Gosowong gold ore Pongkor gold ore

Cibaliung gold ore

EPITHERMAL GOLD DEPOSIT
STYLE Kerta gold ore

Mega Fatimah Rosana

akultas Teknik Geologi – UNPAD
ega.fatimah.rosana@unpad.ac.id
 2. WHY EPITHERMAL
DEPOSIT IS IMPORTANT?
Typical Gold ore of Kencana deposit : Quartz-chlorite-sulphide (dark bands, cockade, breccia
infill, colloform-crustiform) – average Bonanza Grade +50g/t Au. Silitonga, 2012

Epithermal Gold Workshop @ MSM 2017 19-20/04/2017 2

 WHY EPITHERMAL DEPOSIT IS
IMPORTANT?
• Very important style of gold deposit economically:
• Deposit can be very big :
• LIHIR, PNG (porphyry overprinting oleh LS Epithermal) :
Resources : 830 Mt @ 2.1 g/t Au for 56 Moz; Reserves : 400 Mt
@ 2.4 g/t Au for 31 Moz (per juni 2011, newcrest.com.au)
• PORGERA, PNG (magmatic hydrothermal – epithermal): 85 Mt @
5.8 g/t Au, 33 g/t Ag (493 t or 15.85 Moz Au & 2,805 t Ag)
(White, 2009)
• Deposit can be very rich :
• Cripple Creek, USA 630 t Au @ 15-30 g/t
• Hishikari, Japan 220 t Au, Honko veins @ 70 g/t Au, 49 g/t Ag
• Very distinctive textures in the veins which are easily
recognized
Lihir gold ore
• Potential exists
Bonanzainepithermal
many different rock types across the
quartz goldsilver
Indonesia mineralization from Porgera,
Corbet 2002
• The price
Epithermal ofWorkshop
Gold gold.....
@ MSM 2017 19-20/04/2017 3
 LIHIR, PNG
Steam rises from the active hydrothermal
system at Ladolam gold mine on Lihir
Island, Papua New Guinea. Ladolam
contains ~600 tonnes of gold and could
have formed in 55,000 years. Photo by K.
Brown and S. Simmons.

PORGERA, PNG
Porgera is a very big
gold and copper deposit
in the highlands of PNG.
It is both an open pit and
underground operation
by Barrick Gold
Corporation, the largest
gold mining company in
the world.
Epithermal Gold Workshop @ MSM 2017 19-20/04/2017 4
 HISHIKARI MINE,
JAPAN

The Hishikari mine (above) is located

in northern Kagoshima Prefecture.
The hot water seeping into
mineshafts is supplied to the nearby
hot spring spa. Photo credits:
National Institute of Advanced
Industrial Science and Technology
Hishikari
(AIST) and gold mine’s Keisen
Sumitomo No. 3
Metal Mining
vein (left). The gold grade at
Co., Ltd.
Hishikari is 10X the average of
worldwide deposits and contains 264
Epithermal Gold Workshop @ MSM 2017
tonnes Au (8.5 Moz Au).
Foto : Watanabe 2012 19-20/04/2017 5
 WHY EPITHERMAL DEPOSIT IS
IMPORTANT?

LS Epithermal deposits are major sources of Au and Ag. Zn

and Pb are common at depth and there is usually a good
correlation between Ag and Pb grades. Cu may be present at
the deepest of some
Epithermal Gold Workshop systems
@ MSM 2017 19-20/04/2017 6
 GIANT GOLD DEPOSITS
(> 20 Moz )

• 1 Witwatersrand
• 7 Porphyry (+ 1 Intrusion Auriferous Quartz-Pyrite Conglomerate -
Note the close association between the
hosted) rounded pyrite cobble and the gold.
Horscroft et al 2012

• 8 Epithermal (LS, HS, IS)

• 6 Sediment hosted ( + 2
Carlin type)
• 5 Greenstone lode High-grade gold ore from the
Witwatersrand
Sillitoe, 2000)
(“Orogenic) 7
Epithermal Gold Workshop @ MSM 2017 19-20/04/2017
 RELATIVE AMOUNTS OF GOLD
(> 5 Moz )

• 50% Witwatersrand
• 12% Epithermal (LS, HS, IS)
• 12% Sediment hosted ( + 4%
Carlin type)
• 10% Porphyry (+ Intrusion
hosted)
• 9% Greenstone lode (“Orogenic)

Arribas, 2000)
• 7 Other (Fe Fm, VHMS)
Epithermal Gold Workshop @ MSM 2017 19-20/04/2017 8
Epithermal Gold Workshop @ MSM 2017 19-20/04/2017 9
Epithermal Gold Workshop @ MSM 2017 19-20/04/2017 10
Epithermal Gold Workshop @ MSM 2017 19-20/04/2017 11
EPITHERMAL GOLD DEPOSITS: PRODUCTION +
RESERVES (~2000)

Epithermal Gold Workshop @ MSM 2017 19-20/04/2017 12

GRADE AND TONNAGE RELATIONSHIP IN GOLD DEPOSIT

Epithermal Gold Workshop @ MSM 2017 19-20/04/2017 13

 Billion $ (US)

0
6
12
14
16

2
4
10
Baia Mare
Creede
Mt Muro

Gemmell, 2004
Aurora
Aracata
Sacarimb
Victoria
Au $
Ag $

Gunung Pongkor
Tonapah
Fresnillo
Kelian
San Cristobal
Comstock Lode

sulfidation
Zacatecas
Rosia Montana
Intermediate
Beregovo
Tayotita
Baguio
Guanajuato
Pacucha-Real
Sunnyside
Milo
Golden Cross
s
Profitis Illias
Mogollon
Ag $6 US/oz

Cracow
El Bronce
Au $390 US/oz

Ovacik
Karangahake
Takatama
Baia Mare
Gosowong
Lebong Tandai
Perama
~5 Moz Au eq.

Thames
Bodie

Epithermal Gold Workshop @ MSM 2017

Kushikino
Oatman
Montana Tunnels
Value of Epithermal Deposits (Au and Ag)

Bullfrog
Sleeper
Konomai
El Limon
Misima
Republic
Pajingo
Low sulfidation

Midas
McLaughlin
Esquel
El Penon
Cerro Vanguardia
Waihi
Hishikari
Epithermal Deposits only

Round Mtn
Baley
LS (alkalic)

Emperor
Porgera
Low and Intermediate Sulfidation

Cripple Creek
19-20/04/2017

Ladolam
14
Indonesia Gold by Deposit
Style

Epithermal Gold Workshop @ MSM 2017 19-20/04/2017 15

Epithermal Gold Workshop @ MSM 2017 19-20/04/2017 16 White & Cooke, 2013