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Lihir Deposit

Prospect in Papua New Guinea with commodity Gold
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Sections on this page
  1. Identification information
  2. Geographic coordinates
  3. Site location context
  4. Geographic areas
  5. Commodities
  6. Materials information
  7. Alteration
  8. Host and associated rocks
  9. Nearby scientific data
  10. Geologic structures
  11. Ore body information
  12. Controls for ore emplacement
  13. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  14. Mining district
  15. Ownership information
  16. Reserves and resources
  17. Links to other databases
  18. Bibliographic references
  19. General comments
  20. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10055080
MRDS ID RE00017
Record type Site
Current site name Lihir Deposit
Alternate or previous names Lihir Island, Ladolam Gold Deposit, Coastal Zone, Minifie Zone, Lienetz Zone

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: 152.49876, -2.99814 (WGS84)
Elevation 130
Relative position LOCATED ON THE EASTERN SIDE OF LIHIR ISLAND IN THE NEW IRELAND PROVINCE.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Papua New Guinea(country)

Geographic areas

Country
Papua New Guinea

Comments on the location information

  • THE DEPOSIT OCCURS WITHIN LUISE CALDERA WHICH IS PARTIALLY BREACHED BY THE PACIFIC OCEAN TO FORM (THE NATURAL DEEP WATER) LUISE HARBOR.

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Gold Primary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Bornite Ore
Galena Ore
Marcasite Ore
Molybdenite Ore
Pyrite Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Tennantite Ore
Tetrahedrite Ore
Alunite Gangue
Anhydrite Gangue
Calcite Gangue
Chlorite Gangue
Illite Gangue
Kaolinite Gangue
Limonite Gangue
Opal Gangue
Quartz Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Hydrothermal: Argillic, Potassic, Opaline Silica, Sulfur-Bearing White Clay.

Analytical data

Result GOLD IS LESS THAN 0.01 MICRONS IN SIZE AND GRADES AS HIGH AS 10 G/T. ORE IS HIGHLY REFRACTORY. GEOCHEMICAL SIGNATURE: AS-PB-ZN-CU
Result WEAK SB-MO-HG-AG.

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Alkalic Intrusive Rock
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Oligocene
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Pyroclastic Rock > Volcanic Breccia (Agglomerate)
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Intermediate Volcanic Rock > Trachyandesite
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Intermediate Volcanic Rock > Andesite
    Rock unit name Jaulu Volcanics
    Rock description Jaulu Volcanics
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Mafic Volcanic Rock > Trachybasalt
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Mafic Volcanic Rock > Basalt

Nearby scientific data

(1) 152.49876, -2.99814
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Evolved Volcanic Arc, Horst And Graben
Type of structure Local
Structure description Collapsed Caldera, Fractures, Matrix Supported Breccia With Clasts Ranging From Fine-Grained Equigranular To Porphyritic.

Ore body information

  • General form IRREGULAR

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Gold Occurs In Altered, Brecciated Rock. Highest Values In Vuggy, Open Cavity Breccia.

Comments on the geologic information

  • MAGNETITE. ANHYDRITE, BARITE & CELESTITE ARE ABUNDANT IN A BIOTITE ZONE AS STOCKWORK VEINLETS. THE OPEN-CAVITY BRECCIA OCCURS AT THE TOP OF THE BIOTITE ZONE. SULFIDES ARE VERY FINE-GRAINED AND DISSEMINATED IN BRECCIA CLASTS AND MATRIX WITH LOCAL FRACTURE CONTROL. ABUNDANCE OF BASE METAL SULFIDES APPEARS TO INCREASE DOWNWARDS. ALL SULFIDE ORES ARE REFRACTORY & YIELD GOLD RECOVERIES OF LESS THAN 40% WHEN SUBJECTED TO CONVENTIONAL CYANIDE LEACHING. GOLD IS CONTAINED IN PYRITE AND TO A LESSER EXTENT IN CHALCOPYRITE AND ARSENOPYRITE.
  • LIHIR ISLAND IS A SUBAERIAL VOLCANIC COMPLEX CONSISTING OF THREE MAJOR CENTERS, AND CRESTS A TECTONICALLY ACTIVE SUBMARINE RIDGE TRENDING NNE. THE ISLAND HAS UNDERGONE RECENT UPLIFT AND TILTING AND IS FRINGED BY A PLATEAU OF RAISED CORALINE LIMESTONE. THE DEPOSIT IS LOCATED IN THE LUISE VOLCANO, A STRATAVOLCANO MADE UP OF ALTERNATING LAVA FLOWS, VOLCANIC BRECCIAS AND TUFF HORIZONS. LAVAS FROM THE WALL OF THE CALDERA ARE MOSTLY TRACHYBASALTS. VARIOUS TYPES OF HYDROTHERMAL BRECCIAS ARE COMMON, INCLUDING CRACKLE BRECCIA, FLUIDISED BRECCIA, AND EXPLOSION BRECCIA. AN UNUSUAL, VUGGY, OPEN-CAVITY, BRECCIA CONSISTING OF ANGULAR TO SUBROUNDED CLASTS 1-3 CM ACROSS IS REFERRED TO AS THE "BOILING ZONE" IS AN IMPORTANT ORE HOST. GOLD GRADES ARE OFTEN IN EXCESS OF 5 G/T IN THE BOILING ZONE. OPEN-CAVITY BRECCIA CONTAINS LEACHED OUT VEINS AND CLASTS LINED WITH PYRITE, MARCASITE AND LOCAL CALCITE. ALTERATION FROM THE SURFACE DOWNWARD: ALUNITE+PYRITE +/- OPAL; KAOLINITE +ILLITE ; BIOTITE + K-FELDSPAR +

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Prospect
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Large
Significant No
Discovery year 1982

Mining district

District name New Ireland Province, Lihir Island

Ownership information

  • Type Owner
    Owner Bp
    Last year 1989
  • Type Owner
    Owner Rtz
    Interest 80
    Last year 1989
  • Type Owner
    Owner Niugini Mining, Ltd.
    Interest 20
  • Type Operator
    Owner Kennecott

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1987
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Gold Au 2.66 g/mt Gold Major 1987
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1988
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Gold Au 3.43 g/mt Gold Major 1988

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • 1 G/T CUTOFF FOR RESERVE ESTIMATE. ORE IN TWO ZONES, BOTH OXIDE AND SULFIDE ORE.

Comments on the workings information

  • TWO MAJOR ZONES LOCATED IN A GEOTHERMALLY ACTIVE AREA. THE MINIFIE ZONE MAY CONTAIN 40-50 MT GRADING 5 G/T WITH A CENTRAL CORE OF 8-10MT GRADING 10 G/T. THE HIGHLY REFRACTORY ORE WILL REQUIRE PRESSURE OXIDATION OR CIRCULATING FLUID BED ROASTING TO LIBERATE THE GOLD. MILL THROUGHPUT IS TO BE 10,000 T/D OF OXIDE ORE FOLLOWED BY 11,250 T/D SULFIDE. SULFIDE PRODUCTION WILL INCREASE TO 13,250 T/D. SUBMARINE TAILINGS DISPOSAL IS PROPOSED AND OVERBURDEN WILL ALSO BE DUMPED IN THE SEA. MINE LIFE IS ESTIMATED AT 30- 40 YEARS, WITH PRODUCTION OVER THE FIRST FIVE YEARS AVG. 845,000 OZ/Y.

Comments on development

  • DIAMOND DRILLING BEGAN 1983 AND CONTINUED THROUGH 1987 WITH 120 DRILL HOLES AND 420 REVERSE CIRCULATION HOLES. THE PROPOSAL FOR DEVELOPMENT SHOULD BE SUBMITTED TO THE GOVERNMENT EARLY 1992, AND PRELIMINARY DISCUSSIONS WITH THE GOVERNMENT ON A MINING DEVELOPMENT CONTRACT HAVE COMMENCED. ; TOTAL$: 1,000 U.S. ; ECON.COM: THE MINEABLE ORE RESERVE IS 187.9 MT AT 3.3 G/T GOLD CONTAINING 19.7 MOZ. KENNECOTT IS CONCERNED THAT THE ECONOMICS OF THE PROJECT ARE MARGINAL AND IS INVESTIGATING WAYS OF IMPROVING THE PROFITABILITY OF THE PROJECT, PARTICULARLY IN THE EARLY STAGE WHEN DEBT SERVICING COSTS WILL BE HIGH. (MINING 1991 ANNUAL REVIEW P.79)

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    JOHNSON, R. W. (ED), 1976, VOLCANISM IN AUSTRALASIA, SCIENTIFIC PUBLISHING CO.,AMSTERDAM, P. 297-314.

  • Deposit

    COX, DENNIS P., WILLIAMSON, ANOTHONY ET AL, 1986, MINERAL DEPOSIT MODELS APPLICABLE TO PAPUA NEW GUINEA: USGS UNPUBLISHED REPORT 86/5.

  • Deposit

    DAVIES, R. M. & BALLANTYNE, G.H., 1987 GEOLOGY OF THE LADOLAM GOLD DEPOSIT LIHIR ISLAND, PAPUA NEW GUINEA, IN PACIFIC RIM CONGRESS 87 P. 943-949.

  • Deposit

    NIUGINI MINING LTD., 1987 ANNUAL REPORT, P.1-3.

  • Deposit

    MINING JOURNAL, MAY 8, 1987 P. 349

  • Deposit

    MINING JOURNAL, LONDON, JUNE 1991, MINING ANNUAL REVIEW. P. 349.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit LIHIR IS PROBABLY THE LARGEST GOLD DEPOSIT DISCOVERED OUTSIDE OF SO. AFRICA THIS CENTURY. ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT; 2 UNPUB REPT
Deposit THE DEPOSIT OCCURS IN THE CUPOLA ZONE OF A 350,000 YEAR OLD MONZONITE STOCK WHICH IS EMPLACED IN THE COLLAPSED CALDERA OF A SHOSHONITIC STRATAVOLCANO (LUISE). ASSOCIATED DEPOSITS-ADULARIA AU-AG.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-SEP-1991 Moyer, Lorre A. (Marcus, S.M.) U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

Supplemental information added by qvyshift.com. Not part of the original USGS MRDS record.

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