JOURHALOF

Gf:OCHIMIGAL
EXPLOIIATIH
ELSEVIER Journal of Geochemical Exploration 50 (1994) 317-336

Sediment-hosted gold mineralisation in the

Ratatotok district, North Sulawesi, Indonesia
S.J. Turner, P.A. Flindell, D. Hendri, I. Hardjana, P.F. Lauricella,
R.P. Lindsay, B. Marpaung, G.P. White
P.T. Newmont Minahasa Raya, P,O. Box 586 JKTM, Jakarta 12701, Indonesia

(Received 20 March 1993; accepted after revision 28 October 1993)

Abstract

The Ratatotok district in the Minahasa Regency of North Sulawesi, Indonesia is an area of significant
gold mineralisation. Gold has been mined in the district since at least the 1850s, and intensively by
the Dutch between 1900 and 1921 with a recorded production of 5,060 kg of gold. Newmont began
exploring the district in 1986, and has delineated a major sediment-hosted replacement-style deposit
at Mesel, and other smaller deposits in an 8 X 5 km area. A total drill-indicated resource of over 60
metric tonnes of gold ( + 2 Moz) is reported for Mesel, and three of the smaller deposits. Approxi-
mately 80% of this resource is refractory. Silver grades are usually low ( < 10 g/t). The Mesel deposit
is similar to many Carlin-type deposits in carbonate hostrocks, alteration, geochemical signature and
ore mineralogy, but is distinct in tectonic setting. The discovery of replacement-style mineralisation
at Mesel, in an impure limestone within a Tertiary island arc environment, demonstrates that deposits
with outward characteristics similar to Carlin-type mineralisation are not restricted to a continental
setting.
Carbonate sediments in the Ratatotok district were deposited in a Late Miocene restricted basin.
Later compressional tectonics caused uplift that resulted in karst development in the limestone and
erosion of the adjacent volcanic arc with deposition of a thick epiclastic unit. This was followed by
intrusion of shallow level pre-mineral andesite into the sequence. Mineralisation at Mesel, and
probably elsewhere in the district, is synchronous with the late-stage reactivation of strike-slip faults.
Mineralising fluids at Mesel were focussed along steep structures sympathetic to these faults, and
trapped below a relatively impermeable andesite cap rock. Hydrothermal fluids caused decalcification
of the silty, more permeable carbonate units with the formation of secondary dolomite, deposition of
fine arsenian pyrite, silica veinlets and gold. Volume loss due to decalcification and dolomite formation
caused collapse brecciation which enhanced fluid flow and further mineralisation. This locally cul-
minated in total decarbonation and deposition of massive silica. Late-stage stibnite occurs in structural
zones within the ore deposit, whereas arsenic (as realgar and orpiment) and mercury (as cinnabar)
are concentrated on the periphery.
Elsewhere in the Ratatotok district, gold mineralisation is restricted to replacement-style mineral-
isation in permeable zones along limestone-andesite contacts, open-space filling quartz-calcite veins

0375-6742/94/$07.00 © 1994 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved

S S D I 0 3 7 5 - 6 7 4 2 ( 9 3 ) E0046-Y
318 S.J. Turner et al. / Journal of Geochemical Exploration 50 (1994) 31 ~ 336

and stockworks, and residual quartz-clay breccias. The residual breccias are developed in-situ, and
are interpreted to form by dissolution of the wallrock limestone from around pre-existing mineralis-
ation. This has resulted in widespread eluvial gold occurrences.

I. Introduction

The Ratatotok district (0°52 ' North, 124°42 ' East) is in the Minahasa Regency of North
Sulawesi Province, Republic of Indonesia (Fig. I ). This paper is the first detailed description
of gold mineralisation, largely hosted by an impure limestone, in the Ratatotok district of
North Sulawesi. The hostrocks, alteration, ore mineralogy and geochemical signature are
similar to those characteristic of Carlin-type mineralisation in the western United States.
The Mesel deposit, which we describe, is one of the largest with these characteristics outside
the Carlin trend, and formed in an island arc environment.
The North Sulawesi arc is a well-mineralised metallogenic province, with significant
gold mineralisation in a variety of porphyry and epithermal settings. Regional geology and
metallogenic characteristics of the volcanic arc have recently been described (Carlile et al.,
1990; Kavalieris et al., 1992; Van Leeuwen, 1993). Ratatotok district forms part of a
northeast trend of significant gold mineralisation including the Goropahi-Lanut area and
the Doup deposit, which is 7 km southwest of Mesel (resource of about 20 metric tonnes
of gold in stockwork veined intrusive andesite and wall rocks; Kavalieris et al., 1992).

q
~ IRATATOTOKI

-O2* N ~ 0~ E~A~ 02 ° N
°~

IRIAN

-0" N o ~ ~ ~ - ~ / t~JEI.B~LAN G 01" N -

BULAGIDUN SUM AL ATA LOBONGAN

r-..o,,,,,.o,o
o GORONTALO ~ IKAYAIBLR-ANRIDGleI~ -'~
--" ~', -. ~ I1 stMakl .~ /
~ ' - H M A^R~ I' ~
SA CABANG K A N A N ~°. o o [iL g~
C A B ~ G Kmi---~.~_° I=- r 0 / --
TOMBULIL A~--~ -'~-'j~ N'~
Tombulllato
N e w m o n t Contract of W o r k Pol'PhiKy Cu-Au
I~1 (1902 boundarlel)
District 55 km
o Significant Past and Current APPROX"
-0 ° P r o s p e c t In N o r t h S u l a w e l l l o°-

122" E 123" E 124"E 125= E

Fig. I. Location map showing North Sulawesi, Ratatotok (0°52'N. 124o42 ' E. ) and significant mineralised districts.
 S.J, Turner et al. / Journal of Geochemical Exploration 50 (1994) 317-336 319

I I I I I I
16000E 20000E 24000 E 2~E 32000E

~EL : Subdistrlctwith camp ~

~-~- r " LAS / j ~ ~#~¢

c~o N-

~%~. o~,Bo.o "~J. ~. (I CONTRACT BOUNDARY

-0oo ~" ~ . ~ x ~ (Ratatot: --

-ab /
:? "i'/J O e¢lx
BH P - UTAH / PL ACER / AN TAM/" , ~-~ /
..... Lak~ ~.~ ~ "

4000 S - -
3~0~oE
I I I

Fig. 2. Ratatotokdistrict -- prospectlocation map.

Gold mineralisation is widespread in the Ratatotok district over an area of at least 8 × 5

km. A total resource of 12.25 Mt. @ 5.21 g/t Au; equivalent to over 60 metric tonnes of
gold ( + 2 Moz), has been delineated by P.T. Newmont Minahasa Raya from drilling of
one main deposit at Mesel, and three smaller deposits at Limpoga, Nona Hoa, and Pasolo
(Fig. 2). Of this total, the Mesel deposit contains a mineable reserve of 7.75 Mt. @ 6.89
g/t Au.
Most of the published information on North Sulawesi is regional in scope, so the database
on which this paper is written has either been generated by the company or by consultants
to the company. Structural and regional tectonic interpretations are based on studies by
Switzer (1990), Etheridge ( 1991 ), and Lungan (1992). Petrological, fluid inclusion, alter-
ation and ore mineral studies were carried out by Chartered Mineral Services (New Zea-
land), KRTA (New Zealand), Geochempet Services (Queensland, Australia), Mintek
Services (Perth, Western Australia), and Ian Pontifex (South Australia). Newmont Met-
allurgical Services in Salt Lake City, Utah, also contributed petrological and XRD-XRF
studies, and metallurgical testwork. Further regional, district and deposit-scale studies are
ongoing.

2. Past m i n i n g

The Ratatotok district has a gold mining history extending back to at least the 1850s,
when it appeared on British maps of the Celebes (now Sulawesi) as the Mt. Tottik gold
320 S.J. Turner et al. / Journal of Geochemical Exploration 50 (1994) 317-336

mine. An early Dutch report (Mesdag, 1914) records that the Hais mine (Fig. 2 ) was mined
by local people from the neighbouring province of Bolaang Mongondow to provide gold
for their chief. When the colonial Dutch found the mine in about 1898, there was already
an underground gallery which had been developed by fire setting and quenching techniques.
The Dutch set up a 20 head stamp mill in 1900 which was serviced from the coast by a
narrow gauge railway. The mill was expanded to 60 stamps in 1910. The total recorded
production was 5,060 kg of gold (Van der Ploeg, 1945), mined between 1900 and 1921,
mostly from unconsolidated eluvial deposits which were exploited by hydraulic mining.
The Dutch sluice mined several areas of shallow eluvials including Hais and Pasolo, and
mining continued underground at Hais by boring and fire setting. Outcropping mineralisa-
tion in the Mesel area, 2.5 km southwest of Hais, was sampled by the Dutch with shallow
trenches and pits, but no further work was done as it appears they were unable to liberate
the refractory gold.
The known gold deposits are within 10 km of the southern coastline and are accessed by
secondary roads from Belang, which is linked by surfaced road to the provincial capital of
Manado. Alternative access is by sea from the port of Bitung to a natural, protected harbour
within Ratatotok Bay. Local land use is dominated by cash crops, of which cloves and
coconuts are the economic mainstays. Slash and burn farming and small-scale local mining
activity are rapidly encroaching on the remaining primary forest. The area was logged of
hardwoods in the 1970s and is no longer considered viable as a timber area.

3. Recent exploration

Newmont commenced exploration in North Sulawesi in 1986 under a fourth generation

Contract of Work (COW) with the Indonesian government. An Indonesian registered joint
venture company, P.T. Newmont Minahasa Raya, was formed, of which the Newmont
parent company holds 80% and P.T. Tanjung Serapung, an Indonesian company, holds
20%. The COW had an initial area of 5274 km 2, which has been progressively reduced
following regional exploration.
The Ratatotok district is within the most easterly portion of the COW (Fig. 1 ). Exploration
of the Minahasa COW began with a systematic and comprehensive drainage sampling
survey of the entire tenement. A sample density of about one sample per 10 km 2 was
achieved with - 30 mesh BLEG (bulk leach extractable gold; technique described in Wood
et al., 1990), - 80 mesh stream sediment, panned concentrate, and float samples taken at
each site. Anomalies were then ranked and examined according to their priority. A case
history of this regional exploration programme is included within another paper in prepa-
ration (extended abstract; Turner, 1993).
Exploration activity in the Ratatotok district was initially directed at the Hais workings
and the Alason area. Gold in the Hais workings is free and commonly visible. A drainage
geochemistry orientation survey was completed around the known old Dutch workings at
Hais, with highly anomalous results in all sample media (e.g. 2 kg BLEG with 384 ppb
Au), in part reflecting contamination from the Dutch workings and recent small-scale
mining. The numbers of local miners, using trommels and extracting gold with mercury
 S.J. Turner et al. / Journal of Geochemical Exploration 50 (1994) 317-336 321

amalgam, reached about 8000 before their illegal activities were stopped by the government
in 1989.
The Mesel district, in contrast to the workings around Hais, was barely detected by the
initial drainage sampling. BLEG samples recorded a maximum value of 2.4 ppb Au with
no gold detected in the panned concentrates or - 8 0 mesh silt samples, and virtually no
altered float present. In a regional context, the BLEG sampling was weakly anomalous. The
low gold content in stream sediments in the Mesel area is attributed to the fine, micron-
sized nature of the gold in arsenian pyrite, and the carbonate host rocks, which may inhibit
both physical and chemical dispersion of the gold. Any coarser, free gold is likely to have
been physically trapped in potholes in the karsted limestone. Also, gold was released from
the orebodies by surficial, oxidising fluids, which were chemically buffered to a near-neutral
pH by the surrounding limestone soils. This process effectively reduces the mobility of gold
in the soil profile which is seen as a sharp contrast between anomalies ( > 0.1 g/t Au) and
background (no detectable gold) from the shallow auger sampling, with no apparent
downslope hydromorphic dispersion of the gol d anomaly.
The old Dutch exposures at Mesel were sampled in 1988 by a Newmont geologist led to
the area by a field assistant, following up local reports of silicified rocks similar to Hais.
The discovery outcrop was named Hein's Find, and mineralised outcrops subsequently
located in the district bear the names of the field assistants associated with their discovery,
e.g., Ogu's Find, Yance Hill, and Leon's Hill.
Subsequent assessment work in the Ratatotok district has consisted of detailed l:1000
scale mapping, rock chip and channel sampling of outcrops, and auger sampling of bedrock
on a regular (generally 25 m) grid. This was augmented by airborne magnetic and radio-
metric surveys and limited ground magnetic surveys. Drilling commenced at Hais in 1987
to test below the old Dutch workings but failed to show sufficient continuity of mineralisation
with depth ( < 0.5 g/t Au), Shallow mineralisation in the East Totok and Lobongan districts
was subsequently tested by drilling. Following discovery and definition of the surface
mineralisation at Mesel, a nine hole diamond drill programme was completed in 1989. All
drill holes yielded significant results, including 133.1 m @ 8.23 g/t Au in HFD06. Further
drilling has shown that the bulk of the mineralisation is concealed beneath andesite cover
rocks.

4. Geological setting

4.1. R e g i o n a l t e c t o n i c s

Sedimentary and igneous rocks of the Ratatotok district form part of the southern margin
of the Neogene North Sulawesi arc. The regional tectonic framework of the district is
complex and poorly understood.
The east northeast-trending Limpoga fault separates volcanic-dominated terrain to the
north and the Ratatotok sedimentary basin (Fig. 3), apparently a restricted extensional back
arc or rifted basin. By Late Miocene, the arc had been rotated clockwise from an original
north-south to an east-west orientation (Katili, 1975; Otofuji et al., 1981), following
collision of the arc with the Sula platform, and the inception of south-directed subduction
322 S.J. Turner et al. I Journal of Geochemical Exploration 50 (1994) 317-336

~ RESIDUAL CLAY-QUARTZ BRECCIA

QUATERNARY
EPICLAS'nC ROCKS / RECENT SEDIMENTS
PLIOCENE ANDESI'I]C VOLCANIC ROCKS . ;~,';-'~"
e ooo N ANDESI'nC IN TRU~ION . ~ ' Z; -'~'~,':'~

MIOCENE CALCAREOUS SEDIMENTARY ROCKS • ,~'~:~p~.

£r C A M P LOCATION . S."~'5?"" ~ ' ; ' ~ ~

NEWMONT
CONTRACT BOUNDARY

4b-
i~J
BHP-UTAH / PL ACER/ANTAM Y/
16~E ~ DO~ 2o~oE ~ ~40~E 280~E 3 2 OOO E

Fig. 3. Ratatotokdistrict -- generalised geologyand structure.

along the North Sulawesi trench ( Hamilton, 1979; Hutchison, 1989). Extensional structures
in the Ratatotok district were arc-normal (350 °) sinistral transfer, and arc-parallel east
northeast to east-west normal faults.
The timing of subduction along the North Sulawesi trench (Cardwell and Isacks, 1981 )
appears to correspond to compressional tectonics in the Ratatotok district. This is thought
to have caused a reversal of movement on the cross-arc strike-slip structures (to dextral)
and converted normal east-west faults into reverse structures with local, mainly south-
directed, thrust faulting. Dominant northwest (340 °) and northeast (060 °) steep dipping
cross-arc structures probably developed at this stage.
West-directed subduction along the Sangihe arc rotated the very northeastern tip of North
Sulawesi to align with the Sangihe volcanic arc. We believe this caused re-activation of the
arc-normal strike-slip faults in the Ratatotok district. Movement is sinistral with an oblique
reverse component on moderate to high angle north northwest-trending structures. Synthetic
northwest ( ~ 300 °) faults also developed. Mineralisation postdates intrusion of andesite
and the main compressional event. Complex minor displacements (typically in the order of
tens of metres) of the Mesel mineralisation are attributed to continued strike-slip and
compressional faulting.

4.2. S t r a t i g r a p h y

Ratatotok Limestone is a carbonate-dominated sequence forming the Ratatotok sedimen-

tary basin. Micropalaeontological studies by one of the authors (D. Hendri), of large and
 s.J. Turner et al. /Journal of Geochemical Exploration 50 (1994) 317-336 323

small foraminifera indicate a Late Miocene (N 16-N 17) age for the Ratatotok Limestone,
compared to the published Early to Middle Miocene age (Effendi, 1976). The Ratatotok
Limestone has been informally divided into four members (Fig. 4), of which the Hein's
Find member hosts the main mineralisation at Mesel.
On the basis of magnetic relief, the sedimentary sequence in the basin can be divided into
a central, low relief block containing relatively few structures, separating the more struc-
turally complex Mesei and Aiason sub-basins to the west and east respectively (Fig. 3 ). In
the Mesel sub-basin, the sedimentary rocks are interpreted here as a northern volcanogenic-
rich facies, a central lagoonal, restricted platform to fore-slope carbonate sequence, and a
southern open marine facies. In the vicinity of the Mesel deposit, the Hein's Find member
is a mixed siliclastic-carbonate facies, thought to represent the periodic influx of terrestrial
sediments into a carbonate platform environment. The central and Alason sub-basins are

LITHOLOGIC UNITS CODE I DESCRIP:I-I ON I AGE I

>-
Qal/Qcl Alluvium / scree
Z
Qcq Residual c~ay-quartz breccias
containing mineralised clasts
Qts Volcanic conglomerate 0
W
Andesite lavas,p~'oolastics and Z
U.I
T'N~/Tvp volcanoclastlcs(Tvp)intruded by o
andesite-dlorlte subvolcanic -d
plugs and sills a.

Tins A.Mudstone with thin bedded carbonates

H E I N ' S FIND L I M E S T O N E M E M B E R
Tml-h B.rnlcrlte-wackestone (oncoldsl algae)
C.mlcrite-wackestone (mail foraminifera
encrusted red algal). Local mudetone beds
OGU'S LIMESTONE MEMBER
D.packstone-wackestone (large foraminera)
Tml-o E.packstone-wackestone (platy red algae) 14J
Z
F.Reworked limestones with volcanic and UJ
aiUclastic components (channel deposits ) 0
~E
YANCE L I M E S T O N E MEMBER
G.pad(stone (large foram,platy red algal)
Tml-y i H.packstone-floatstone (encrusted algae)
:with algal bindstone
I Lithoporella sp. marker bed.
ROTAN HILL L I M E S T O N E M E M B E R
I.packstone (fora mlnlfera )
Tml-r i J.Mudstone-siltstone intercalated
I bedded pad(stone (planktonic foram)
Locally conglomeratic

Fig. 4. Stratigraphic column for the Ratatotok district showing the divisions of the Ratatotok limestone based on
micropaleontology.
324 S.J. Turner et al. /Journal of Geochemical Exploration 50 (1994) 31 ~336

represented by the more massive lagoonal to platform Yance and Ogu's limestone members,
with an open marine facies thickening to over 200 m in the south. The Hein's Find member
is absent in these sub-basins, possibly due to uplift and erosion.
The sedimentary sequence is intruded by shallow level andesite plugs, dykes and sills.
Mineralised Hein's Find member is capped by a massive, porphyritic hornbtende-plagio-
clase-magnetite andesitic unit, which has been petrographically identified as a subvolcanic
intrusion. Although the andesitic intrusion rarely hosts any gold mineralisation, it is strongly
argillised where in contact with mineralised sediments, and is therefore pre-mineral. The
absolute age of emplacement of the andesitic intrusion is uncertain. Andesitic intrusions
have been strongly controlled by the east northeast to east-west structures, which are
sympathetic to low amplitude district folding.
Several units of younger valley-fill and sheet-like volcanic conglomerates drape over all
other stratigraphy and may represent different ages of epiclastic rocks (pre- and post-
mineral). Pre-mineral andesitic epiclastic rocks in the Ratatotok district could be linked
with post-collision uplift of the North Sulawesi arc. Quaternary uplift and erosion, followed
by the formation of polymict conglomerates, may be a response to the Molucca Sea collision
event (Silver and Moore, 1981 ).

5. Mesel deposit

5.1. Geology

The Mesel deposit occurs over a projected areal extent of about 600 × 400 m (Fig. 5)
around the eastern edge of a possible plug of andesitic intrusion. Most of the mineralisation
is not exposed. Geometrically, the orebody comprises a sheet of mineralised sedimentary
rocks (confined by contact with the overlying andesitic intrusion), a thick wedge of miner-
alised sedimentary rocks, and a steep dipping, fault-bounded silicified zone (Fig. 6). Miner-
alisation extends to about 160 m below the surface.
The Mesel deposit occurs immediately west of a major north northwest-trending structure
that is evident from aeromagnetic patterns. This structure is expressed at the surface as a
series of north northwest to west northwest-trending steep-dipping sympathetic faults with
both sinistral strike-slip and oblique reverse components. The interaction of this fault set
with east-west oriented reverse faults is interpreted to have formed a dilational jog in the
Central Mesel area and focussed hydrothermal fluid flow. Detailed modelling of the grade
distribution reveals a zone of high-grade gold that trends north northwest.

5.2. Alteration and mineralisation

Alteration in the sedimentary rocks at Mesel tends to be subtle. Decalcification results in

a loss of calcite, and is indicated by an increase in the friability of the recrystallised limestone,
termed sanding. Accompanying this decalcification, fine rhombic dolomite is introduced
(dolomitisation), along with fine silica veinlets ( < 1 mm) and fine sulphides (generally
not distinguishable in hand specimen). The dominant sulphides are early framboidal pyrite
and marcasite, and later fine-grained euhedral pyrite, which are rimmed by anhedal arsenian
 S.J. Turner et al. /Journal of Geochemical Exploration 50 (1994) 317-336 325

LEGEND
RESIDUAL Q U A R T Z CLAY "" -,
QUATERNARY V O L C A N I C ":~ 3 :',:
CONGLOMERATE . ,~
MINERALISED CARBONATE ",';,
ROCKS

MUDSTONE, VOLCANOGENIC :~'-~

ROCKS,SEDIMENTARY ROCKS :~i~:
LIMESTONE ::~
LATERAL SLIP FAULT "~,~i,~.
o DOWN ' -,
u UP ."::;;
" " T H R U S T FAULT C O N T A C T ""; " ;"
4~
t
ANTICLINE -",-:
- , -:"- 3 j.:".

.... LITHOLOGY CONTACT " "" . . . .

IA 2 0 2 8 0 CROSS SECTION .:

~ , ~ BUILDINGS , ~'" . . . . . . . . . . .

:,;%.
0 lOOm
I ~ I
~ \ ~ !
Fig. 5. Mesel deposit geology•

pyrite which contains most of the micron-sized gold (Chryssoulis, 1992). The decalcifi-
cation and dolomitisation results in a pale brownish, chalky to sugary-textured carbonate
rock that occurs marginal, vertically and laterally, to massive silica replacement of the
carbonates. Such alteration is consistently anomalous in gold ( > 0.1 g/t), therefore the
326 S.J. Turner et al./ Journal of Geochemical Exploration 50 (1994) 317-336

i
i I I l
A A'
lOOm
rain
RL(m)
! ~ ~ ~ R LHFD77 [ HFD76m )
300 HFD75 HFD73 ½FD78 HFDB~ 3OO
B5
HFD72 ,'. ~,{ ~. HFD86 ,.!L:v,7,':,"

//: ::"'" i:~25o2oo

~50

100-

50
~] EPICLASTIC ROCKS
MINERALISED CARBONATE MUDSTONE, VOLCANOGENIC
ROCKS ~ SEDIMENTARY ROCKS
ANDESITE SUBVOLCANIC INTRUSION [~ FOOTWALL LIMESTONE
25~ . . . . . ,. . . . . o ..

Fig. 6. Mesel deposit drill section 20280 E.

introduction of gold is seen as an intimate part of the alteration process. High-grade gold
mineralisation can be in dark grey pyrite-rich stringers, similar to Deep Post (Thoreson,
1993), however the average sulphide content of the orebody is low ( < 1-4%). High gold
grades can occur in both weakly silicified, dolomitised carbonate and the strongly silicified
units (jasperoid).
Wallrock andesitic intrusion is argillised from < 1 to 20 m from mineralised sediments.
Early illitic and illite-smectite mixed-layer clays are overprinted by kaolinite and dickite
with minor alunite and later halloysite. Calcite-zeolite veins occur in the andesitic intrusion
at a district scale.
Brecciation is closely associated with, and a significant feature of, the mineralised hos-
trocks. Recognised types include primary sedimentary breccias, early karst and micro-karst
breccias, collapse breccias, intensely shattered silica with clay gouge interpreted as fault
breccias, and milled hydrothermal breccias within the silicified zones. This combination of
breccia types is markedly similar to the breccia bodies on the Carlin trend recognised by
Williams (1992). Earlier breccias are commonly overprinted and modified by later hydro-
thermal processes, leading to much debate over the origin of some breccias.
Quartz veins are rare; minor quartz is observed in vugs. Late-stage realgar, orpiment and
cinnabar may be accompanied by calcite, gypsum and kaolinite. Primary fluid inclusion
homogenisation temperatures from calcite range from 152-157°C (n = 7), compared with
just two primary fluid inclusion temperatures from quartz of 169-170°C. Both types relate
to late-stage vug fillings and not the main-stage mineralisation.
Sparse, possibly main-stage, fluid inclusions from quartz in jasperoid peripheral to Mesel
( within 500 m), gave temperatures of 238 to 296°C (n = 7), with evidence of CO2 liquid
present in many inclusions. Henley ( 1991 ), based on sparse fluid inclusion data and cal-
 S.J. Turner et al. / Journal of Geochemical Exploration 50 (1994) 317-336 327

culations of cover from the present elevation of Mesel with respect to the volcanic pile,
estimated at least 1000 m of burial, and stated that it should not be assumed that the Mesel
deposit is shallow level epithermal.
The Mesel deposit is geochemically anomalous in Au, As, Sb, Hg, and Tt, whereas base
metals are negligible (generally < 100 ppm combined Cu + Pb + Zn) and Ag values are
rarely elevated (Au:Ag generally 10:1 to 2:1 ). On a prospect scale, As and Hg tend to form
a halo around a Au-rich core in Central Mesel. The highest gold values are associated with
fine-grained ( < 10/xm) arsenian pyrite in variably silicified, dolomitised limestone. Gold
grades exceeding 30 g/t are present in high-grade zones and range up to about 200 g/t.
Further away from this high-grade core, the amount of silicification and As, Sb, and Hg
mineralisation increases. Marginal to the Mesel deposit, As and Hg occur as sulphides
(realgar, orpiment and cinnabar) in late-stage fractures. Late stibnite occurs closer to the
centre of mineralisation as fracture and vug fillings.
Based on work by Newmont Metallurgical Services, ore types are subdivided according
to the level of oxidation, and the relative proportions of clay, carbonate, and silica. There
are three refractory ore types; siliceous-pyritic, calcareous pyritic and argillaceous pyritic,
and their oxidised equivalents, which are grouped as oxide ore.

6. Lobongan area

6.1. G e o l o g y a n d m i n e r a l i s a t i o n

The Lobongan area is about 2.5 km northeast of Mesel (Fig. 3). Karst terrane in limestone
of the Lobongan area has been extensively developed, which is of primary significance for
the location and style of gold mineralisation. At least two stages of karst development are
recognised, pre- and post-mineralisation.
The first phase of karst development preceded andesitic volcanism, the products of which
covered much of the limestone. Andesitic lava, pyroclastic rocks and volcaniclastic sedi-
ments, as well as shallow level intrusive rocks, are recognised in the Lobongan area. Gold
is deposited with quartz and calcite veins in open-space karst breccias at and below the
contact of limestone with overlying andesitic volcanic rocks, and with siliceous replacement
of fine-grained clastic sediments at the contact. The geometry of the mineralisation at the
contact tends to be regular and sheet-like; however, the mineralised karst breccias can be
very irregularly shaped. Quartz and calcite veins are commonly crystalline and vuggy to
banded and crustiform with an irregular, anastomosing form within the paleokarst breccias.
Recent, post-mineralisation, karst development has resulted in widespread residual
quartz-clay breccias. These are erosional remnants of the siliceous replacement mineralis-
ation and mineralised karst breccias. The residual breccias are unconsolidated, with grit to
boulder-size clasts in a yellow-orange volcanogenic clay matrix. Clasts comprise variable
percentages of silicified and unaltered limestone, paleocave sediments and argillised vol-
canic rocks. The thickness of the breccias is extremely variable, reflecting the karst topog-
raphy, with pockets up to 40 m thick.
Gold mineralisation at Hais (Fig. 7) is hosted by karst breccias and sediments that infilled
a paleocave system in massive limestone. This deposit was worked by the Dutch in an
328 S.J. Turner et al. / Journal of Geochemical Exploration 50 (1994) 317-336

v - - -
als' e .:>'~::'...,>~;~::i~.:'.~ .~'o.'.:~,F;" .: ~: ' = ' ' a3soo E

~ ~;~ . ~ e Y . ~"~__J~:z:~ ~ VOCCAmC I

~ . " ~ . ~ ". R ~ z [==]='1 CARBONATE "

r ~ , . , . ~ . ' . ~ O B O N G A H ~ .CONFORMITY /
~ ~ ~ . ~ CAMP 0 DUTCH p, T I

I ~ " ~ ~Z ~. -~ ,~/~'" LOBONGAN DISTRICT I

f ~ " GEOLOGY 1
• a I /

Fig. 7. Lobongan area geology.

irregular sub-horizontal zone, best developed over a thickness of 55 m, and overlain by 25

to 50 m of limestone. The karst system reflects a strong northeast and northwest conjugate
set of fractures. These have localised zones of high-grade gold in silicified breccias, which
pinch out downwards into quartz-calcite veins. The veins commonly contain visible gold.
The mineralisation is oxidised, with negligible base metals (generally < 100 ppm combined
Cu + Pb + Zn), erratic but anomalous As and Sb, and low Ag contents ( < 10 ppm). Wall-
rock alteration, comprising silica and clay, is also weak. Fluid inclusion homogenisation
temperatures from primary quartz and calcite inclusions range from 152 to 238°C (n = 42).
The Limpoga deposit is about 1 km west of Hais (Fig. 7). A mineralised contact zone
between overlying volcanic rocks and footwall sedimentary rocks strikes east northeast for
about 400 m and ranges in thickness from 10 to 25 m. Paleokarst breccias and sediments at
the contact with overlying andesitic volcanic rocks have been mineralised, with gold grades
averaging ~ 5 g/t. The contact zone has been sheared and re-brecciated by thrusting during
south-directed compression. Most of the mineralisation is hosted by the sediments, however
some of the overlying andesitic volcaniclastic rocks are also altered and mineralised. There
is up to 3% As (in arsenopyrite), 320 g/t Ag and anomalous base metals (occurring as
chalcopyrite, sphalerite, galena, covellite, bornite, chalcocite and native copper) in sheared
volcaniclastic rock, in contrast to the generally low base metal values in the rest of the
district. Homogenisation temperatures for primary fluid inclusions in quartz range from 222
to 270°C (n = 14).
Gold mineralisation at Nona Hoa (Fig. 7) is hosted by fault-controlled karst breccias in
a narrow high-angle east northeast-trending zone at the contact of andesitic intrusion and
limestone. Breccias are silicified, locally high-grade ( + 10 g/t Au), semi-consolidated and
covered by 10-20 m of residual quartz-clay breccia.
At Pasolo (Fig. 7) extensive surface residual quartz-clay breccias are spatially associated
 S.J. Turner et al. / Journal of Geochemical Exploration 50 (1994) 317-336 329

with minor in-situ mineralised paleokarst breccia deposits. Mineralisation is patchy, with
better grades ( + 5 g/t Au) controlled by major northwest and northeast structures in the
limestone.

7. Alason area

7.1. Geology and mineralisation

The Alason area is situated on the east side of the Totok river, about 5 km east of Mesel
(Fig. 2). Very little in-situ mineralised contact and paleokarst breccias remain in the Alason
area. Residual surface quartz-clay breccias form the bulk of the potential gold mineralisa-
tion. Locally very high-grades were encountered; a 100 × 100 m zone at the Warau prospect
averaged over 30 g/t Au in channel samples, which led to an intense short-lived goldrush
by local illegal miners. Similar to the Lobongan mineralisation, the breccias are oxidised,
with negligible base metals ( < 100 ppm combined Cu + Pb + Zn), erratic but anomalous
As and Sb, and low Ag values ( < 10 ppm). A localised zone of contact mineralisation
between limestone and an andesitic intrusion is exposed at Soyoan (Fig. 2), with gold in
mineralised karst breccias, sheared andesitic intrusion, and a banded manganese-calcite
(quartz) vein breccia. The in-situ mineralisation and residual breccias strongly correlate
with the location of northeast and northwest-trending structures.
Volcano-intrusive terrain exposed to the north and east of Alason contains widespread
argillic and propylitic alteration, with localised advanced argillic alteration. In one 200 X 500
m area, fine hairline quartz veinlet stockworks contain minor disseminated chalcopyrite,
bornite and sphalerite, accompanied by quartz-chlorite-epidote-calcite-magnetite-pyrite
alteration. Gold (to 0.5 g/t) and copper (to 0.19%) are anomalous. The mineralisation is
hosted by hornfels-textured andesitic rocks, but a mineralised intrusion is not exposed, and
fluid inclusion temperatures are moderate (225 to 255°C in two quartz vein samples, n = 12).
A thick cover sequence of younger, weakly altered epiclastic rocks extends over much of
east and northeast Alason.

8. Discussion of mineralisation styles

The sediment-hosted gold deposits of the Ratatotok district can be classified as three
different types:

i. replacement-style, disseminated gold in silty carbonate rocks; exemplified by the Mesel

deposit.
330 S.J. Turner et al./ Journal of Geochemical Exploration 50 (1994) 317-336

Table 1
Comparison of hypogene gold mineralisation in the Mesel and Lobongan/Alason deposits

Characteristics Mesel Lobongan/Alason

Host rocks Silty limestone, calc-argillite; Massive, micritic [agoonal

algal and oolitic units,
sedimentary debris flows
Cover rocks Sub-volcanic andesite sill
Alteration Decalcification, silica, dolomite,
pyrite, illite-smectite, calcite
and zeolite veinlets, kaolinite and
alunite
Style of Passive replacement along
mineralisation limestone-andesite rock
contact and structural zones
Geochemical signature Au, As, Sb, Hg, TI
Veining Late-stage calcite + dolomite,
minor quartz in vugs
Mineralogy Average I-4% sulphides; arsenian
pyrite, stibnite, realgar,
orpiment, cinnabar, native antimony
Size and grade Large; 7.75 Mt @ 6.89 g/t Au:
locally thick intervals of
+ 50 g/t Au
limestone
Andesitic intrusions, flows,
pyroclastic rocks and
volcaniclastic units
Silica and yellow clay,
calcite, iron oxides
Replacement silicification at
lithological contacts and
open-space quartz + calcite
veining in paleokarst breccias
Au, As, Sb, minor Cu, Pb, Zn lAg)
Open-space crustitorm and banded
quartz + calcite, anastomosing
Average < 2% sulphides;
oxidised pyrite, locally
minor base metal sulphides
Small; individual deposits < 2 Mt:
grades average 2 5 g/t Au

ii. paleokarst breccias and " c o n t a c t siliceous r e p l a c e m e n t " at the interlace of limestone
and andesitic rocks. This mineralisation is a c o m b i n a t i o n of siliceous replacement and
open-space filling quartz and calcite veins, which are present in the Lobongan, and to
a lesser extent, Alason areas. A comparison between the Mesel deposit and hypogene
mineralisation in the L o b o n g a n and Alason areas is shown in Table 1.
iii. residual clay-quartz breccias are a result of secondary weathering and dissolution of
both Mesel and L o b o n g a n / A l a s o n styles of primary mineralisation.

8. I. Replacement mineralisation (Mesel)

Important controls on the formation of the Mesel replacement mineralisation are thought
to be a juxtaposition of deep-seated structures, favourable stratigraphy, and a relatively
impermeable capping.
A north northwest-trending sinistral strike-slip fault system appears to be of fundamental
importance in the location and formation of the Mesel deposit. The fault system is interpreted
to be have been active during sedimentation, and later focussed mineralising fluids. The
pattern of faulting is consistent with the interpretation of a " f l o w e r structure" developed
over a dilational jog within the sinistral strike-slip system, whereby the array of faults seen
 S.J. Turner et al./ Journal of Geochemical E~ploration 50 (1994) 317-336 331

at the surface coalesce at depth into a major underlying fault. Re-activation of strike-slip
faults (Henley and Adams, 1992) is seen as a likely mechanism for focussing the miner-
alising fluids in the Mesel area.
The stratigraphic units favourable to mineralisation had high permeability, as a result of
primary porosity in silty units and through secondary porosity caused by fracturing, brec-
ciation and alteration of reactive carbonate rocks. Decalcification and dolomitisation cor-
respond to the onset of mineralisation, as indicated by the close spatial relationship between
decalcified, partially dolomitised rock and gold mineralisation. The dolomitisation appears
to be a hydrothermal, rather than a diagenetic process shown by a clear association with
steep-dipping structural zones. Auriferous, anhedral, arsenian pyrite was introduced as a
result of, and part of, the alteration process. An association of gold with arsenian pyrite is
documented from unoxidised mineralisation on the Carlin trend (Wells and Mullens, 1973:
Arehart et al., 1993). Decalcification and partial dolomitisation increased the porosity of
the hostrocks, which enhanced the access of mineralising fluids to the silty limestone
sequence. Locally, the alteration process continued with total decarbonation, increased
silicification, and the deposition of late-stage calcite and dolomite veins peripheral to, and
overprinting, the mineralisation. The more intense silicification may correlate with zones
of greater secondary permeability, e.g., "feeder" faults, but does not everywhere correlate
with the highest gold grades. Collapse breccias indicate a significant volume loss associated
with both decalcification and dolomitisation, similar to that described in Carlin trend gold
deposits (Williams, 1992).
Mineralisation is focussed along the limestone-andesitic rock contact, but hosted by the
limestone, throughout the Ratatotok district. The general lack of gold mineralisation in the
andesitic cover rocks indicates these rocks were relatively impermeable and unreactive
compared with the limestone, and acted as an effective barrier to ascending hydrothermal
fluids. The limestone-andesitic rock interface is seen as both a physical barrier to hydro-
thermal fluids, and a chemically reactive zone where rising fluids, that have probably
equilibrated with carbonate wallrocks, then reacted with the andesitic rocks causing the
marginal argillic alteration. We suggest that the top of the limestone, with karst-enhanced
permeability, has been a mixing zone between upwelling mineralising fluids and a domi-
nantly lateral flow of relatively oxidised meteoric fluids from the overlying volcanic rocks.
The replacement-style mineralisation at Mesel has many characteristics similar to those
of "Carlin-type" deposits. "Carlin-type" describes a style of sediment-hosted, dissemi-
nated gold mineralisation exemplified by deposits such as Carlin, Post-Goldstrike, Gold
Quarry, Jerrit Canyon and Chimney Creek in Nevada, United States. Typical characteristics
of the Carlin-type deposits (Berger and Bagby, 1991 ; Percival et al., 1988 ) that are present
at Mesel include: micron-size gold in arsenian pyrite, distinctive Au-As-Sb-Hg-T1 geo-
chemical association, passive alteration of silty carbonate units characterised by decalcifi-
cation, dolomitisation, silicification, and argillisation. Many of the alteration processes of
carbonate dissolution, silicification, introduction of fine sulphides and clay mineral tbrma-
tion (illite and overprinting kaolinite) described at Carlin (Bakken and Einaudi, 1986;
Kuehn and Rose, 1992), and in the Jerrit Canyon district (Hofstra et al., 1991a) can be
recognised in the Mesel deposit. The Mesel area lacks the deep oxidation present in the
Nevada deposits, and much of the deposit is refractory, similar to the deeper deposits of the
332 S.J. Turner et al. /Journal ¢~[Geochemical Exploration 50 (1994) 31 ~ 3 3 6

Carlin trend. Carbonaceous ore and barite, which are very common in the Nevada sediment-
hosted gold deposits, are not present at Mesel.
Several recent papers (Berger and Bagby, 1991; Seedorff, 1991; Barton et al., 1993),
ascribe a genetic connotation to the use of the term "Carlin-type", with isotopic and fluid
inclusion data indicating that these deposits formed at 2 to 5 km depth from fluid mixing
involving low-salinity, CO2 and H2S-rich, metamorphic or deeply circulated meteoric and
shallow meteoric fluids (e.g., Hofstra et al., 1991 b; Kuehn and Rose, 1992 ). At present, in
the absence of isotope data or sufficient fluid inclusion results, we do not draw any genetic
associations for the Mesel deposit. The replacement-style orebody described at Mesel does
not appear to be similar to the distal siliceous replacement deposits around porphyry deposits
as described from Bau, Sarawak (Sillitoe and Bonham, 1990), Yauricocha district, Peru
(Alvarez and Noble, 1988), and at Ely, Nevada (Barton et al., 1993). Despite extensive
exploration in the Mesel region, including the Miocene volcanic arc north of the Ratatotok
limestone, a mineralised porphyry centre has not been identified. Minor Cu-Ag (Au)
mineralisation at Limpoga and north Alason is spatially associated with the east northeast-
trending Limpoga fault (Fig. 3), but there is no evidence at present for a relationship to the
mineralisation at Mesel. The mineralisation at Lobongan and Alason is "sediment-hosted",
but is not similar to the Mesel deposit (Table I ).

8.2. Paleokarst breccias and contact mineralisation

Gold mineralisation in paleokarst breccias in the Lobongan area is an unusual setting.

The anastomosing open-space filling style of mineralisation within the karst breccias indi-
cates formation subsequent to major karst formation. A simplified model of the formation
of mineralised paleokarst and residual breccias is shown in Fig. 8. Ascending hydrothermal
fluids were confined to fractures and faults in the massive platform limestone unit that was
capped by the overlying andesitic volcanic rocks. Mineralisation formed along the karsted
unconformity and, at Limpoga, along a thrust fault contact. Higher grade gold mineralisation
in the Lobongan area commonly formed at major structural intersections, which also con-
trolled the formation of the paleokarst. Many of the deposits in the Bau district, West
Sarawak (Wilford, 1955; Wolfenden, 1965) are also related to fault-controlled paleokarst,
including the significant Tai Parit fault zone, which has similarities to Nona Hoa.

8.3. Residual breccias

Residual quartz-clay breccias, derived from the in-situ deflation of a mineralised karsted
surface (Fig. 8), are widespread in the Ratatotok district. The breccias may form by
weathering of both Mesel and Lobongan / Alason styles of primary mineralisation. However,
the residual breccias developed from Mesel replacement-type mineralisation do not contain
easily extractable gold (and therefore were not worked by local miners). Similar karst-
controlled residual breccias are also present in the Bau district, Sarawak (Wolfenden, 1965 ),
and possibly at Surigao in the Philippines (United Nations, 1987). Eluvial gold placers in
karst terrain are described from Cambrian limestones in Russia (Tsykin, 1989). Karsted
unconformities can, therefore, be a focus for primary gold mineralisation, and a physical
trap for later eluvial accumulations of mineralised breccias.
 S.J. Turner et ul. / Journal of Geochemical Exploration 50 (1994) 317-336 333

SUB-AERIAL EXPOSURE
AND KARST DEVELOPMENT
~ shallow platform
limestone

®
SHALLOW MARINE
ground ,~--~-' i'-' i' '., i -;"., ','~ ',', ',, , SEDIMENTATION
water flow ~-i ' .: '. , i , '. ,.-.", ', , ,~: ', . '. , ', , r VOLCANI SM,KARST-INFILL
:: ~-5:::::: ~-:L~0a~ :ed,iments

karat contro411n 9
Structures /
Marine
~ ;etof
cenlam
sediment

cave brecclas .~n::~==~-.. _. , . .: . ~ ,

MINERALISING EPISODE
• a ", ~.( ~,.~',';,.( .~,:: ~ >: ~ ;.: • "~'e~'~ .~.

of endesitlc
volcemic:. :..,"-~,: ~ , :, :, : _ . . ,_. . . .

',,r:' :' , 7'~'

¢, ..,'.' ',',...--:.]
: -~'~-. :illdflcation
',','.='.',','.:::.,' Audeposition lOOm
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
' ' ' ' ' ~ ' ' ' ' ' ' ' . : : : r ' , ' , ' , ' ' '
( APPROX )

® UPLIFT, TILTING AND FURTHER

KARSTING

residual mineralised
brecclas
o p e n - ~
a l o n ~

development of vertical
recent ksrstingoslnk holes

quar t z ~ i c l t - e ~ ~
v e l n S m ~

psleokarst sediments
mlnerallsh~g fluids leads
to collapse brecciation

Fig. 8. Formation model for mineralised paleokarst breccias and residual quartz-clay breccias.
334 S.J. Tunter et al. / Journal ¢~fGeochemical E~ploration 50 ( 19941 317-336

9. Summary and conclusions

The Ratatotok district in North Sulawesi, Indonesia, has a variety of styles of sediment-
hosted gold mineralisation within Miocene carbonate stratigraphy. Mesel, the most signif-
icant deposit in the district, exhibits characteristics of hostrock lithologies, alteration, geo-
chemical association and gold mineralisation analogous to the Carlin-type deposits which
were originally described within a continental setting in western United States. Controls on
the Mesel deposit are proximity to a northwest trending major cross arc structure, silty
carbonate stratigraphy and an andesite sill which caps the mineralised carbonates. The
andesite sill is thought to have been a barrier to hot, upflowing, mineralising fluids and
resulted in a mixing zone with shallow, relatively oxidised, cooler meteoric fluids, which
were constrained to a dominantly lateral flow along the limestone-andesitic rocks contact.
Elsewhere in the Ratatotok district the limestone-andesitic rock interface is the focus for
a different style of siliceous replacement of contact sedimentary rocks, and open-space
calcite and quartz vein mineralisation in paleokarst breccias. Some of the controls on the
gold mineralisation are thought to be similar to Mesel, with fluid mixing of deeper, hotter
fluids and shallow meteoric fluids flowing along a karsted unconformity; however, the form
of the mineralisation is quite different with abundant evidence of open-space filling, crus-
tiform banded quartz and calcite veining at Lobongan and Alason, where the gold is coarser
and often visible.
The difference between the two styles of mineralisation in the same district may simply
be due to lk~rmation at different depths. The Mesel deposit may have formed at a deeper
level and in a more confined environment, with no evidence for boiling. The differences
between the mineralisation styles in the Ratatotok district requires further study.
Both types of mineralisation have been subject to recent karst development and deflation
of the landscape with resultant broad areas of surficial unconsolidated clay-quartz breccias.
Residual breccias that derive from the Lobongan/Alason style of primary gold mineralis-
ation have been worked by the local miners.
The full significance of the Mesel deposit, and associated mineralisation in the Ratatotok
district will become clearer with further exploration in the region. However, it is evident
from the discovery of Mesel that exploration for "Carlin-type" replacement gold deposits
should not be restricted to a continental setting. Relatively small carbonate sedimentary
basins can potentially host major sediment-hosted gold deposits.

Acknowledgements

We thank Newmont Mining Corporation for permission to publish this paper. This paper
is the collation of many years of work in the Ratatotok district, with the contributions of
many people. John Dow made the initial ground selection and guided the exploration
programs. Geologists Chris Giles, Taufik Djunaedi, Janelle Smith, Deni Soeriawinata,
Marcillinus and Isdarmono were associated with the early discovery and exploration work,
and David Hoyal was the first geologist on the outcrop at Mesel. Company geologists Romy
Aquino, Kris Vollebregt, Anan lskandar, Henry Wong, Franz Tanujaya, Agus Prasojo,
Irwan Qarana, Bonar Harahap, Alan Flint, and Charlie Eckberg all contributed with field
 S.J. Turner et al. / Journal of Geochemical Exploration 50 (1994) 317-336 335

work and ideas. Jeff Hedenquist, and more recently Yudi Jurnalis are recognised for their
technical reports. We thank the drafting personnel, and particularly Mohammed Irsam, for
their time and effort, Don Clarke for rearranging and making constructive improvements to
the initial draft, and Eric Seedorff and Carl Kuehn for reviews which improved the paper.

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