Economic Geology

Vol. 73, 1978, pp. 785-795

IntrusionsandPorphyryCopperProspects
of the
Star Mountains, Papua New Guinea
G. O. AR•,Tono
^N•) T. J. GRIFFIN

Abstract

The remote Star Mountains region of Papua New Guinea is a copperprovince con-
taining the Mount Fubilan depositand ten other prospectsin the Tifahnin and Nong
River areas. A wide range of calc-alkalineintrusionswas eraplacedinto Jurassicto
Ivliocene shelf sedimentscontemporaneously with Plio-Pleistocenethrust faulting.
Copper mineralization is present in skarns and disseminatedin porphyry stocks. Many
of the prospectsdisplay commoncharacteristicswhich may be useful for exploration:
the mineralizedstocksare porphyry intrusionswith biotite alterationand are emplaced
at or near the baseof an extensivethrusted limestoneunit; massivemagnetite is often a
major componentof the mineralizedskarns.

Introduction seqnent
studyof theigneous
rocksof the depositand
THE westernpart of Papua New Guineacontainsa their alteration is reported by Arnold and Fitz-
numberof importantcopperprospectswhich include gerald (1977). The depositis currentlybeing as-
the Mount Fubilan (Ok Tedi) and FriedaRiver de- sessed by a consortium led by The BrokenHill Pro-
posits. Reviewedhere are prospectsfrom the Star prietary Company Ltd.
Mountains(Tifalmin and Nong River) and Mount Jonesand Turner (1972) reportedthe resultsof
Fubilan areas; similaritiesin porphyry and skarn exploration of the Tifahninprospects whichincluded
mineralization,alteration,and associated
youngin- extensive pittingand 1,065 metersof diamonddrill-
trusionsare comparedand regionalgeologicalsetting ing. Froin mid-1975 the GeologicalSurvey of
discussed. Papna New Guinea (for the Ok Tedi Development
The Star Mountains straddle the border between CompanyPry. Ltd.) undertookexplorationin the
Papua New Guineaand Irian Jaya, rising to 4,000 Star Mountains, including a reappraisalof the
metersabovesealeveland lorntingthe watershedbe- Tifahnin prospectsand stream sedimentand geo-
tween the Sepik and Fly Rivers. Monnt Fubilan physicalreconnaissance (Pigram and Lowenstein,
1975; Pigrain, 1976; Pigrain et al., 1976; Searson,
lies within the southernfoothillsof this range. Ex-
1977; McGee, 1976). During this program skarn
cept for the highest peaks, the area is covered by
dense tropical rain forest. Annual rainfall ranges and porphyrymineralizationwasdiscovered at Nong
from 2,500 mm to 10,000min. Populationis sparse River andexploredby extensivepittingandsampling
and accessis by air or walkingtrack. (Lowenstein,1976).
The Blucher Range 1:250,000 geologicalsheet
History of GeologicalInvestigation (Davies andNorvick, 1974) incorporates the Kenne-
cott mappingat the Tifalmin and Fubilan prospects,
In 1968-69 geologistsof Kennecott Explorations togetherwith the resultsof regionalgeologicalsur-
(Australia) Pry. Ltd. carried out a reconnaissanceveys carried out in the Star Mountainsarea since
explorationprogram which locatedthe Mount FuN- 1967. In late 1976 mapping of the Ok Tedi
lan deposit(Barnford,1972) and the Tifalmin pros- 1:100,000 sheetand southernpart of the Atbalmin
pects (Jonesand Turner, 1972; Jones,1973). 1:100,000 sheet(coveringthe Star Mountainsarea)
By 1972,Kennecotthad completeda major drilling was commencedand is currently in progress.
and mappingprogram in the Mount Fubilan area, A summaryand comparisonof major featuresof
reportedby Barnford(1972). Further discussion of the prospectsare containedin Table 1. Maps show-
Mount Fubilan is contained in Duncan (1972), ing the regionalgeologyof the Tifalmin and Nong
Lawrenceand Savage(1975), Mason (1975), and River prospectsare shownin Figures 1 to 3. A map
Page (1975). A petrologicalstudy of samplescol- of the Mount Fubilan area has been presentedin
lected during the Kennecott drilling program is Banfiord, 1972.
given in Ayres and Barnford(in prep.). In 1976
the Ok Tedi DevelopmentCompanyPty. Ltd. com- Regional Geological Setting
pleteda further drilling programat Mount Fubilan Bainford (1972) and Ayres and Barnford (in
reportedby BehreDolbearand Co. (1976). A sub- prep.) discussthe geologicalsetting of the Mount
785
786 G. O. ARNOLD AND T. J. GRIFFIN

¸ o

'"o

¸
INTRUSIONS AND COPPER PROSPECTS, STAR MOUNTAINS, PNG 787
788 G. O. ARNOLD AND T. J. GRIFFIN

Fubilandeposit. The geologyof muchof the Star component

probablyderivedlargelyfrom extrusives
Mountains is dealt with by Davies and Norvick related to these bodies.
(1974); adjacentparts of Irian Jaya by Visser and Deformation: North of the Star Mountains the
Hermes (1962) and Bar et al. (1961); areasnorth- Om Bedswere tightly foldedwith slaty and phyllitic
east of the Star Mountainsby Dow et al. (1972); axial-planefoliations.The Star Mountainsform part
the agesof igneousintrusionsby Page (1975); and of a zone characterizedby broad folding and low-
the gravitationaloverthrustingby Jenkins (1974). angle,southward-directed, gravity-drivenoverthrust-
Jurassic to middle-Miocene sediments
ing of slabsof the Darai Limestone. BetweenMount
Fubilan and the axis of the Star Mountains lies the
The Jurassicto middle Miocenesedimentsform a Muller anticline in which the Mesozoic succession is
sequencegenerallyin excessof 4,500 m thick, of exposedand the Darai Limestoneis largely absent.
which about 2,500 m is Mesozoic. The oldest out- South of the Mount Fubilan area, deformationis re-
croppingrocksin the Star Mountains are the Kuab- stricted to broad low-amplitude folds and minor
gen Group on the southernflanksof the range and faulting. Rapid uplift and erosion accompanied
the Om Beds on the northern flanks,both predonfi- these deformations.
nantlyUpper Jurassic(Fig. 1). The KuabgenGroup The plate tetconicsettingof the Cenozoicorogeny
comprisesbasal arkose and conglomeratederived in the Star Mountainsis problenmtical. In the early
from a nearby granitic landmassand an overlying Miocene or late Oligocenethe Australian Plate col-
transgressive-regressive
shallowmarine sequenceof lided with a Tertiary island arc now representedby
micaceousquartz sandstoneand dark shale. The rocks in the Bewani and Terricelli Mountains and the
Om Beds, with abundant carbonaceousshale and Adelbert and Finisterre Ranges. An extensivebelt
phyllite,are deepermarineequivalents of the south- of mid-Miocenemagmatismand deformationalong
ern sequence. the southernedgeof the Sepik-Ramu-MarkhamVal-
Conformablyoverlyingthe KuabgenGroup is the leysis apparentlyrelatedto this collision(e.g., Page,
CretaceousFeing Group which outcropsboth north 1976). The Star Mountains lie to the southof this
and south of the axis of the Star Mounatins. This belt, and their deformation and magmatism are
unit is shallow marine and comprisesquartz sand- younger.
stone (glauconitic in part), dark mudstone, and Igneous activity in the Star Mountains continued
shale. to the early Pleistocene. A widespreadgroup of
Paraconformablyoverlying the Mesozoic rocks is (•uaternary stratovolcanoesin the central mainland
the extensive Eocene to middle Miocene Darai Lime- of Papua New Guinea, southeastof the Star Moun-
stone,composedlargely of foraminiferaland micritic tains,has a comparabletectonicsettingand possibly
limestone. This unit forms many of the high peaks represents sinfilarbut morerecentmagmatism.There
and scarpsof the Star Mountains. Calcareousmud- is no convincingevidencefor a present-daysouth-
stone and interbedded limestone (of the Pnyang ward-dippingsubductionzonebeneaththeseQuater-
Formation and other units) overlie the Darai Lime- nary volcanoes(e.g., Mackenzie,1976).
stoneand are largely middle Miocene in age. Speculatively,deformationand magmatismin the
The thick sequenceof Jurassicto middle Miocene Star Mountains had an origin similar to the mid-
sediments were deposited on the northern edge of Miocene deformation and magmatismto the north:
the tectonicallystableAustralian platform. The Om crustal shortening and buckling related to collision
Beds were possibly laid down on the outer con- of the Australian Plate with an island arc. The ap-
tinentalshelf,while farther north (in the zonecon- parent southerlymigrationof the orogenywith time
taining the Frieda River deposit) there are Meso- may be due to an initial buffering effect of the de-
zoic-early Cenozoiceugeosynclinalfacies sediments formation to the north.
and volcanics.
Igneous Rock Types
Cenozoicoro9eny The intrusive rocks of the Star Mountains have a
In the Star Mountains area an orogeny began in typical calc-alkaline mineralogy. The predominant
the late Miocene or early Pliocene. primary ferromagnesianphase is green-brownhorn-
Igneous intrusion: High-level stocksand a batho- blende,occurringwith pale green to colorlessclino-
lith (Antares Complex), of generally intermediate pyroxene and coarsebrown biotite. Chemicaldata
compositions,were eraplacedintermittently, mainly for rocks from the Ok Tedi and Mount Ian Com-
in the last 8 m.y. (Page, 1975). The.porphyry plexesand the Mount Frew Stock show well-defined
copperprospectsare associatedwith theseintrusions. calc-alkaline
trends (Mason, 1975; Ayres and Barn-
The PlioceneBirhn Formation outcroppingsouthof ford, in prep.). Theseauthorssuggestthat the rocks
the Star Mountains has an abundant volcaniclastic belong to a high-potashcalc-alkatinesuite.
INTRUSIONSAND COPPERPROSPECTS,
STARMOUNTAINS,PNG 789
790 G. O. ARNOLD AND T. J. GRIFFIN

face. Many are heterogeneous, containinga wide

range of rock typesand textures. They range from
microgabbroporphyry at the Kutim prospect(Fig.
1) to the mineralized Fubilan Quartz Monzonite
Porphyry (Arnold and Fitzgerald, 1977), and in-
clude diorite, quartz diorite, monzonite,and quartz
monzoniteporphyries.
Disseminated copper mineralization in the Star
Mountainsis largely confinedto the porphyriticin-
trusions; the Tifalmin stocksare characteristically
porphyritictextured, and at Nong River and Fu'bi-
lan, where both porphyryand equigranularor sub-
porphyriticgranitoidintrusionsoccur,the porphyry
intrusionsare preferentiallymineralizedand altered.
Some of the porphyritic intrusion are possibly
dike complexesrather than single intrusions. The
Xorthern Creek Porphyry at Nong River appearsto
be sucha complexbody and many of the Tifalmin
stockshaveabundantscreensof countryrock within
o ioo 200 m.
intrusions,plus dikesbeyond,so that boundariesare
I I I .
somewhatarbitrary.
All intrusionscontaincrosscuttingandesiticdikes,
Nong River Diorite
many with large hornblendephenocrysts;basaltic
and felsic varieties also occur.

Breccias

Dora; Limestone The presenceof intrusivebreccias(as definedby

Felng Group
\Vright and Bowes, 1963) in some stockssuggests
%• Brecct'•
explosiveventingto surface. Occurrences associated
with prospectsare listedin Table 1. The most sig-
nificantexampleis at Mount Fubilan,where10 to 20
Fro. 2. Geological map, Nong River prospect. Alteration
and mineralization largely confined to N• (Prospect Creek percentof the Fubilan Quartz MonzonitePorphyry
and Northern Creek Porphyries). is composedof dikes of intrusive.breccia(Arnold
and Fitzgerald, 1977). These dikes formed after
The namesof igneousrocksused here follow rec- the intrusionhad crystallizedand are apparentlyre-
ommendations of the I.U.G.S. Subcommission on the latedto alteration.They containangularand rounded
Systematicsof IgneousRocks (Streckeisen,1976). fragmentsof siltstoneand intrusive rock in a felsic
matrix which, in places,resemblesthe porphyryhost
Equigranularplutonicrocks rockand in othersis fragmentallytextured. Barnford
Most equigranularor subporphyriticintrusionsin (1972) suggested that thesebrecciasare intrusion
the Star Mountains occur as large massesof grano- breccias, ,but subsequent work has indicated their
diorite (Bar et al., 1961), quartz monzodiorite, their abundant occurrence the
crosscutting relationshipto porphyry stockand
in central as well as
quartz diorite, and diorite in the Antares Complex.
Other occurrencesinclude quartz diorite at the marginal parts of the stock.
Nong River prospect (Fig. 2) and diorite and Similar agesof thrustingand intrusion (discussed
monzodiorite at Mount Ian, north of the Ok Tedi below) suggestthat, in somecases,a spectrummay
exist between fault breccias and breccias related to
Complex. These rocks are generallyunmineralized
and unaltered. igneousprocesses.The mineralizedbrecciasat Olgal
and Futik are restrictedto the southernmargins of
Porphyries
the stocks near a thrust fault. They have been
interpretedin part as both fault and intrusive brec-
The porphyritic intrusionsare often quite small cias.
and composemany of the isolatedstocksin the Star
Mountains but also occur within the Antares Com- Structural Aspects of Intrusions
plex. Their structural positionssuggestthat many Intrusionsand thrust faulting in the Star Moun-
lessthan 2,000 metersfrom the stir- tainsare ,broadlycontemporaneous
were eraplace(1 (Davis and Nor-
 INTRUSIONSAND COPPERPROSPECTS,
ST,dRMOUNT,qINS,PNG 791

rick, 1974). Most mineralizedintrusionsare located deposit(Banfiord,1972). The NongRiverprospect

at or near the base of the Darai Limestone. The and part of the Futik Stockare similarlycharacter-
thrust ddcollementzones, generally within shale izedby relativelylow iron sulfide,whereasthe other
horizons,are also commonlynear the base of the Tifalmin prospects have much higher proportions.
Darai Limestone. The presenceof zonesof weak- Barnford(1972) andAyresandBarnford(in prep.)
ness related to detachment and the coherent nature recordthat marcasiteis the predominant iron sulfide
of the overlyinglimestoneslabsmay havecontributed in part of the Fubilan Stock; pyrite only has been
to this stratigraphicpositionbecomingthe locus at identified in the other prospects.
which magmascollected. Molybdenumgenerallyoccursin quantitiesless
Evidence for low-angle thrusting is compelling. than the averagegrade of 0.01 percentat Mount
For example, in the Elam Valley west of Tifalmin Fubilan. Gold is significantat Mount Fubilanand
there are weakly lithified alluvials of probablelate the Futik Stock. Silver is apparentlyof little eco-
Plioceneor Pleistoceneage exposedin windows of nomic importancein any of the prospects.
the thick limestone unit which contains the Tifalmin Secondaryenrichment,important in the Mount
stocks. These sedimentsare derivedalmostentirely Fubilan depositand presentin the Olgal Stock,oc-
from a coarseigneousrock. They are not limestone curs mainly as chalcocite with minor covelliteand
derived as are the more recent alluvials. Sequence cuprite. In theseareasthe porphyriesare exposed
reversalsand repetitionsare seenin a drill hole and on ridges,whereasmost other prospectsare on or at
in outcropsouthof the Futik and Olgal Stockswhere the baseof steepslopes.
the Feing Group beneathDarai Limestoneoverlies Further detailsof the mineralizationare given in
Darai Limestone. Table 1.
It is likely that the stocksat Tifalmin were carried
to their present locality as part of an allochthonous Alteration Associated with Disseminated
sheet. The age of the Futik Stock (12 m.y.) and Mineralization
alterationat Futik and Rattatat (3.4 to 4.6 m.y.) re-
ported by Page (1975) suggestthe mineralized Biotite
stockswere eraplacedprior to or during thrusting. Secondary biotiteassemblages are the characteris-
Somebrecciasin the southernparts of the Olgal and tic alterationassociated with porphyry mineraliza-
Futik Stocksmay be relatedto this thrusting. tion in the Star Mountainsand are quitewidespread.
Low-anglethrustingis also likely to be significant At Fubilantwo typeshavebeendistinguished by
in the Mount Fubilan area as indicatedby apparent Arnold and Fitzgerald (1977).
thinning of the sectionof Darai Limestoneto 200 m
Type1: Presentmainlyin peripheral anddeeper
(from 1,000m). Southof Mount Fubilanthis lime-
stone unit in entirely brecciated. Reversalsof se-
partsof the mineralized
Fubilan QuartzMonzonite
Porphyry,it is characterized
by finegreenish
brown
quence,indicatednear the Gold Coast skarn where
the limestoneapparentlyunderliesFeing Group silt-
secondary biotiteand magnetite.Secondary alkali
feldsparis presentbut not abundant.
stone,can be explainedby a low-angle thrust.
Trending north-northeastfrom Mount Fubilan is Type2: Predominant
in the mineralized
stock,it
a zone of roughly aligned intrusions,includingthe
is characterized
by abundantcoarsereddishbrown
Ok Tedi Complex, the Mount Ian Complex, the secondarybiotite,abundantsecondaryalkalifeldspar
Kutim Stocks,the Nong River intrusions,and other (bothorthoclase and albite),and abundant quartz
unnamedstocks(Fig. 1). This alignmentmay be
veining. Magnetiteis markedlyabsent. Type 2
related to a basement structure. verycommonly overprintstype1 andappears to be
associatedwith the most intense primary copper
mineralization.
Disseminated Mineralization
Some other occurrencesof secondarybiotite as-
Primary copper mineralizationgreater than 0.1 semblageare shownin Table 1. These occurrences
percent Cu but rarely greater than 0.3 percent Cu is resemblethe type 1 assemblage at Fubilanin that
presentin the porphyryintrusionsat Mount Fubilan magnetiteis generallypresentand secondaryalkali
and Nong River, and the Olgal, Futik, and Kum feldsparis eitherrare (e.g., Nong River, Futik) or
Kom Stocks. Parts of the Fubilan prospect are absent(e.g., Olgal, Kutim). However,they differ
exceptionalwith primary gradesexceeding1.0 per- from Fubilan assemblages
in that chloritecommonly
cent Cu. accompanies
the secondary
biotite(e.g., NongRiver,
The copperis presentmainly as chalcopyriteoc- Olgal, Rattatat, Unfin, and, less commonly,at
casionallywith minor bornire. The cp: py + marc Kutim), and secondarybiotite types are quite var-
ratio is approximately3:1 by volrunein the Fubilan iable,rangingfrom fine green-brown
varieties(e.g.,
792 G. O. ARNOLD AND T. J. GRIFFIN

at Olgal) resemblingthosein the Fnl)ilan type I as- others (see Table 1). Many such skarns are endo-
semblages to coarsereddishvarieties(e.g.,at Kutiu•). skarns developedby skarnificationof igneousrock
At Nong River the entirerangeis represented. adjacentto limestone.
2. Massive magnetitewith or without calc-silicate
Sericite minerals and sulfides.
Sericite,generallywith quartz and clay, particu- 3. Skarnlike bodies of massive sulfides, domi-
larly characterizesthe Tifalmin prospects. Some nanfly pyrrhotitewith somepyrite and chalcopyrite.
sericitesporadicallyaccompanies biotite assemblages The skarn bodiescommonlycontain copper min-
at the Tifalmin prospects,Nong River, and Fubilan. eralization, particularly the massivemagnetiteand
Quartz-sericite-clayis also present at Fubilan in massivesulfidetypes. Details of skarn occurrences
scattered narrow zones.
at various prospectsare listed in Table 1.
Clay
Details of Some Star Mountains Prospects
Clay alterationis presentat mostprospects,
often
superimposed on biotite or sericite assemblages. A summaryof major aspectsof copperprospects
Much is likelyto be supergene. in the Star Mountains is presentedin Table 1.
Mount Fnbilan has been discussedin detail by Barn-
Chlorite and amphibole ford (1972) and Ayres and Barnford(in prep.). Of
the remaining prospects,Nong River, Futik, and
Secondarychlorite without biotite has widespread
Olgal are the most intensivelyexploredand are dis-
sporadicoccurrence in the Antares Complex.Fibrous cussed below.
or granular secondary amphibole replacing horn-
blendeoccurssporadically in the AntaresComplex,
Nong River
at Nong River, and in parts of the Ok Tedi Com-
plex. Both alterationtypesapparentlyare unrelated The Nong River prospect(Lowenstein,1976) has
to porphyry mineralization. been exploredby pitting and mappingbut has not
beendrilled. It occursin steepterrain on the south-
Zoning eastcornerof the Antares Complex (Fig. 1). Cop-
The only large-scalealteration zoning recognized per mineralization is present mainly in scattered
is at Kum Kom, Rattatat, and Fubilan. skarn bodiesand two separateporphyry intrusions,
Jonesand Turner (1972) recognized at Kum Kom as part of a larger igneouscomplex (Fig. 2).
an inner zone with secondary biotite assemblages, The Nong River Diorite is an equigranulardiorite
surroundedby a zone of quartz-sericite-clayaltera- resemblingnearby parts of the Antares Complex.
tion, surroundedby an outermostzone of chlorite- This intrusion is on the contact between the Darai
epidote-clayalteration. A similar situationexists at Limestoneand quartzite of the Feing Group. The
Rattatat, but the outermost alteration zone does not mineralizedNorthern Creek Porphyry and Prospect
appear to be present. Creek Porphyry intrude the westernand northwest-
Arnold and Fitzgerald (1977) indicatethat altera- ern edges of the Nong River Diorite (Fig. 2).
tion in the Fubilan depositis roughly zoned. Most Weathered and altered andesitic volcanics overlie
of the Fubilan Quartz Monzonite Porphyry has type the intrusive rocksand, in a possiblediatremeon the
2 secondarybiotite assemblages with a zone of in- southeast end of the Northern Creek Porphyry,
tense quartz veining near the upper central part of partly intrude them.
the stock. Type 1 secondarybiotite assemblages oc- Alteration of intrusive rocks includesdevelopment
cur in generally peripheral and deeper parts of the of chlorite, patchy biotite, rare alkali feldspar,seri-
porphyry stock. cite, and epidote. Alteration is most intensein the
porphyriesand is weak or absentin the Nong River
Skarns Diorite. Copper mineralization occurs in the por-
Mineralized skarns have widespread association phyriesas disseminatedchalcopyrite,chalcopyritein
with intrusive bodies in contact with the Darai Lime- quartz-epidote-pyriteveins, and secondaryminerals
stonein the Star Mountainsbut are most extensively in fracturesand pyrite coatings. Primary gradesare
developedon the margins of the Ok Tedi Complex. in the range 0.2 to 0.3 percent Cu. Significant
The skarnscan be subdividedinto three major cate- secondaryenrichment is unlikely to be present.
gories. Skarns, including calc-silicate,magnetite, and mas-
1. Calc-silicatescomprising one or more of the sive sulfidetypes,have erratic coppergradesranging
minerals garnet, pyroxene, epidote,amphibole,and to greater than 10 percent Cu. Skarns associated
 INTRUSIONS'MND COPi'ERPROSPECTS',
•'TMR MOUNT,IL¾S,I'NG 703

JNFIN

STOCK

L6•L

ITz T• ,

Formation

•(•Scarp
portly ½1ouco.lltc

• Lo• anvil f•r•lf t•ull

FIG.3. Geological
map,Tifalminprospects.

withtheporphyrieshavehighercoppergradesthan lessthan0.15percent Cu. Patchysecondary biotite

thosewithinthe NongRiver Diorite. alterationis confined to thewestern partof thestock
Lowenstein(1976) madean order-of-magnitude
and is associated with chalcopyriteand bornitemin-
resource
estimatefor theNongRiverprospect
of 60 eralization;a drill holein thispartof the stockinter-
x 106metrictonsof 0.5 percentCu. sected146 meterswith an averagegradeof 0.36
Futik percentCu with 0.44 g/metricton Au. Copper
gradesin excessof 1.0 percentCu occurin skarn
TheFutikprospect (JonesandTurner,1972)has blockswithin the brecciazone and a small skarn
beenexplored bypitting,mapping,
andthreediamond bodywithinthe centralpart of the stock.
drill holestotaling781meters.Coppermineraliza- McGee(1976) madean order-of-magnitude re-
tionis associatedwitha fractured
andalteredpor- sourceestimatefor the Futik prospect of 15 X 10ø
phyriticmicrodioriteintrusionlocatedon the contact metrictonsof 0.3 to 0.4 percentCu.
between
the DaraiLimestone
andquartziteof the
Feing Group (Fig. 3). The stockcontainsxeno- Olgal
1iths
oflimestone
anda smallskarnbody.A major The Olgalprospect
(Jonesand Turner,1972;
brecciazoneoccursalongthe southerncontactand Pigram
andLowenstein,
1975)hasbeenexplored
by
contains
fragments of intrusive
rock,sediment,and pitting, mapping,and two diamonddrill holestotal-
skarn.
ing 284 meters.Coppermineralization is present
Clay-sericite
alteration,generallyassociated
with within a porphyritic tonMiteand quartzmicro-
high pyrite, is dominantin the Futik Stockand is dioritestockwhich,again,is on the contactbetween
most intenselydevelopedin the brecciazoneon the
the DaraiLimestone andquartzite of the Feing
southern
contact.Copper mineralization
is presentGroup(Fig.3). A polymictic brecciazoneis pres-
withthisalteration
type,butgradesaregenerallyent along the southerncontactof the stock and a
794 G. O. ARNOLD AND T. J. GRIFFIN

small magnetiteskan• l,,dy occurswithin the h•tru-

('. l'igram, and C. th.lgc were involvedin investiga-
sion. tionsof the Star Mountainsprospects
Clay-sericite
alterationassociated
with highpyrite trilmted discussion and criticism. Publicationis by
and patchy secondarybiotite are most intensely permissionof the Director, Office of Minerals and
developedin the brecciazone and do not affect the
northernmost
partsof thestock. Coppermineraliza-
tion accompanies the alterationas chalcocite,chalco-
pyritic, neotocite,and malachite.A leachedzoneabout
24 metersthick, cappingsupergene-enriched
min-
eralizationbeneatha narrow ridge, was encountered
in the two drill holes. One hole, penetratingthe
secondaryenrichedzone, intersected86 meterswith
an averagegrade of 0.66 percentCu with 0.31 g/
metric ton Au. Coppergradesin the seconddrill
hole were lessthan 0.3 percentCu and primary
gradesare likely to havebeenabout0.2 percentCu.
Mcgee (1976) made an order-of-magnitudere-
source estimatefor the Olgal prospectof 50 x 100
metrictonsof 0.6 percentCu.
Discussion
The copperprospectsof the Star Mountainsform
a group distinguishedby many similaritiesin geo-
logicalsetting,porphyryintrusions,associated
skarns,
and details of alteration and mineralization. •ow-
ever, no two prospectsare identical and there is a
completespectrumfrom the economically important
deposit at Mount Fubilan to unmineralizedintru-
sionswith only minor alterationsuchas the Kutim
Stocks.
Comparisonof the prospectssuggestssome pos-
sible characteristicsof an explorationtarget in the
Star Mountains: a porphyry with biotite alteration
eraplacedat or near the baseof the Darai Limestone,
with magnetite skarn developmentalong contacts.
Despite the young agesof intrusionsand rapid up-
lift and erosion in the province, the Fubilan and
¸lgal occurrences indicatethat secondaryenrichment
is possible. The Gunung Bijih (Errsberg) deposit
in Irian Jaya, in a very similar geologicalsetting,is
economicallyviable on skarn mineralization alone.
The copperprospectsof the Star Mountains are
associated with Plio-Pleistocene calc-alkaline intru-
sionseraplaced,
contemporaneously
•vith deformation,
into a foreland thrust-fold belt. This belt was devel-
opedwithin a shallowmarine sequence laid down on
the tectonicallystable northern edge of the Aus-
tralian Plate. Deformation and magmatism were
probablydrivenby deepcrustalshorteningand buck-
ling relatedto collisionof the AustralianPlate with
a Tertiary islandarc to the north.
Acknowledgments
Much informationreportedhere is from statutory Page, R. W., 1975, Geochronologyof Late Tertiary and
Quaternary mineralized intrusive porphyries in the Star
reportsby KennecottExplorations (Australia) Pry. Mountains of Papua New Guinea and Irian Jaya: EcoN.
Ltd. Our colleaguesW. A. McGee, P. Lowenstein, G•on., v. 70, p. 928-936.
and havecon-
Energy, Papua New Guinea.
GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF PAPUA NEW GUINEA
P.O. Box 778
PORTMORESBY,PAPUA NEW GUINEA
March 16, 1978
REFERENCES
Arnold, G. O., and Fitzgerald, F. G., 1977, Igneous rock
types and their alteration, Mount Fubilan porphyry copper
deposit: Papua New Guinea Geol. Survey Rept. 77/5
(unpub.).
Barnford,R. W., 1972,The Mount Fubilan (Ok Tedi) por-
phyry copperdeposit,Territory of Papua and New Guinea:
Eco<. GEOL.,v. 67, p. 1019-1033.
Bar, C. B., Cortel, H. J., and Escher,A. E., 1961,Geological
resultsof the Star Mountains ("Sterrengebergte") expedi-
tion: Nova Guinea, v. 10, p. 39-99.
Behre Dolbear and Co. Inc., 1976, Review of 1975-1976
drilling program and estimateson tonnagesand grades,
Ok Tedi copper prospect,Western Province, Papua New
Guinea: Ok Tedi Devel. Co. Pty. Ltd., unpub.rept.
Davies, H. L., and Norvick, M., 1974, Blucher Range,
Papua New Guinea: Australia Bur. Mineral Resources
Geology Geophysics, 1:250,000 Geol. Ser.--Expl. Notes,
Sheet SB/54-7.
Dow, D. B., Smit, J. A. J., Bain, J. H. C., and Ryburn, R.
J., 1972, The geology of the south Sepik region, New
Guinea: Australia Bur. Mineral ResourcesGeology Geo-
physics Bull. 133, 88 p.
Duncan, I., 1972, Skarn genesisat the Ok Tedi porphyry
copper deposit and the stability relations of aluminouscalc-
silicates: Unpub. B.A. thesis, Macquarie Univ., Sydney.
Jenkins, D. A. L., 1974, Detachment tectonics in western
Papua New Guinea: Geol. Soc. America Bull., v. 85, p.
533-48.
Jones,R. A., 1973, Geochemicalprospectingin Papua New
Guinea--case history: Melbourne, Australasian Inst. Min-
ing Metall., Ann. Conf. Proc., p. 41-51.
Jones,R. A., and Turner, A. T., 1972, Tifalmin examination,
New Guinea. Progress report to December 31, 1971, i•
Jones, R. A., Report to Mines Dept. on PA 85 (NG).
Summary of work done during the period 16 March, 1972
to 15 June, 1972: Kennecott Explor. (Australia) Pty.
Ltd., unpub. rept.
Kennecott Explorations (Australia) Pty. Ltd., 1971-72,
Quarterly reports to Mines Dept. on PA 28P (Ok Tedi
Project, North West Papua): Unpub. rept.
La•vrence,L. J., and Savage,E. N., 1975, Mineralogy of the
titaniferous porphyry copper depositsof Melanesia: Aus-
tralasian Inst. Mining Metallurgy Proc., no. 256, p. 1-14.
Lowenstein,P. L., 1976, Discovery and surfaceevaluationof
the Nong River copper prospect, West Sepik Province:
Papua New Guinea Geol. Survey Rept. 76/5 (unpub.).
Mackenzie, D. E., 1976, Nature and origin of late Cainozoic
volcanoes in western Papua New Guinea, i• Johnson, R.
W., ed., Volcanism in Australasia: Amsterdam, Elsevier
Scientific Pub. Co., p. 221-238.
Mason, D. R., 1975, Geochemistryof intrusive rock suites
and related porphyry copper mineralization in the Papua
New Guinea-Solomon Islands region: Unpub. Ph.D.
thesis, Australian National Univ., Canberra.
Mcgee, W. A., 1976, A summary of mineral exploration in
the Star Mountains, PA 415. Ok Tedi Development Co.
Pty. Ltd.: Papua New Guinea Geol. Survey Rept. 76/10
(unpub.).
 INTRUSIONS AND COPPERPROSPECTS,STAR MOUNTAINS, PNG 795

1976,Geochronology
of igneous
andmetamorphic
rocks Dokfuma plateau,PA 415 (NG): Papua New Guinea
in the New Guinea Highlands: Australia Bur. Mineral Geol. SurveyRept. 76/20 (unpub.).
Resources GeologyGeophysics Bull. 162,117 p. Searson,
W. D., 1977,Streamsedimentgeochemistry
in the
Pigram,C. J., 1976,Resultsof geochemicalreconnaissance
in Aveamand TumfakamaRivers,May 1976: PapuaNew
the northernStar Mountains, PA 415 (NG), PapuaNew GuineaGeol.SurveyRept.77/1 (unpub.).
Guinea: PapuaNew GuineaGeol.SurveyRept. 76/8 Streckeisen,
A., 1976,To eachplutonic
rockits propername:
(unpub.). Earth-Sci. Rev., v. 12, p. 1-34.
Pigram,C. J., andLowenstein, of Visser,W. A., andHermes,J. J., 1962,Geological
P. L., 1975,Re-evaluation resultsof
the Olgal target,Tifalmin,West SepikProvince:Papua the exploration for oil in Netherlands New Guinea:
New GuineaGeol.SurveyRept.75/19 (unpub.). Gravenhage, Staatsdrukkerij-
enUitgeverijbedrijf,
265p.
Wright, A. E., and Bowes,D. R., 1963,Classification of
Pigram,C. J., Arnold,G. O., Hodge,C. C., andDoble,K. volcanic breccias: A discussion: Geol. Sot. America
W., 1976, Geophysical and geologicalinvestigationof Bull., v. 74, p. 79-86.