013, Kuta, Bali, Indonesia

Figure 4. Plan view of the grade control drilling plan from every cross cut

Figure 5. cross section of grade control drilling plan

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Drilling should be stopped about 9-15m past
the 1% EqCu boundary. The decision to extend
or shorten the hole lies with the geologists;
taking into account the actual visual estimated
ore in the core and previous block model.
Core Handling
One of the most important parts of the grade
control drilling program is how the drill core is
managed and optimized. The assay result from
the drilling is the main source for creating the,
monthly and yearly, grade control block model.
Mine Geology provide the engineering group
with a monthly grade control block model as
guidance for the stope shape and mine planning
stope grade calculation.
To have the drill core processed in a timely
fashion, a small coreshed was built exclusively
for this grade control drilling program. Core
from this grade control drilling is displayed in
this coreshed. The geologist will conduct detail
logging to have a better knowledge of the
formation, mineralization and alteration
boundary. Detailed logging will also observe
and calculate sulphide minerals and other
minerals present. Ore-waste boundary is
defined based on the chalcopyrite mineral
content and the ore type is classifed based on
skarn mineral content. Sampling interval is also
determined by the geologists using those
boundaries as a guide.
Prior to the splitting, crushing and assaying of
the core, the core is measured on its rock
mechanical properties. Geotechnical logging
includes specific gravity, RQD and pointload
tests.
Fire assay testing covers five major elements
(Cu, Au, Ag, Pb, Zn) and the assay data is
systematically stored in a drilling database.
Assay turnaround time from drilling completion
to assay received is monitored and optimized to
less than three weeks.
Mapping-Sampling
Heading mapping is conducted by the geologists
for every round-blasted stope access heading.
On a daily basis, the mine geologists receive the
heading blasting report from the development
group and conduct a heading inspection on that
heading.
Mine geologists in Big Gossan record formation,
rock type, structures, distance measurement
and grade estimation based on chalcopyrite
seen in the heading. All data observation is
stored in a database and on digital base maps
(Fig. 6).
Heading inspection report is published via email
to other parties such as the mine planning and
development group. Through this report, the
development group can know exactly where the
ore-waste contacts are. Mine planning can also
adjust their stope access development meters,
based on the report.
Sampling is conducted on both ribs of the stope
access. Sampling is done continuously along 3m
interval on both ribs, taking into consideration
the formation and mineralization breaks. Every
sample weight is measured before sent to the
lab. The result is stored in a database.
Quality Assurance/Quality Control
Standard QA/QC sampling practices include
duplicate samples, blank samples and certified
standard samples for every 15th sample. This
applies for every grade control drilling and rib
sampling program. Duplicate samples are sent
to other labs. Blank samples are used to
minimize bias in term of grade. Every high grade
to low grade interval is followed by a blank
sample. Four certified standard samples are
used containing almost zero grade to high
grade.
Block Modeling
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Figure 6. Example of daily heading inspection report

Figure 7. Example of daily stope production mapping report

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Creating accountable and relevant resource and
reserve block model is also an important part in
planning and mining the Big Gossan ore body.
There are three types of block models used in
the Big Gossan mine. The Geology block model,
the Resource block model and the Short Range
block model. The Resource block model is used
for long-term mine planning and is created
using 5x5x5m blocks with 5m drill-core
composites. This block model is published
annualy.
For short term and stope mining purposes, the
Ore Control block model or Short Range block
model is constructed. The Short range block
model is created on 2.5x2.5x2.5m block with
5m drill-core composite lengths and broken
down by geological boundary and
mineralization zoning triangulations. The Short
Range block model includes data from the
updated grade control drilling, with a 1% EqCu
mineralization boundary, from heading
mapping and rib samples. Mine Geology publish
this Short Range model on a monthly basis and
limited the model to certain mine area levels.
This Short Range block model is used as a guide
for the production group in determining the
metal tonnage a stope produced.
Stope Inspection
Geological inspection of a stope is done after
the production stope blasting, at the stope-
extraction level. Mapping of the stope is a risky
business. A stope that has been blasted usually
create hanging-up (open brow), due to large
blocks getting stuck in the roof. That makes
going close to the blasted stope very dangerous
for field observations. To minimise the hazards,
the “remote controlled loader stope mucking-
mapping” method is used. Geologists can only
observe, map, rocks in the bucket of the loader.
Rocktype, grade and fragmentation size of the
stope are estimated by this method on a daily
basis (Fig. 7). Sampling is also conducted via this
bucket loader. To minimise the bias in
fragmentation distribution, three separated
samples (approximately 15kg each) are taken
from the bucket, using a handheld shovel. The
assay results from the samples are used for an
internal QA/QC only, and are not used in the
reconciliation process.
Reconciliation
Reconciliation is one of the most important
parts of the grade control program. Stope
reconciliation is conducted after all material
from the stope has been mined out. Grade and
tonnage reconciliation compares the grade and
tonnage from the planned stope based on the
Short Range block model (used in the stope
note) versus the actual grade and tonnage using
the actual stope shape (CMS, cave monitoring
survey, Fig. 8). The comparison of stope note
grade and tonnes (that is used for daily grade)
and actual stope shape grade and tonnes,
determine the variance of the stope prior and
after production mining (Fig. 9). A stope note is
a document that records for every stope the
expected grade, tonnage, geology, and
geotechnical information prior to developing
the stope.
Determining the dilution is also a main part in
the reconciliation process. Dilution is
contamination of the ore by non-ore material.
There are two types of dilution (Scoble and
Moss, 1994); planned and unplanned dilution.
Planned dilution is usually caused by the design
of the stope to improve and stabilize the
geometry of the ore due to its irregular shape.
Unplanned dilution is usually caused by
overbreak of wall rock especially at the
hangingwall ore-waste boundary.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION
It is common in selective stope mining, that a
stope note is required prior to the production
stage. A standard stope note will require
important key geological issues, including
expected grade and tonnes, geology structure
observed from the drilling and mapping that
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Figure 8. Section of secondary phase stope, showing the planned stope (red) and the actual
CMS (green) measured stope shape and the underbreak and overbreak areas.

Figure 9. Example of a stope reconciliation report

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can impact operations and safety. The grade
control program applied in Big Gossan is able to
answer, mostly, all of these issues. By using
grade control drilling-mapping-sampling, the
mine geologist can predict the ore boundary
and can recommend a relevant stope shape to
minimise ore loss and ore dilution. By utilizing
the Short Range block model, the mine
geologist can predict the expected grades and
tonnes to be produced in a stope. Daily grade-
to-mill and stope reconciliation are based on
data produced from the Short Range block
model. This will eventually minimise the
reconciliation variance of the stope.
PT. Freeport Indonesia, 2011. “Big Gossan Short
Range Block Model Cook Book”. Internal
document.
PT. Freeport Indonesia, 2013. “General
Overview April 2013 PTFI”. Internal
document.
Scoble, M. J. and Moss, A., 1994. “Dilution in
Underground Bulk Mining: Implications for
Production Management. Geological Society
Special Publication, No.79, Canada.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The authors would like to thank PT. Freeport

Indonesia management and Geo Services
management, as well as the mine geology staff,
in the production of this paper.

REFERENCES

Clarke, G., 2002. “ Structural Controls on Skarn

Formation at Big Gossan Cu Au Deposit
Ertsberg District”, Irian Jaya. JCU consultant
report for PT Freeport.
Dominy, S.C., Murphy, B. and Gray, A.H., 2011.
“Characterisation of gravity recoverable gold
ores – sample representivity and
determination methods”. In Proceedings
First AusIMM International Geometallurgy
Conference (GeoMet) 2011, pp 281-292 (The
Australasian Institute of Mining and
Metallurgy: Melbourne).
Meinert, L.D., Hefton, K.K., Mayes, D. and
Tasiran, I., 1997. “Geology Zonation &
Fluid_Evolution of the Big Gossan Cu Au
Skarn Deposit Ertsberg District IRJA”.
Economic Geology, Vol. 92, pp 509-534.
PT. Freeport Indonesia, 2005. “Big Gossan
Feasibility Study Executive Summary &
Report Vol I”. Internal document.
PT. Freeport Indonesia, 2011. “Big Gossan Block
Model Release Notes”. Internal document.

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