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The Tombulilato Copper Gold Project in Sulawesi, Indonesia Facing the Challenges
and Opportunities

Dedy Hendrawan, Gayuh ND Putranto

The Tombulilato Copper Gold Project in Sulawesi,

Indonesia Facing the Challenges and Opportunities
Dedy Hendrawan1 and Gayuh ND Putranto1

Located in Gorontalo Province, Indonesia, Tombulilato

Cu-Au District is a well known district which has
potential Cu-Au mineralization to develop. The district
is also located in Au-Cu mineralization trend (Figure
1). International Minerals Corp (IMC), a subsidiary of
PT Bumi Resources Tbk that took over share ownership
from BHP in 2005, began an exploration and drilling
program in the south part of the District area in 2006. PT.
Gorontalo Minerals (GM) owned 80% by the IMC and
20% by PT. Aneka Tambang (ANTAM) had continued
exploration program since 2011 and commenced an
extensive drilling program in Sungai Mak and Cabang Kiri
in September 2011.
The geology of the Tombulilato district, North Sulawesi
(Perello, 1993), is characterized by an island arc-type
volcano-sedimentary pile, > 3400 m thick and of late
Miocene (?)Pleistocene age, which is made up of
submarine to subaerial basic to acid volcanic rocks
interbedded with, marine and continental sedimentary
rocks. The sequence is intruded by high-level stocks and
dikes, and cut by diatreme breccias of late Pliocene and
Pleistocene age, some of which are associated intimately
with porphyry CuAu and epithermal CuAuAg

mineralization. A main compressive deformation event took

place in the Pliocene. Preliminary geologic reconstructions
suggest that these mineralization types in the Tombulilato
area were generated over about 2 M yr (between 2.9 and
0.9 Ma) as part of a district-scale hydrothermal system.
Continuous syn-mineralization uplift and erosion, which
are interpreted to have removed some 2 km of rock in the
last 3 M yrs, were responsible for the progressive un-roofing
of the hydrothermal system and the superposition of
epithermal environments over relics of higher temperature,
deeper-seated mineralization. In the near-surface
environment, intense uplift accompanied formation of a
chalcocite blanket at Sungai Mak.
The structure of the Tombulilato District is characterized
by northerly striking high-angle faults, normally a few
meters wide and containing tectonic breccias, high-tomoderate angle normal faults showing an easterly trend
and of post-mineralization origin, and common low-angle
thrust faults, typically accommodated by ductile sedimentary
intercalations in the Bilungala Volcanics and showing a
random orientation. All intrusive bodies postdate folding
and thrusting (Leeuwen and Pieters, 2011).

Figure 1. Tombulilato District and prospect locations

1. PT Gorontalo Minerals, Gedung Leppin Jln Sawah Besar 300, Bone Bolango, Gorontalo, Indonesia

Corresponding author: dedy.hendrawan@brm.co.id

East Asia: Geology, Exploration Technologies and Mines - Bali 2013

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The Tombulilato Copper Gold Project in Sulawesi, Indonesia Facing the Challenges
and Opportunities

Three main mineralization types are present in the district: 1.

porphyry CuAu; 2. high-sulfidation epithermal Au-Cu-Ag;
and 3. low-sulfidation epithermal AuAg. Porphyry Cu
Au mineralization is present at Cabang Kiri (East, North,
Southwest and South), Sungai Mak, Kayubulan Ridge, and
Cabang Kanan. High Sulphidation epithermal Au-Cu-Ag is
present in Motomboto (North, East and West), Mohutango
and Ridho. Low Sulphidation Au-Ag is present in
Kaidundu, Mamungaa, Pombolo, Hulapa, Ombulo, Hupito,
Moota, Waluhu, and Bilolatunga (Figure 1).
In the Bumi Resources era in between 2006 and 2010, GM
conducted minor scale but systematical exploration program
in the south part of Block 1, especially in Kaidundu prospect
and its surroundings. Started in mid 2011, GM started
running extensive drilling program targeting to bring the
project into production in 2016-2017. This is a challenging
task. Challenges includes legal and permitting, compiling
old analog data, building new team, building new system
and infrastructures, building good relationship with stake
holders, facing public perception, working in remote and
rugged terrain, working together with local miners, financing
the project, maximizing local contractors, implementing
and monitoring HSE aspects, etc. Exploration strategy and
timing is also critical in developing this project to achieve
and fulfill the target and expectation of the government
in line with the exploration stage in the Contract of Work
stage period after long inactive period of exploration. In
the other hand, developing, implementing and maintaining
Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) are very important
to conduct in all aspect of activities.
SRK Consulting as a main consultant, LAPI ITB,
Simulus and Io Global are some of reputable consultants
that have been involved with GM from the beginning of
recommencement of exploration in 2011. Reputable national
universities (ITB, UNHAS, UNSRAT, UNTAD, UNG,
UG, IPB and UI) and international institution (ANU)
had been involved conducting numbers of baseline studies
to support the Feasibility study (FS) and Environmental
Impact Study (AMDAL). Other consultants are Paradigm
Management Consulting (PMC) and Ernst and Young who
assisted GM in developing Integrated Management System
and QHSE Management System.
Expansive drilling program over Sungai Mak and Cabang
Kiri was conducted during 2011-2012, totaling 15197.95m
in Sungai Mak and 5983.05m Cabang Kiri. The drilling
program included twin holes, resource holes metallurgy
holes, and geotechnical holes. Current JORC minerals
resource of Sungai Mak and Cabang Kiri using 0.2% Cu
cut-off grade was reported by competent person of SRK
in July 2012. Sungai Mak resource are divided into 3
mineralization domains: 1. Sungai Mak Supergene Cu-Au
is 84.3mt @ 0.84% Cu and 0.42gr/t Au, 2. Sungai Mak

De y Hen rawan, Gayu

D Pu ran

Hypogene Cu-Au is 72.2mt @ 0.31% Cu and 0.17gr/t

Au and 3. Sungai Mak Oxide Au is 11.5mt @ 0.51gr/t Au.
Most of resource was fall in measured-classification. Mineral
resource of Cabang Kiri is 124mt @ 0.43% Cu and 0.67gr/t
Au. In order to support and accelerate the completion of FS
and AMDAL, before 2011 and during the resource drilling
period in 2011-2012, GM had also completed numbers
of test and studies including metallurgy, geotechnical,
geohydrology, hydrology, baseline study, health study, social
impact study, flora/fauna study, marine biota study, etc.

Significant reduction in numbers of people working in

local artisanal gold mining Au activity in Motomboto from
5000-7000 people in 2011 to approximately 700 people in
End of 2012 has opened access and opportunity to conduct
e
exploration program in the area. BHP reported in 1997 that
Tulabolo prospect or what we currently call Motomboto
North has high grade Au-Ag-Cu at 3.5mt @ 4.8gr/t Au,
94.3 ppm Ag, 1.67% Cu (BHP and ANTAM, 1992).
Because of these reasons, GM plans to conduct exploration
and resource drilling program over Motomboto North and
Motomboto East in 2013. Motomboto complex has numbers
of clusters located along WNW structures associated with
a multiphase of hydrothermal breccias complex. Main
mineralization occurs in sulphides-cemented breccia and
vuggy silica, both as oxide and sulphide Au-Cu-Ag. Oxide
Au near the surface at Motomboto North is the first priority
to complete followed by higher tonnage and higher grade of
Au-Ag in Main Motomboto East. New resources from both
prospects are expected to get in end of year 2013.

Current JORC resource from Sungai Mak and Cabang

Kiri reported in 2012, new resource from Motomboto area
expected to get in 2013, potential additional expansion
from these three prospects and other resources from known
prospects including Kayu Bulan, Cabang Kiri North,
Cabang Kanan, and numbers of clusters in Motomboto
and Kaidundu-Pombolo are very possible that Tombulilato
District will prove to be a world class Copper-Gold District.
Regional exploration program during 2011-2012 assisted
by effective target selection from data collection, data
compilation and data processing of geophysics data (airborne
and IP) and geochemistry data had also successfully located
new large Cu-Au anomalies (Poga, Ridho, Kayu Bulan
Barat, and other cluster at South).
PT. Gorontalo Minerals has successfully overcome the
challenge to get high level confidence of mineral resource
and increase more tonnage and grade in the past 1-2 year s
exploration program. The company is now moving to
complete detail Feasibility Study of Motomboto North,
Motomboto East and Sungai Mak in 2013 followed by
Environmental Impact Study (AMDAL) in 2014 and
construction stage in 2015-2016.

East Asia: Geology, Exploration Technologies and Mines - Bali 2013