The Sentani and Siduarsi Nickel-Cobalt Laterite Deposits,
Northeast Irian Jaya, Indonesia
M.R. Thirnbeck1
ABSTRACT
Periodic exploration of northeast Irian Jaya, particularly
since the early 1950s, has identified two areas containing
significant nickel-cobalt laterite deposits at Sentani and
Siduarsi.
The Sentani deposits are held under a 7th generation
Contract of Work (COW) between PT. Iriana Sentani and
the Government of the Republic of Indonesia. Covering
14,640 hectares in two separate blocks, the project area lies
immediately west of Jayapura, the capital city of Irian Jaya.
The Sentani COW contains a string of nickel-cobalt bear-
ing laterite deposits, developed on serpentinised
harzburgites, exposed along the southern and western flanks
of the Cyclops Range. Previous detailed exploration by co-
lonial Dutch authorities in the 1950s and by PT. Pacific
Nikkel in 1970 over seven nickel-cobalt laterite deposits in
the Sentani COW has outlined a combined resource in the
indicated category of 44.3Mt at grades of 1.31% nickel and
0.11% cobalt using a cutoff of 0.8% nickel. The realistic
development potential is presently limited to the indicated
limonite resource of 15.0Mt @ 1.46% nickel and 0.14%
cobalt, at a cutoff of 1.1% nickel, for the four deposits fring-
ing Tanahmerah Bay.
The Siduarsi nickel-cobalt laterite deposit is held under
a 6th generation COW between the Government of the Re-
public of Indonesia and PT. Iriana Mutiara Mining. Lo-
cated on the southern flanks of the Siduarsi Range, the
Siduarsi nickel-cobalt deposit was first recognised by PT.
Mutiara Iriana Minerals in 1994. Nickel and cobalt
mineralisation occurs within a fully developed lateritic pro-
file consisting of well-defined limonite and saprolite hori-
zons over serpentinised ultramafic rocks. Exploration since
1994 includes 367 hand and machine augers, 24 cored
drillholes and four test pits. An inferred resource of 130Mt
at 1.12% nickel and 0.07% cobalt, using a 0.6% nickel cut-
off, is estimated within a surface area of 21.8 square
kilometres. The Siduarsi deposit lies 25km from the coast
and just over 140km west of the Sentani deposits.
INTRODUCTION
Both Sentani and Siduarsi projects are located on the island
of New Guinea, within the Kabupaten (Regency) of Jayapura
in the northeast corner of the Indonesian province of Irian
Jaya.
1. Iriana Resources Coorporation, Plaza Aminta, Suite 7-
02, Jl. T.B. Simatupang Kav. 10, Jakarta 12310 Indonesia
PNG Geology, Exploration and Mining Conference
Sentani
A string of seven nickel-cobalt laterite deposits, collectively
known as the Sentani deposits, stretch some 12 to 45km
west of Jayapura, the provincial capital of Irian Jaya. The
deposits have developed as weathering profiles over dismem-
bered ophiolite rocks exposed along the southern and west-
ern flanks of the Cyclops Range, an east-west trending, 40km
long by 15km wide, isolated massif rising to 2,160m above
sea level.
The Sentani deposits are held under a 7th generation
COW signed on 19 February 1998 between the Government
of the Republic of Indonesia and PT. Iriana Sentani. PT.
Iriana Sentani is owned 95% by Iriana Resources Corpora-
tion, a Canadian Company listed on the Toronto Stock Ex-
change and 5% by PT. Bukit Kukila Dharma, a privately
owned Indonesian Company.
The COW project area covers 14,640 hectares in two
non-contiguous blocks (Figure 1). Block I, at the western
end of the Cyclops Range, contains the Tanahmerah and
Tablasufa nickel-cobalt laterite deposits together with the
smaller Amaybu and Kirpon deposits. All four of the Block
I deposits are located around the eastern shore of Tanahmerah
Bay. The block II deposits at Dojo, Ifar and Rhynauwen lie
amongst the southern foothills of the Cyclops Range, over-
looking the north shore of Lake Sentani, a 25km long lake.
All deposits are accessed from the bitumen road con-
necting Jayapura to the coastal village of Depapre on
Tanahmerah Bay. Grasslands dominate at Tanahmerah,
Dojo, Ifar, Rhynauwen and the western half of Tablasufa
with the remaining deposits mostly covered by a dense for-
est of stunted trees.
Siduarsi
The Siduarsi nickel-cobalt deposit is located on the south-
ern flanks of the Siduarsi Range, 200km west of Jayapura
and some 25km inland from the north coast. The Siduarsi
Range is an isolated 40km long by 15km wide east-west
trending range with a maximum elevation of 850m. The
deposit is developed in laterised ultramafics over a 30km
(E-W) and 2-7 km (N-S) exposure of serpentinised ultra-
mafic rocks. A flat alluvial plain extends inland 15 km
from the coast before rising to the crest of range approxi-
mately 20km south of coast. The topography at Siduarsi is
akin to an incised plateau where elevations of the deposit
vary from 150 to 765 metres above sea level. Creeks drain-
ing the deposit flow southwards into Boaf Utara Creek and
to the north into Nongkep Creek, ultimately reaching the
Port Moresby, 22 - 24 June 2001 245
M.R. THIRNBECK
FIG. 1 - Location of Sentani nickel-cobalt laterite deposits.
Pacific Ocean via the Biri River.
The Siduarsi nickel-cobalt laterite deposit is held under
a 6th generation COW signed on 28 April 1997 between the
Government of the Republic of Indonesia and PT. Iriana
Mutiara Mining. PT. Iriana Mutiara Mining is owned 95%
by Iriana Resources Corporation and 5% by PT. Mutiara
Iriana Minerals, a privately owned Indonesian Company.
Following two partial relinquishments in 1997 and 1998,
the current COW covers a reduced area of 16,470 hectares
in one block. The retained block covers the Siduarsi de-
posit and represents just over 1% of the original 1997 COW
area of 1,610,890 hectares.
An all-weather road built by a timber company working
in the area provides access from the coastal village of Takar
to Bodem base camp at Siduarsi. Takar can be reached from
Jayapura by coastal vessels and light aircraft. Access to
many parts of the currently defined resource area is pro-
vided by a network of tracks built to support logging opera-
tions in the area.
Climatic conditions in northeast Irian Jaya are equato-
rial. Rainfall patterns in both project areas can be divided
into a dryer season that extends from April to October and a
wet season that occurs from November to March. The aver-
age annual rainfall for this region ranges from 2000-
3000mm.
GEOLOGIC SETTING
Both the Sentani and Siduarsi deposits are located in the
northern part of the New Guinea Orogen (Cox et al., 1986)
246 Port Moresby, 22 - 24 June 2001
within terranes of oceanic affinity (Figure 2), in the same
gross tectonic setting as similar undeveloped nickel-laterite
deposits strewn along northern parts of the New Guinea
mainland at Ramu, Lake Trist and Wowo Gap, and outer
islands at Waigeo and Gag (Reynolds et al., 1973).
The New Guinea Orogen was possibly initiated as early
as Late Mesozoic times (Davies et al., 1997) when the onset
of an arc-continent collision resulted in emplacement of the
Irian Jaya ophiolite. More forceful earth-movements, in
response to long-continued oblique convergence of the Aus-
tralian continental and Pacific oceanic plates, commenced
in the Miocene and continue to this day, culminating in the
spectacular uplifted Central Ranges of the island of New
Guinea.
North of the Central Ranges, the northeast mainland of
Irian Jaya is a structurally complex region, comprising ter-
rane fragments of mantle and crustal rocks of both plates
within a matrix of variably disrupted Tertiary clastic and
calcareous sediments. Collectively this mega-breccia is
known as the North Coast Basin.
Sedimentation in the North Coast Basin started in the
Middle Miocene, and was continuous over most of the ba-
sin until the Late Pleistocene (Dow et al., 1988). The oldest
rocks, exposed in sporadic fault-blocks, are middle Miocene
turbidites about 2,000m thick (Makats Formation) thought
by Visser and Hermes (1962) to represent deep-water flysch
deposits. All sediments deposited in the basin since the
Late Miocene belong to the Mamberamo Formation, well
over 10,000m thick, which comprise deep-water turbidites
in its lower part (ranging up to the Early Pleistocene) and
PNG Geology, Exploration and Mining Conference
 THE SENTANI AND SIDUARSI NICKEL-COBALT LATERITE DEPOSITS, NORTHEAST IRIAN JAYA, INDONESIA
FIG. 2 - Simplified geology of northeast Irian Jaya region, modified from Dow et al., 1986.
coarse shallow-marine to lacustrine deposits in its upper
part. The Makats Formation and Mamberamo Formation
are not differentiated on geological maps. Both formations
are deformed into a series of tight upright anticlines and
open synclines. The cores of the anticlines commonly con-
tain Miocene sedimentary rocks that in some locations have
been intruded as diapirs (Williams and Amiruddin, 1984).
Extensive sheets of Quaternary gravel, sand, silt and mud
blanket much of the northern central and eastern parts of
the North Coast Basin.
The structure in the North Coast Basin is dominated by
the Mamberamo Thrust Belt, which is up to 100km wide
and extends southeastwards from the Mamberamo River
delta to near the Papua New Guinea border. The
Mamberamo Thrust Belt consists of a complex system of
southwest-dipping thrust faults that disrupt the Tertiary sedi-
ments of the North Coast Basin and the underlying Pacific
plate rocks, accommodating considerable crustal shorten-
ing. Sheeted limestones of the mostly Middle Miocene
Hollandia Formation and island-arc volcanics of the Pale-
ocene to Early Miocene Auwewa Formation have been
mapped as small fault wedges sporadically along the
Mamberamo Thrust Belt (Visser and Hermes, 1962). Arc-
normal faults, such as the Gauttier Offset, have facilitated
emplacement of horsts containing island-arc volcanic and
ultramafic rocks as seen in the Gauttier and Siduarsi ranges.
PNG Geology, Exploration and Mining Conference
Both the Siduarsi and Sentani deposits are developed on
prominent horsts containing basement ultramafic rocks,
forming isolated mountain massifs in the Siduarsi and Cy-
clops Ranges respectively.
A spectacular feature of the Mamberamo Thrust Belt is
the widespread occurrence of mud volcanoes formed by
diapirism. The most impressive occurrence is near the cen-
tre of the thrust belt where coalescing mud volcanoes form
a mass more than 50km wide just 30km southeast of Siduarsi.
Rafted fragments can comprise island arc and oceanic
volcanics of the Pacific Plate and the more resistant litholo-
gies of the Makats and Mamberamo Formations (Dow et
al., 1988). The thrust belt is a recent structural feature and
as shown by the intense seismicity, the thrusting continues
today. The strongest known earthquake, centred beneath
mainland New Guinea, occurred on 10th January 1971
within the Mamberamo Thrust Belt some 120km southeast
of Siduarsi, and registered 8.1 on the Richter scale. The
poorly consolidated sedimentary rocks of the North Coast
Basin generally respond thixotropically to such major seis-
mic events thus contributing to the development of both dia-
piric mud volcanoes and belts of chaotic rocks as seen
throughout the Mamberamo Formation.
The structural complexity of northeast Irian Jaya is fur-
ther complicated by terranes of continental affinity. Pigram
and Davies (1987) described 32 tectonostratigraphic terranes
Port Moresby, 22 - 24 June 2001 247
M.R. THIRNBECK
of varying tectonic provenance within the entire New Guinea
orogen, with Siduarsi occurring in their Gauttier terrane
and Sentani in the Cyclops terrane, both of oceanic affinity.
Within the North Coast Basin, some fault-bounded terranes
appear to respond to ongoing tectonism as floaters without
obvious roots, whilst others, particularly of continental ori-
gin, act as buttresses. Some north-jutting promontories have
resisted detachment from the Australian craton since the
Mesozoic and have acted as buttresses that distort and dis-
rupt ongoing tectonism in this transpressive regime. Other
cratonic promontories have detached from the Australian
continental plate and embark on an erratic westwards drift
in the ongoing tectonic scrape across the northern margin
of the Australian craton. One such possible para-autoch-
thonous terrane, the Idenburg Inlier terrane (Border terrane
of Davies et al., 1997), appears to have influenced ongoing
tectonism in the region as evidenced by flexing of the
Mamberamo Thrust Belt southeast of Siduarsi and facilitat-
ing bifurcation of regional strike-slip faults in the Frieda
River district in neighbouring Papua New Guinea that
Bainbridge et al. (1994) suggest localised copper mineralised
intrusions.
DEPOSIT GEOLOGY
Sentani
The Cyclops Range comprises a core of schist and gneiss
bounded by serpentinite with some gabbro, dolerite and ba-
salt, overlain in places by Miocene or younger limestone
(Pieters et al., 1979). Within the Sentani COW area, highly
serpentinised peridotite and gabbro occur generally in a dis-
continuous belt along the south side of the Cyclops Range
extending from Tanahmerah in the west to Jayapura in the
east. Various petrological investigations have confirmed
harzburgite and dunite as the most widespread original ul-
tramafic rock types. A bedrock sample from Tanahmerah
was determined to be an intensely serpentinised harzburgite,
originally carrying about 78% olivine, 21% enstatite with
trace clinopyroxene. Dunites are more frequently described
from the Rhynauwen area than the Tanahmerah area.
This ultramafic suite of rocks served as source rocks for
the nickel-cobalt laterite deposits. At Sentani, laterites de-
veloped on nickel-bearing peridotites frequently contain
TABLE 1
Summary results of Dutch investigations in 1952.
Deposit Auger Bottom Area (Ha) Laterite
Holes Sample
+0.5% Ni
Tanahmerah 50 50 91
Tablasufa 99 96 408
Ifar 36 32 217
Rhynauwen West 82 63 232
Rhynauwen East 77 70 280
Averages/Totals 344 311 1,228
248 Port Moresby, 22 - 24 June 2001
economic concentration of nickel. Compositional zoning,
characteristic of most tropical laterites is present; a high
iron near surface limonite layer generally grading from 1.0
to 1.5% nickel with 0.1% cobalt, underlain by a low iron
saprolite layer often grading greater than 1.5% nickel. Lat-
erites developed on gabbros, which have a low initial con-
tent of nickel are nickel poor.
Overlying the basement complex of ultramafic, basic and
metamorphic rocks within the project area are Hollandia
Formation limestones and recent alluvium. The Hollandia
Formation consists of massively bedded, commonly chalky,
coralline limestone masses that are probably bioherms (Dow
et al., 1988). Good examples exist immediately east of the
Rhynauwen deposit.
Siduarsi
Block faulted mafic and serpentinised ultramafic rocks cover
approximately 30km (E-W) by 2-7km (N-S) on the south-
ern flanks of the Siduarsi Range. The ultramafic rocks are
mostly serpentinites with minor peridotite and dunite tex-
tures remaining. Diorite and basalt rocks outcrop in the
northern half of the terrane, implying an overall northerly
dip to the slab. The age of the ultramafic rocks is uncertain
but thought to be probably Cretaceous, with perhaps an early
Miocene age of emplacement at around 20Ma (Dow et al.,
1988). Pliocene sediments of the Mamberamo Formation
crop out over the northern fall of the Siduarsi Range whereas
Quaternary alluvials blanket much of the plain to the south.
Nickel mineralisation, in association with cobalt
mineralisation, occurs within lateritic soils that have devel-
oped over parts of the exposed serpentinised ultramafic rocks.
Strong to intense serpentinisation has made petrographic
identification of the original rock difficult, however relict
mineral proportions in selected samples suggest the origi-
nal rock to have been a harzburgite. The unweathered pri-
mary nickel grade in the ultramafics is in the 0.20-0.25%
range. Elevated nickel and cobalt values generally occur
down to a depth of eight metres within a fully developed
lateritic profile consisting of well-defined limonite and sapro-
lite horizons. XRD analyses of ten drillcore samples identi-
fied antigorite and smectite confined to the saprolite zone
whereas goethite and maghaemite occur in the limonite zone.
The antigorite was formed in response to serpentinisation
Ore* Mt % Ni % Co
Thicknes Thicknes
s (m) s (m)
11.3 8.5 7.70 1.15 0.14
6.7 5.2 21.18 1.22 0.15
4.4 3.7 7.96 1.36 0.11
5.7 3.2 7.35 0.74 0.19
7.5 3.8 10.58 0.92 0.17
54.77 1.11 0.16
PNG Geology, Exploration and Mining Conference
 THE SENTANI AND SIDUARSI NICKEL-COBALT LATERITE DEPOSITS, NORTHEAST IRIAN JAYA, INDONESIA

of the ultramafic rocks, whereas goethite, maghaemite and TABLE 2

smectite are products of weathering. Summary of PT. Pacific Nikkel field investigations in
The extent of the ultramafic slab and the laterite has 1970.
been defined by ground traverses combined with photo and Deposit Hand Jacro Truck Test Drilling Grid
satellite imagery. The ultramafic rocks are distinguished Auger Auger Mounted Pits
on Landsat imagery, especially where laterite has formed, Tanahmerah 39 14 12 8 Mostly 200x100
by flat-topped to rounded hills and deeply incised valleys. Tablasufa 434 68 29 18 Mostly 200x100
The apparent smoothness of the Siduarsi area in the Landsat Kirpon 164 Mostly 200x100
image led to initial interpretations as a Quaternary mud and Amaybu 96 200x100
clay unit. Rhynauwen 179 21 21 Mostly 200x100
Dojo 25 Mostly 100x100
Harapan 21 Not known
EXPLORATION HISTORY AND RESULTS
Totals 958 103 62 26

Sentani
the Harapan and Dojo areas around Sentani town. During
Accounts of early Dutch geological expeditions into the 1970, Pacific Nikkel (Table 2) completed 958 hand augers
Cyclops Mountains led by Dr. J.H. Croockewit in 1858, A. (5cm diameter), 103 Jacro mechanical augers (8cm diameter)
Wichmann in 1905 and Dr. Zwierzycki in 1922 are presented and 62 truck mounted (Failing 1250 - 10cm single-tube core
in Ubaghs (1955). However the nickel laterite potential at barrel) drill holes on drilling grids varying from 100x100m
Sentani was only first recognised by geologists attached to up to 100x400m, but mostly on 200x100m centers (Pacific
the American army when the Headquarters of General Nikkel, 1972).
McCarthur were erected on top of the Ifar deposit in 1944. Exploration methodologies are described in Reynolds et
Minor investigations by Dutch prospectors confirmed al., (1973), who noted remarkably good correlations in
garnierite veining in occurrences at Base G, near Jayapura drilling assay results between hand and machine augers.
in 1946 and at Ifar, Tanahmerah and Tablasufa in 1949. Samples, including test pits, were systematically collected
Best results from grab samples taken in 1949 near the base at one metre intervals and analysed colourmetrically for Ni,
of exposed laterites included 6.9% nickel at Tanahmerah Co and soluble Fe (Reynolds, 1979).
and 5.6% nickel from Ifar (Ubaghs, 1955). Drilling results from section 10,000mE (Figure 3) across
The nickel-cobalt laterites flanking the Cyclops the Tanahmerah deposit highlight the thickness of the
Mountains were first systematically explored and defined limonite portion of the laterite and indicate that the 1970
by Dutch authorities in 1952 (van Nes, 1954). Sporadic but drilling also did not penetrate the full extent of the deposit
minor additional investigations continued until 1960.
Reconnaissance and detailed exploration mostly by hand
augering but including trenching outlined the Tanahmerah,
Tablasufa, Ifar and Rhynauwen (East and West) deposits.
At Tanahmerah and Tablasufa the augers penetrated average
depths of 11m and 7m respectively with 146 out of 149 holes
in these two deposits bottoming in mineralisation grading
0.5% nickel or better. Furthermore elevated cobalt grades
suggest that most auger holes were terminated in the limonite
horizon thereby not penetrating the full depth of the deposits.
All holes were sampled at one metre intervals and analysed
on site, with check assays performed in various University
laboratories in Holland. Based on 344 auger holes within
an area of 1,228 hectares van Nes (1954) estimated an
inferred resource of 54.8 million tonnes in five deposits
grading 1.11% nickel and 0.16% cobalt (Table 1).
From April to August 1970, PT. Pacific Nikkel Indonesia
(Pacific Nikkel), a consortium consisting of United States
Steel Corporation (43%), Koninklijke Nederlandsche
Hoogovens en Staalfabrieken NV (22%), Newmont Mining
Corporation (15%), Internatio-Mueller NV (10%) and
Sherritt Gordon Mines Limited (10%), conducted further
detailed investigations over the Tanahmerah, Tablasufa and
Rhynauwen deposits under a 2nd generation COW. This
work phase also identified and delineated the Amaybu and FIG. 3 - Selected drill holes along section 10,000mE of
Kirpon deposits immediately south of Tablasufa and explored Tanahmerah deposit.

PNG Geology, Exploration and Mining Conference Port Moresby, 22 - 24 June 2001 249
M.R. THIRNBECK

TABLE 3 in any resource calculations. Resource estimations, which

Tanahmerah deposit section 10,000mE, downhole nickel, are at least categorised as indicated, at nickel cutoffs of 1.1%
cobalt and iron grades in %. and 0.8% utilising an S.G. of 1 are presented in Table 4.
MA35 MA34 MA63 HA6 HA21 Exploration by Pacific Nikkel delineated an indicated
7800m N
Ni Co Fe
7600m N
Ni Co F
7400m N
Ni Co Fe
7200m N
Ni Co Fe
7000m N
Ni Co Fe
resource in seven deposits totalling 44.3 million tonnes
e grading 1.31% nickel and 0.11% cobalt at a 0.8% nickel
RL
75 (MA - Mechanical Auger, HA - Hand auger) 0.61 0.02 49 cut off. This resource estimate includes the limonite portion
74 0.76 0.01 52 of the laterite and much of the saprolite horizon. Pacific
73 0.80 0.01 48
72 1.48 0.20 45 0.81 0.01 50 Nikkel estimated an additional inferred tonnage of 8.3Mt at
71 1.31 0.16 44 0.99 0.08 47 0.8% Ni cutoff of mostly saprolite material in areas where
70 1.35 0.21 46 0.47 0.02 48 0.91 0.18 45
69 1.36 0.22 46 0.73 0.04 49 0.88 0.17 43 drillholes did not penetrate to bedrock (Pacific Nikkel, 1982).
68 1.62 0.18 48 0.73 0.15 46 0.82 0.21 41
67 1.69 0.15 47 0.97 0.24 41 0.90 0.31 41
Exploration drilling data from the four deposits fringing
66 1.67 0.16 47 1.09 0.26 44 0.93 0.24 42 Tanahmerah bay is sufficient to allow estimation of the
65 1.83 0.14 47 0.80 0.09 47 0.95 0.30 34
64 1.77 0.07 35 1.04 0.13 39 1.06 0.19 42 limonite and saprolite portions of the deposits based on a
63 1.80 0.07 36 0.99 0.11 41 1.19 0.14 41 soluble iron grade cutoff of 30% (Table 5).
62 1.99 0.06 29 1.18 0.14 45 1.55 0.10 35
61 1.46 0.15 42 1.39 0.07 34 The realistic mining development potential of the Sentani
60
0.55 0.03 4
1.39
1.48
0.16
0.13
44
43
1.73 0.07 30 Project lies in the indicated limonite resource of 15.0Mt at
59
9 1.46% Ni and 0.14% Co (at 1.1% Ni cutoff) within the four
58 0.76 0.04 4 1.58 0.10 44
9 deposits fringing Tanahmerah Bay.
57 0.70 0.03 5 1.83 0.10 44 PT. Sentani Maju Minerals, a joint venture between
0
56 0.71 0.03 4 1.93 0.19 37 Independent Resources Pte. Ltd. (90%) and PT. Krueng
9
55 0.71 0.02 4 1.95 0.08 29
Taungah (10%) further explored the Sentani nickel-cobalt
8 laterite deposits under a 4th generation COW signed on 21
54 0.70 0.02 4 2.29 0.07 31
8 December 1987, performing conceptual engineering with
53 0.66 0.02 4
8
2.11 0.07 28 limited fieldwork and shallow auger drilling chiefly on the
52 0.61 0.05 4 Tanahmerah deposit. A total of 19 soil samples from
9
51 0.58 0.03 5
Tanahmerah were analysed for platinum and palladium
0 returning maximum values of 35ppb Pt and 10ppb Pd, with
50 0.75 0.03 4
7 most platinum values less than 15ppb. The COW was
49 0.91 0.05 4
7
terminated in 1994.
48 0.88 0.04 5 Activities since 1995, initially coordinated by the
0
47 0.94 0.04 4 Indonesian partner PT. Bukit Kukila Dharma prior to the
9 establishment of the COW company PT. Iriana Sentani in
46 0.95 0.10 4 0.99 0.11 44
6 1998, included reviewing available past exploration and
45 0.69 0.08 3 0.62 0.05 49
7
drilling data. Selected data from the detailed records of the
44 0.84 0.07 4 0.60 0.03 45 1970 drilling and exploration performed by Pacific Nikkel
5
43 1.03 0.08 4 0.60 0.02 48 were accessed from the United States Steel Corporation
42
5
0.92 0.08 4 0.89 0.02 49
archives in Pittsburgh in 1996. No major field investigations
4 have been conducted in the Sentani COW area since the
41 1.16 0.17 4 0.93 0.05 46
1970 Pacific Nikkel drilling programs.

to bedrock (Table 3). Siduarsi

Pacific Nikkel conducted no further exploration over the
Sentani deposits after 1970, focussing their activities on Gag
and Waigeo deposits in far western Irian Jaya until the COW
was terminated in 1982.
Pacific Nickel applied four nickel cut off grades of 1.1%,
1.0%, 0.9% and 0.8% in resource calculations for the four
coastal deposits fringing Tanahmerah Bay, i.e. Tanahmerah,
Tablasufa, Amaybu and Kirpon. Resource calculations for
deposits away from the coast at Rhynauwen (West and
North), Dojo and Ifar, the latter a re-assessment of the 1952
Dutch augering, were made using a 0.8% Ni cutoff only.
Augering in the Harapan area returned no nickel samples
greater than 0.8% Ni and as such were not included in any
resource estimations. Pacific Nikkel did not include results
from the 1952 investigations of the Rhynauwen East deposit
Oil seepages in the Biri River Basin attracted the first known
geological investigations in the Siduarsi district between
1920 and 1922 under the leadership of Dr. J. Zwierzycki
(Ubaghs, 1955). Since the 1930s a number of petroleum
companies have explored the Mamberamo region of northern
Irian Jaya for oil and gas reserves that included areas
surrounding the Siduarsi Range (Visser and Hermes, 1962;
Williams and Amiruddin, 1984).
There was no recorded mineral exploration within 100km
of Siduarsi before PT. Mutiara Iriana Minerals started
regional investigations in 1994 over a large COW application
initially covering 1,610,890 hectares in four blocks across
northern mainland Irian Jaya. Regional investigations
completed by PT. Mutiara Iriana Minerals since 1994 and

250 Port Moresby, 22 - 24 June 2001 PNG Geology, Exploration and Mining Conference
 THE SENTANI AND SIDUARSI NICKEL-COBALT LATERITE DEPOSITS, NORTHEAST IRIAN JAYA, INDONESIA

TABLE 4 average grade of 35 soil samples within the +0.5% nickel

Summary Resource Estimates for Sentani deposits by contour was 0.93% nickel and 0.08% cobalt, with maxi-
Pacific Nikkel. mum assays of 2.19% nickel and 0.22% cobalt.
1.1% Ni cutoff Vertical channel samples were collected from six road
cuttings adjacent to strongly anomalous nickel soil assays.
Deposit Mt (dry) Ni% Co% Fe% The channels tested the clay rich, dark brown limonite zone
Tablasufa 15.658 1.56 0.11 34.27 as well as the top portion of the light coloured saprolite
Tanahmerah 4.628 1.58 0.14 36.17 zone that consisted of strongly weathered serpentinite. The
Kirpon 1.212 1.36 0.08 35.41 average weighted grade of the 6 samples was 3.6m at 0.85%
Amaybu 0.830 1.42 0.08 26.16 Ni and 0.09% Co. The highest nickel grades occurred within
Sub-Total 22.328 1.55 0.11 34.42
Ifar - - - - TABLE 5
Rhynauwen - - - - Tanahmerah Bay resources by ore type.
Dojo - - - - Limonite - Fe > 30% Cutoff 1.1% Ni
Saprolite - Fe < 30% Mt (dry) Ni% Co% Fe%
Grand Total 22.328 1.55 0.11 34.42
TABLASUFA Limonite 10.37 1.47 0.14 41.7
Saprolite 5.29 1.74 0.05 19.8
0.8% Ni cutoff Total 15.66 1.56 0.11 34.3

Deposit Mt (dry) Ni% Co% Fe% TANAHMERAH Limonite 3.44 1.46 0.17 41.4
Tablasufa 25.251 1.33 0.11 37.97 Saprolite 1.19 1.93 0.06 21.1
Tanahmerah 7.576 1.32 0.13 39.55 Total 4.63 1.58 0.14 36.2
Kirpon 2.716 1.13 0.10 40.18
KIRPON Limonite 0.85 1.30 0.10 40.6
Amaybu 1.694 1.17 0.09 32.58
Saprolite 0.36 1.49 0.05 23.2
Sub-Total 37.237 1.31 0.11 38.20
Total 1.21 1.36 0.08 35.4
Ifar 2.87 1.57 0.09 N/A
Rhynauwen 3.503 1.15 0.11 N/A AMAYBU Limonite 0.29 1.33 0.14 40.5
Dojo 0.736 1.33 0.12 N/A Saprolite 0.54 1.48 0.05 18.3
Total 0.83 1.42 0.08 26.2
Grand Total 44.346 1.31 0.11 N/A
TOTAL Limonite 14.95 1.46 0.14 41.5
prior to the establishment of the COW Company PT. Iriana Saprolite 7.38 1.74 0.05 20.1
Mutiara Mining in 1997 included: Grand 22.33 1.55 0.11 34.4
• litho-structural interpretation derived from satellite Total
imagery,
• a fixed wing geophysical survey which collected mag- Limonite - Fe > 30% Cutoff 0.8% Ni
netic and radiometric data for 18,522 line km in 1995 Saprolite - Fe < 30% Mt (dry) Ni% Co% Fe%
along N-S survey lines at a spacing of 500m with per- TABLASUFA Limonite 19.31 1.22 0.12 43.8
pendicular tie lines spaced at 5km, Saprolite 5.94 1.65 0.05 19.2
• reconnaissance drainage geochemical sampling aver- Total 25.25 1.32 0.11 38.0
aging 1 site per 9 km2, and
• integration of all geochemical, geophysical, satellite and TANAHMERAH Limonite 6.34 1.20 0.14 43.1
block boundary information into a comprehensive Geo- Saprolite 1.24 1.90 0.06 21.3
graphic Information System Database using Mapinfo Total 7.58 1.32 0.13 39.6
(Katchan and Bruce, 1997).
KIRPON Limonite 2.30 1.07 0.11 43.8
PT. Mutiara Iriana Minerals discovered nickel
Saprolite 0.41 1.42 0.05 22.3
mineralisation at Siduarsi in late 1994 by following-up
Total 2.72 1.12 0.10 40.4
strongly anomalous stream sediment nickel assays obtained
during reconnaissance sampling of streams draining the AMAYBU Limonite 0.91 1.06 0.13 45.1
Siduarsi Range. Minus 200 mesh stream sediment samples Saprolite 0.78 1.31 0.05 17.9
collected in the headwaters of the Boaf Utara drainage re- Total 1.69 1.17 0.09 32.6
turned a maximum value of 3370 ppm nickel. Initial fol-
low-up exploration involved collection of 82 B-horizon soil TOTAL Limonite 28.86 1.20 0.12 43.7
samples along a network of timber roads on the Siduarsi Saprolite 8.37 1.64 0.05 19.5
Range. An E-W elongate 8x4 km area was identified in Grand 37.23 1.30 0.11 38.3
which most of the soil samples returned +0.5% Ni. The Total

PNG Geology, Exploration and Mining Conference Port Moresby, 22 - 24 June 2001 251
M.R. THIRNBECK

TABLE 6
Siduarsi resource grades from 1995 - 1996 drilling programme.
Over- Thick-
Cut-off Ni Co MgO Fe2O3 Al2O3 Cr2O3 SiO2
Horizon burden ness
%Ni (%) (ppm) (%) (%) (%) (%) (%)
(m) (m)

Limonite 0.50 0.6 2.3 0.76 930 1.53 68.6 5.59 3.63 5.79
Saprolite 0.50 - 5.0 1.04 332 25.8 20.8 1.24 1.09 33.8

Limonite 0.75 1.2 1.7 0.89 949 1.86 69.0 4.82 3.69 5.88
Saprolite 0.75 - 3.7 1.17 390 24.1 23.5 1.51 1.24 32.2

Limonite 1.00 2.7 1.7 1.12 1219 2.30 69.9 4.03 3.79 5.59
Saprolite 1.00 - 2.7 1.25 408 23.5 24.4 1.55 1.33 31.7

the saprolite zone (maximum 0.5m at 2.26% Ni) while the at one metre intervals. The samples were assayed at a com-
highest cobalt grades (maximum 0.7m at 0.18% Co) oc- mercial laboratory in Jakarta with check assays performed
curred within the limonite zone. in Vancouver. Both laboratories used peroxide fusion assay
In 1995, auger soil samples were collected from 361 sites techniques for nickel and cobalt analyses with the Jakarta
over a 13 km long E-W elongate area to help determine the laboratory using a four acid digest with an AAS finish, whilst
distribution and grade of the mineralisation. Both hand the Vancouver laboratory employed an ICP finish. Initial
and power augers were used, but were not always able to check samples run by the Canadian laboratory reported av-
penetrate unmineralised/unoxidised boulders and test the erage nickel grades 4-5% lower than the Indonesian labora-
full depth of the saprolite horizon, penetrating to a maxi- tory.
mum depth of 6.5m. Most holes were grid-based and augered Resource grade calculations were performed on the drill-
at intervals of 100-400m along N-S lines with a 1km spac- ing data (Table 6), whilst tonnage estimates were only per-
ing. Assays were performed on samples of one metre in formed to guide further exploration. Limonite and sapro-
length. This program outlined an area 8km by 1-4km where lite mineralisation was defined using nickel cut off grades
at least one sample interval assayed over 0.6% nickel. of 0.5%, 0.75%, and 1.0% and a minimum thickness of
Results from the auger program were used to target a 1.0m. Limonite was defined on the basis of a magnesium
diamond drilling program to test tonnage and grade poten- oxide content of less than 5.0% and saprolite greater than
tial of both the limonite and saprolite horizons. A total of 5.0%. Composites were derived for each diamond drill hole
477.6 metres were drilled through November 1995 to Janu- at the three respective nickel grade cut off values.
ary 1996 in 24 NQ diameter vertical drillholes using a man- This diamond drilling program confirmed the lack of a
portable Winkie drill. The drill holes varied in depth from hard ferricrete horizon, a low overburden thickness of 0.6
14.0 to 31.0 metres and twinned selected auger holes. The to 2.7 metres and low magnesium oxide contents in the li-
program successfully penetrated both the limonite and the monite. A review of sampling methodologies suggested
saprolite zones. However, core recoveries were less than nickel and cobalt grades could rise if more appropriate sam-
ideal, averaging only about 67% in the mineralised inter- pling procedures were implemented in future assessments.
vals. In late 1998 five additional auger holes tested isolated
The core was logged, photographed, split and sampled laterite zones adjacent to the coastal road, however results
TABLE 7
Siduarsi test pit 002STP98 assay results.
From (m) To (m) Ni % Co % Fe2O3 % MgO % Cr2O3 %
0.00 1.00 0.49 0.023 72.1 1.10 5.61
1.00 2.00 0.77 0.037 71.8 0.74 3.03
2.00 3.00 0.98 0.059 75.0 1.33 2.36
3.00 4.00 1.26 0.314 61.1 7.77 1.68
4.00 5.00 1.62 0.192 54.2 9.66 1.64
5.00 6.00 1.64 0.113 46.2 12.9 1.81
6.00 7.00 1.80 0.059 23.2 24.2 1.02
7.00 8.00 1.49 0.025 13.1 31.5 0.65
8.00 9.00 0.83 0.019 11.2 33.5 0.54

252 Port Moresby, 22 - 24 June 2001 PNG Geology, Exploration and Mining Conference
 THE SENTANI AND SIDUARSI NICKEL-COBALT LATERITE DEPOSITS, NORTHEAST IRIAN JAYA, INDONESIA

FIG. 4 - Location of 4 testpits, 24 drillholes within +0.6 Ni % outline from grid auger soils at Siduarsi nickel-cobalt
laterite prospect.

failed to identify any new zones containing significant

drilling diluted grades by an average of 10% for nickel val-
mineralisation. At the same time four test-pits were exca-
ues and an average of 40% for cobalt.
vated over the sites of selected Winkie drill holes from the
In early 1999, an inferred resource of 130 Mt at 1.12%
1995 - 96 drill program. The aim of the test-pitting pro-
Ni and 0.07% Co was calculated using a 0.6% Ni cut off
gram was to determine the extent of any dilution in nickel
within an area of 21.8 km2. This resource estimate does not
and cobalt grades, if any, due to the poor average core re-
separate out the limonite and saprolite or determine the
covery of 67%.
amount of overburden. Calculations, using a specific grav-
Drill hole sites 004SD95, 012SD95, 013SD95 and
ity of 1.0, incorporated depth information from the 1995 -
016SD96 were selected to test by pitting due to their repre-
96 drilling program, area of mineralisation data from the
sentative lateritic profiles. Hand excavation followed the
1995 soil augering program using 0.6% Ni cutoff and by
holes down to the bottom of each pit with depths ranging
adjusting upwards the grades from the 1995 - 96 drilling by
from 8 to 10m. Two separate vertical channel samples,
10% for nickel and 40% for cobalt as determined by the
equivalent to PQ size core, were then taken down each of
1998 test pitting program. The nickel grades could still be
the northern and southern walls at one-metre intervals. To
understated as low nickel grade rock fragments were not
allow comparative analyses with drillhole grades the test-
screened prior to crushing during sampling of the both the
pit channel results were averaged for each metre. Average
95/96 drilling and the 1998 test pitting programs, although
grades for each test pit are:
large boulders in the saprolite zone were sampled around in
• 001STP98 9m at 1.37% Ni and 0.06% Co,
the test pits.
• 002STP98 9m at 1.21% Ni and 0.09% Co,
Five vertical channel samples from the test pitting pro-
• 003STP98 10m at 0.98% Ni and 0.07% Co, and
gram were recently analysed for platinum and palladium.
• 004STP98 8m at 1.26%Ni and 0.07% Co.
Values ranged from 35 to 63 ppb Pt and 3 to 11 ppb Pd. The
Additional grade information is presented for test pit
platinum results are consistently 2 to 3 times the recorded
002STP98 (Table 7).
values at Sentani.
The results from the test pits shows that the 1995 - 96

PNG Geology, Exploration and Mining Conference Port Moresby, 22 - 24 June 2001 253
M.R. THIRNBECK
CONCLUSIONS
The currently defined resources at Sentani are insufficient
to develop a stand-alone nickel project with onsite process-
ing facilities. Whilst additional potential is apparent in the
Rhynauwen area, perhaps 5-10Mt, there is still not enough
tonnage potential within the Sentani COW area to justify
the high levels of capital expenditure required to develop a
nickel project of viable size. Additional nickel laterite re-
sources would need to be brought under the scope of the
Sentani Project in order to enhance the prospects of devel-
oping a viable project.
Siduarsi appears to have tonnage potential but the re-
source is thinner than other laterites and the nickel grades
remain marginal at best. Potential still exists to increase
the grade of nickel mineralisation at Siduarsi by screening
unmineralised rock fragments in future sampling and con-
ducting more detailed investigations within higher grade
zones of the deposit. As yet no scoping study has been per-
formed to see if a deposit of Siduarsi characteristics could
influence the development potential of a nickel project at
Sentani.
Development potential of these two nickel laterite areas
in northeast Irian Jaya currently appears limited to mining
the limonite resource of the four deposits fringing
Tanahmerah Bay at Sentani and direct shipping to an estab-
lished limonite ore processing plant. Indonesian export regu-
lations would have to be considered if such a plant was out-
side Indonesia.
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