JOURNAL OF

GEOCIIOHCAL
EXPLORATION
E LS EV ! ER Journal of GeochemicalExploration50 ( 1994) 393--408

Epithermal gold deposits in West Java, Indonesia:

geology, age and crustal source
Eric Marcoux, Jean-Pierre Mil6si
BRGM, BP. 6009, 45060 Orleans Cedex, France

( Received 9 September 1993; accepted after revision28 October 1993)

Abstract

Epithermal gold mineralization of the adulana-sericite type in West Java is hosted by strike-slip faults
cutting Miocene to Pliocene volcanic and plutonic formations. Mineralization consists of two styles of
discordant gold-beating quartz veins: crustiform banding veins of the "Pongkor'" type, with electrum,
some minor sulphides and manganese oxides, and breccia veins of the "Cirotan" type with rhodochrosite,
rhodonite, electrum, abundant polymetallic sulphides and some cassiterite and wolf-ramite.

Except for the Pongkor ore deposit, whose age is Miocene ( 8.5 Ma), K/Ar dating of adularia gave a
Pliocene-Pleistocene (2.1-1.5 Ma) age for both styles of epithermal gold deposits. Most are hosted by
volcanic and intrusive rocks related to extensive Pliocene magmatism that we dated in the centre of the
Bayah Dome as forming between 5.7 and 2.0 Ma.
Lead-isotopic compositions of Miocene volcanic rocks show mantle affinities, whereas the lead of
Pliocene volcanic rocks and Miocene-Pliocene gold deposits is highly radiogenic and clearly crustal
( 2°7pb/~°4pb= 15,66 to 15.72). This indicates that this lead and possibly associated metals have their
source in an underlying Precambrian crust, which must extend at depth from West Java to the Tin
Islands. Mineralogical data, especially the presence of magmatic-related minerals, sulphur isotopes with
634S clustered around 0 %c, and lead isotopic results, all suggest that the metal content and probably
most of these ore-forming fluids of epithermal gold deposits originated from a crustal magmatism
through a reworking of the underlying Precambrian crust.

1. Introduction . Gold productio n in Indonesia

For the past century, Indonesian gold production has been obtained almost entirely from polymetallic
epithermal veins of reputed Miocene age (Sunarya, 1989). Over the last several years ( 1 9 8 4 - 1 9 9
3 ) , a gold rush in Indonesia has led to the identification of geological resources of > 3500 tonnes of
gold in epithermal and porphyry copper deposits, in Sulawesi ( Mesel ), Kalimantan (Kelian), Wetar
( Lerokis ), Java (Pongkor), Irian Jaya (Grasberg)

0375-6742/94/$07.00 © 1994 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights

reserved S S D 1 0 3 7 5 - 6 7 4 2 ( 9 3 ) EO045-X
394 E. Marcoux, J. - P , Mil#si / Journal of Geochemical Exploration 50 (1994) 393-408

and at a variety of other locations (Van Leeuwen, 1994; Carlile and Mitchell, 1994).
Production is underway or will begin soon, resulting in Indonesian gold production rapidly
increasing; gold production totalled nearly 20 t in 1988 (MacDivitt, 1989), and was 38 t in
1992 (Van Leeuwen, 1994).
The Cikotok district of West Java is a small but historically well known mining region.
Production has been ongoing for well over 50 years, and the district remains (1993) the main
gold producing centre of Java (Fig. 1 ). Annual production from the Cikotok district is 0.16-
0.24 t Au and 2.8-3.8 t Ag, with some zinc and lead concentrates ( 1984-1989 production
statistics given by Aneka Tambang, pers. commun.). More than three quarters of this output is
obtained from Cirotan, the district's main gold mine since 1955, and the remainder comes
from other small mines (Cipanglesseran, Cikotok, Sopal) that are worked periodically.

The recent discovery of the Pongkor epithermal gold deposit ( 103 t Au and 960 t Ag
contained) 30 km northeast of Cirotan (Aditya Sumanagara and Sinambela, 1991; B asuki et
al., 1994), as well as a major gold field around Gunung Ciawitali (Felenc et al., 1991 ), has
assured a continued mining future for West Java.
The 1988-1991 French-IndonesianScientific Cooperation Programme has provided new

EURAS

PLATE 0 20 km

JAKARTA

" :. : C i b u g h s
Z~ 590m
~...:.. Bogor

.!:!:!:!~
i:i:::)k..'...-.............................
[]
[~7~ Quaternary volcanic rocks - --_~:iei:~i:..c -..... ~ .
~] Quaternary alluvium tiwitali :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
~ Pliocene volcanic and
megmatic rocks i:i:i:!:(:?:!:i:i:?:?:!:::i:i:?:??i?!:!:i:):i:?:!:):?:3:!:~:
Pliocene sedimentary rocks
L~S_J Miocene volcanic rocks
Miocene volcanic rocks
[4-~J Eocene volcanic rocks INOIAN

O Au-Mn deposit s (Pongkor type )

OCEAN
• Au (Sn) deposit s (Cirotan type )

Fig. 1. West Java gold deposits. (a) Exposure of Precambrian basement (stippled area) ;
Belitung alone is shown for the Tin Islands. (b) Geology of North Bayah dome with main
gold deposits (geology after Van Bemmelen, 1970; Hutchison, 1988),
 E. Marcoux, J.-P. Milgsi / Journal of Geochemical Exploration 50 (1994) 393~108 395

geochronological and geochemical data on these poorly-known epithermal gold deposits of

West Java. The results, which are presented here, allow a discussion on the ages of the
deposits and on the source of the metals.

2. Geological setting

Java and Sumatra form part of the western Sunda-Banda continental arc margin (Carlile
and Mitchell, 1994), which developed along the northern margin of the subducting Indian-
Australian plate during collision with the Eurasian plate in the Cenozoic. This subduction is
responsible for abundant, and still active, calc-alkaline volcanism. The two colliding plates
contain rigid Precambrian continental-lithospheric blocks, commonly buried beneath
Infracambrian to Phanerozoic terranes, that have drifted northwards from the northern
margin of Australia (Gatinsky et al., 1984; Hutchison, 1988; Hamilton, 1989) (Fig. I a).
The Tin Islands (Belitung and Bangka) contain well-known tin-ore deposits that are
closely associated with Permian-Triassic granites (224 to 181 Ma; Wikarno et al., 1988)
which intruded Late Carboniferous and Permian rocks of Gondwana origin, The presence of
tin may be related to the existence of Precambrian continental basement (Hutchison, 1988).

Several authors (Van Bemmelen, 1970; Whitford et al., 1979; Katili, 1989; Claproth, 1989)
have shown that the volcanism of the entire Java arc has, with time, migrated from south to
north; the lavas of West Java have, nevertheless, remained calc-alkaline through to the
present day (Nicholls et al., 1990). Epithermal ore deposits are associated with this
volcanism.
The West Java gold deposits lie within and on the flanks of the Bayah Dome, southwest of
Jakarta (Fig. lb). This geological unit, exposed over an area about 40 X 80 km, consists of
Oligocene to Quaternary calc-alkaline rhyolitic to andesitic rocks and small intrusive stocks
with a few intercalations of Miocene limestone and sandstone (Van Bemmelen, 1970; Mil6si
et al., 1994). The Citorek area, in the northern part of the dome (Fig. 2), is a large (60 km 2)
depression, possibly a caldera, filled with dacitic ignimbrite and intruded by andesitic-dacitic
plugs.

3. Characteristics of the gold deposits

Most of the gold deposits lie within a general NE - SW belt (Fig. lb) . They are hosted by
steeply dipping dextral NNW - SSE and sinistral NNE - SSW strike-slip faults ( Fig. 2)
resulting from N - S to N 020°E compressional event related to subduction beneath the island
of Java (Mil6si et al., 1994). Two noticeably different styles of adularia-sericite epithermal
gold deposits are found in the Bayah dome; they are referred to here as the "Pongkor'" and
"'Cirotan" types.
396 E. Marcoux. J.-P. Mil~si / Journal of Geochemical Exploration 50 (1994) 393-408

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Fig. 2. Geology and location of gold deposits in the Cirotan and Ciawitali districts, West Java, Indonesia I after Van
Bemmelen, 1949; Felenc et el., 1991 ; Mil6si et al., 1994). For ore deposits symbols see Fig. 1.

3.1. "Cirotan" type: quartz-rhodochrosite-rhodonite-polymetallic gold-bearing veins

The "Cirotan" type gold deposits are mineralized faults, up to 30 metres wide at Cirotan,
with ore shoots contained within a fracture system• They are mostly located in the central
part of the Bayah dome (Cirotan, Cipanglesseran, Lembak Sembada, Sopal, Cimari, Ciusul
- - as boulders, Cikotok; Fig. 2). These ore shoots contain abundant sulphides, mostly pyrite
with common galena, sphalerite, chalcopyrite, and polymetallic sulphide breccia (Cirotan,
Sopal). Gangue is largely quartz with sericite + chlorite + adularia+ apatite; rhodochrosite
and rhodonite occur at depth in the Cirotan, Lembak Sembada and Cikotok deposits.
The Cirotan type of mineralization has similarities with both the classic epithermal
gold deposits of the adularia-sericite type (Hayba et el•, 1985; Heald et al., 1987) and
with porphyry-tin deposits (Grant et el., 1980). This hybrid character is considered to
reflect a progressive upward migration of magma, favoured by strike-slip faulting (Mil6si
et el., 1994).
 E. Marcoux, J.-P. Mil~si / Journal of Geochemical Exploration 50 (1994) 393-408 397

Cirotan deposit
Cirotan is the best-known example of this type (Marcoux et al., 1993; Milrsi et al., 1994;
Fig. 3). The mineralized vein fills a dextral strike-slip fault that evolves into a normal fault
and cuts a microdiorite that intrudes a Miocene rhyolitic ignimbrite. The structure is 1350
m long, strikes N 170°E, dips 50-60°E, and contains rich ore-shoots plunging 60°N, locally
as much as 30 m wide. It has been worked vertically over more than 300 m.
The ore deposit shows vertical zonation, with the Ag/A u ratio decreasing from 64 at the
top (level 100 feet) to 7 at depth (level 1000 feet). Vein formation occurred over five
successive stages of formation: (a) silicification; (b) thick (up to 20 m) siliceous breccias
containing mainly pyrite ( < 2 g / t Au) followed by ( c ) polymetallic cockade breccias ( Fig.
4), up to 15 m wide (2-2.5 g/ t Au) that evolve to (d) precious-metal breccia ore referred to as
"bonanzas" (average grade between 9 and 12 g/t) ; (e) a late-stage barren and vuggy quartz
closes the vein formation. The mineralization shows a strong mineralogical evolution with a
late enrichment in gold, cassiterite, ferberite and scheelite in the bonanzas (Fig. 5 ). Rare
minerals, such as uytenbogaardtite (Ag3AuS2), Ag - Bi rich lillianite (AgPb4BisS(2) and Te-
canfieldite (Ag8SnTe2S4)occur as traces and are described elsewhere (Marcoux et al., 1993).
Fluid inclusions studies (Nehlig and Marcoux, 1992) indicate a slight increase in both
temperature (235 to 255°C) and salinity (2.89 to 7.15 wt % eq. NaC1) from stage
1to5.
These results, and the late mineralogicalchange with appearanceof granite-relatedmin-erals
( cassiterite,ferberite,scheelite, lillianite and canfieldite) suggest an upwardmigration of a
magmatic intrusion (Mil6si et al., 1994). In this context, the average sulphur-isotope

W Gununo E
Mining Dahbow
LIO0 ~ SO0 m

CIROTAN I
-room

^
"\ ^ ^ ~?i \ i

^ ~-. - 600 m
\~W~

0 100 m \\1VV~ ^

[•7 Microdiorite 14.5 Mil)

Rhyolitic ignimbrite ( 9 5 Ma)
Andesites (14.5 Ma)
~ Mineralized structure (1.7 Ma)

Fig. 3. Geology and schematic cross-section of Cirotan deposit.

398 E. Marcoux, J.-P. Mil~si/ Journal of Geochemical Exploration 50 (1994) 393-408

Fig. 4. Cockade breccias in the Cirotan vein (level 900). Photograph is 1 m wide.

composition of sulphides clusters around (~34 S = -~-0.6 to + 2.9 %~), which may reflect an
increased input of magmatic fluids (and metals' with time.

Cipanglesseran deposit
This deposit is a steeply east dipping N - S vem, on average 2 to 3 m thick. It intersects a fine-
grained microdiorite that intrudes Miocene volcanic rock and is closely associated with the
Citorek depression that is filled with Pliocene ignimbrite deposits.
The massive ore has a banded texture and cockade texture is rare. Its paragenesis is dominated
by pyrite that pseudomorphs pyrrhotite, and is associated with galena and sphal-erite. Accessor y
minerals in late veinlets are chalcopyrite, stannite replacing cassiterite, bournonite and electrum.

Sopal deposit
The brecciated quartz vein at Sopal has a N 160°E trend and is up to about 4 m thick.
It consists mainly of silica breccia with sulphides, and resembles the Cirotan
mineralization, but has a very minor proportion of cockade breccia and contains much
larger blocks that are up to 1.5 m in diameter. It also contains well - develope d geodes
(up to 80 cm across) that are filled with quartz and amethyst. The sulphide paragenesis
includes pyrite (pseu - domorphic after pyrrhotite) and arsenopyrite, and accessory
galena, sphalerite and electrum.
 E. Marcoux, J.-P. Mil~si / Journal of Geochemical Exploration 50 (1994) 393~I08 399

Fig. 5. Photomicrographof polished section in reflected light of "bonanza" ore showing late association of gold
(white), cassiterite ( dark gray) and ferberite ( light-gray needles) in quartz (black). Cirotan gold deposit.

3.2. "Pongko r type": quartz - manganese oxides-gold-bearing veins

The main gold deposits referred to as the " P o n g k o r " type (Pongkor, Ciawitali district,
Cikidang, Cibarengko k and possibly Nirmala ) are located in the eastern and northern part o f
Bayah dom e (Fig . l b ) . They are an original type for this area because o f their very low sulphide
content; gold occurs as electrum with manganese oxides in a milky quartz + calcite gangue. In this
ore type, manganese oxides associated with unoxidized sulfides persist throughout the drill - tested
portion of the veins (70 to 151 m depth at Ciawitali district, a few hundred metres at Pongkor) . W
e believe the difference with the Cirotan type is not related to extend of oxidation or weathering.
The manganese oxide is primary and probably formed due to more oxidizing conditions during ore
deposition . With the discovery o f the Pongkor deposit it appears that a new district for gold
mineralization has been defined, extending over about 400 km z from Cikotok to Gunung Salak.

Pongkor deposit
The best known and richest representative o f this A u - M n oxides vein type is the Pongkor
deposit (Basuk i et al., 1994). It consists o f four main vein systems that are oriented N 150°E to
locally N 030°E and intersect tuff and volcanic breccia. In outcrop, they are 2 to
400 E. Marcoux. J.-P. Mil~si / Journal of Geochemical Exploration 50 (1994) 393-408

10 m wide and in boreholes reach a maximum width of 24 m. Along strike they are up to 1
km long. The veins consist of milky banded quartz, clay minerals including smectite,
manganese oxides with some adularia, calcite, barite and albite (Aditya Sumanagara and
Sinambela, 1991 ).
Ore minerals are fine-grained (less than 100/~m) and consist mainly of electrum (26 to 43
wt. % Ag) mostly as free particles, acanthite, aguilarite (Ag4SeS) that usually is associated
with gold-bearing polybasite (up to 6.6 wt. % Au), and trace pyrite and sphalerite. The first
results on fluid inclusions are presented in this volume by Basuki et al. ( 1994 ).

Ciawitalidistrict
The Ciawitali district (Fig. 6) lies 20 km WSW of Pongkor (Fig. lb) and hosts recently
discovered gold mineralization (Felenc et al., 1991) that intersects a volcanic complex
consisting of porphyritic andesite flows intercalated with andesitic to rhyolitic tufts. The
deposit is poorly exposed and was discovered by stream-sediment analysis, followed by soil
geochemistry. The main anomalies are being tested by trenching and drilling. The economic
potential of the district could be important, but cannot yet be estimated. Two types of
mineralization can be distinguished:
(i) At Cisimeut, a low-grade stockwork (1 to 2 g/ t Au), unconformably overlain by a
finely layered tuff, is associated with two circular geochemical anomalies (Au, Sb, As ) of
about 300 m in diameter. The mineralization consists of small euhedral pyrite crystals
disseminated in quartz. This pyrite is auriferous (12 to 98 g/t) , rich in arsenic ( 1.8 to
2.4%), antimony (0.45 to 0.64%) and thallium (620 to 1730 ppm) (ICP-MS with laser
ablation analyses on pyrite crystals). No electrum was found.
(ii) Five main veins of the same type were recently discovered at Gang Mangan, Gang
Untung, Cisasak, Gang Japan and Cigang Panjang (Felenc et al., 1991 ) (Fig. 7). They are
2 to 10 m thick and 100 to 600 m long; their average gold grades vary from vein to vein: at
Gang Mangan 7.8 g/t, at Gang Untung 13.6 g/t, and at Cisasak 5 - 10 g/t. They are composed
of milky banded quartz that may have a fibrous texture, adularia, manganese oxides (pyro-
lusite, todorokite, vernadite), kaolinite, smectite, interbedded illite-smectite, pink mont-
morillonite and rare interstitial calcite; no rhodonite or rhodochrosite were found in the veins.
Ore minerals of the veins consist of electrum particles that are mostly finer than 12 /xm (33 to
48 wt. % Ag), with rare pyrite, chalcopyrite, marcasite and sphalerite.
All fluid inclusions (Nehlig, pers. commun., 1992) are primary. Homogenization tem-
peratures of primary, aqueous fluid inclusions (two phase: liquid and vapour) range from 124
° to 269°C, but 32 out of 53 measurements cluster around 195 to 205°C. Fluid salinities, as
interpreted from melting-point depression measurements, cluster at 0 to 1.0 wt. % eq. NaCI
and 3.2 to 3.9 wt. % eq. NaC1. No relationship was observed between the type of quartz and
the variation of salinity. Inclusion fluids in this deposit are lower in both temperature and
salinity than in the Cirotan deposit.

4. Chronological data

K / A r dating of seven whole-rock samples from the Cirotan and Ciawitali areas (Table
1; Figs. 2 and 6) demonstrate that Miocene volcanism was intermittent from 15.3
(dacitic
 E. Marcoux, J.-P. Mil~si / Journal of Geochemical Exploration 50 (1994) 393~t08 401

PLIOCENE VOLCANICS ORE DEPOSITS

~ Polymlctic breccias Rich gold quartz veins
F~ Porphyritic andesites ~ Cisimeut Au-As stockwork
-~ Fine layered turfs ~) HELIPAD
Fine layered rhyolitic ruffs
~ K/At age determination
~ Andesitic or intermediate lepilli ruffs and breccies
(whole rock end edularia)

Fig. 6. Gunung Ciawitali: Geologyand location of ore deposits (after Felenc et al., 1991).

to andesitic lavas flows) to 9.4 Ma (represented in the central part of the Bayah dome by
rhyodacitic ignimbrites).
Radiometric dating also reveals the existence of major,Pliocene volcano-magmatic epi-
sodes ( 2.0 to 5.7 Ma) that were spatially associated with the Miocene Bayah dome complex
and the epithermal gold mineralization. The microdiorite hosting the Cirotan deposit (Fig.
2) is dated to be 4.5 Ma. The successive andesite flows at Ciawitali, cut by the mineralized
veins, are dated between 5.7 and 2.0 Ma. Pumice of the dacitic ignimbrite at Cirotek is dated
at 3.6 Ma.
Orthoclase (adularia habit) is common as small euhedral crystals (100 to 150 /zm)
disseminated in some quartz veins. X-ray analysis shows the absence of clay minerals in the
selected samples. The ages determined on adularia from the gold deposits (Table 1 ) are all,
except one, Pliocene-Pleistocene, ranging from 2.1 Ma (Cipanglesseran) to 1.5 Ma
402 E. Marcoux, J.-P. Mil6si / Journal of Geochemical Exploration 50 (1994) 393-408

Fig. 7. Gang Mangan vein at Gunung Ciawitali showing abundant manganeseoxides.

(Gang Mangan vein at Ciawitali), with Cirotan at 1.7 Ma. Only the Pongkor deposit gave a
Miocene age (average 8.5 Ma). The deposits are thus not all Miocene in age, as was
previously assumed, but mostly Pliocene and Pleistocene. This coincides with gold miner-
alization elsewhere in the West Pacific rim: OK Tedi in New Guinea, Santo Tomas in the
Philippines, and Hishikari, Okuchi and Seigoshi in Japan, among others (Sillitoe, 1989).

5. Lead-isotope geochemistry

Lead-isotope compositions of the Miocene rhyolitic to rhyodacitic lava at Cirotan give low
ratios (2°Tpb/2°4pb ~ 15.56) and calculated low/z values (9.48 to 9.54). These values are close
to ocean basalts and characteristic of mature volcanic arcs in the diagram of Doe and Zartman
(1979). They indicate lead is of mantle origin, slightly contaminated by crust (Table 2; Fig.
8). The clustered lead-isotope compositions of the Cirotan-Ciawitali Pliocene volcanic rocks
are more radiogenic (2°7pb/2°4pb= 15.66 to 15.72) and have higher p. values ( > 10.0) than
the Miocene lavas (Table 2; Fig. 8).
Lead-isotope ratios of galena and other sulphides from the Cirotan-Ciawitali gold depos-its
are tightly clustered, defined by radiogenic ratios (2°6pb/2°4pb = 18.72 to 18.79; 2°7pb/
2°4pb = 15.66 to 15.71 ) and high/~ values (9.85 to 10.02). These compositions establish
the existence of a single source of lead in the gold deposits, originating from old
continental crust (considering the 2°7pb/2°4pb ratios) rather than oceanic crust. The
values are also close to the isotopic compositions of the surrounding Pliocene volcanic
rocks, which sug-
 E. Marcoux, J.-P, Mil~si / Journal of Geochemical Exploration 50 (1994) 393-408 403

Table I
K/Ar data of whole-rocks and adularia samples from the epithermal gold deposits of West Java.
41)Arexpressed in 10 7 c c / g N T P

K% 4 0Ar 4 0Ar % Age (Ma) ± 2

Pliocene whole-rock samples

Andesite (Ciawitali) 0.52 0.42 1.9 2.0±1.4

0.52 0.42 2.1 2.0±1.2
(duplicate)
2.91 4.0 20.0 3.6±0.2
Pumice of dacitic ignimbrite (Citorek)
1.56 2.2 27.3 3.7±0.2
Andesite (Ciawitali)
0.34 6.17 12.2 4.7±0.3
Microdiorita (Cirotan)
0.34 5.73 11.5 4.4±0.3
(duplicate)
7.90 2.7 20.0 5.7±0.4
Andesite (Ciawitali)

Miocene whole-rock samples

Rhyolite (S Cirotan) 2.84 10.58 71.4 9.6±0.3

(duplicate) 2.84 10.37 70.3 9.4±0.3

Andesite (Cirotan) 3.02 16.88 61.9 14 . 3±0 . 7

(duplicate) 3.02 18.00 63.1 15 . 3±0 . 7

Adularia-rich samples

P/iocene-Pfeistocene

Gang-Mangan (Ciawitali) 7.90 4.70 42.97 1 . 5±0 . 1

Cirotan 12.17 7.90 38.76 1 . 7±0 . 1

Pongkor 6.67 23.7 45.8 8.9±0.5

Pongkor 6.67 21.4 57.6 8.0±0.4

Cipanglesseran 6.29 5.2 27.9 2.1±0.6

 404 E. Marcoux, J.-P. Mi/dsi /Journal of Geochemical Exploration 50 (1994) 393~08

Table 2
Lead-isotope compositions of rocks and ore samples. All data are corrected for mass discrimination. Analysed
samples of Cirotan-type deposits are all galena, except for Ciusul

206pb/204pb 207pb/204pb 208pb/204pb

Whole rocks

Miocene/9. 5 :~ 0. 3 Ma)
Rhyolitic ignimbrite (Cirotan) 18.540 15.560 38.421
Rhyolitic tuff (Cirotan) 18.617 15.568 38.567
Rhyolitic tuff (Cirotan) 18.563 15.575 38.532

Pliocene {5. 7 to 2.0 Ma)

Microdiorite (Cirotan) 18.635 15.666 38.893
Dacitic ignimbrite (Citorek) 18.786 15.660 39.061
Dacitic ignimbrite (pumice) (Citorek) 18.806 15.679 39.086
Andesite (Cipanglesseran) 18.749 15.677 39.012
Andesite (Ciawitali) 18.773 15.672 39.006
Andesite (Ciawitali) 18.671 15.689 39.012
Andesite (Ciawitali) 18.780 15.724 39.210

Ore deposits

"Cirotan" Au (Pb,Zn) type

Cirotan mine -Siliceous breccia (L900) 18.781 15,698 39.164
Cockade breccia (L1000) 18.775 15.678 39.121
Cockade breccia (LIO00) 18,770 15.673 39.119
Bonanza (LIO00) 18.789 15.702 39.188
Bonanza (open pit) 18.741 15.657 39.049
Bonanza (L500) 18.757 15.669 39.088
Bonanza (L900) 18.764 15.676 39.134
Cipangtesseran 18.759 15,670 39.081
Lembak Sembada 18.761 15.670 39.082
Ciusul (sulphide in boulder) 18.787 15.711 39.215

"Pongkor" Au (Mn) type

Pongkor (Ciguha vein, sulphide) 18.278 15.711 38.554
Ciawitali (Gang Mangan vein, sulphide in quartz) 18.738 15.673 39.046
Id. 18.726 15.693 39.118

Sn ore deposits
Belitung 1 (Kelapa Kampit) (galena) 18.609 15.714 38.948
Belintung 2 (Selumar) (galena) 18.497 15.711 38.878

* After J o n e s e t aL (1977)
 E. Marcoux, J.-P. Mil~si / Journal of Geochemical Exploration 50 (1994) 393-408 405
= ! I 1 ! I

+ Miocene rocks
39.2 - 4(- Pliocene rocks Pliocene
• Cirotan-type gold deposits o
Pongkor-type gold deposits
Sn ore deposits (Belitung)
39.0
dD
a.
0
020"
38 . 8 -
JD
a. oc. Ooe n , ; "
c3 38.6
oq
o
38.4 I

o
,Q 15.70
a. 20 "
Pliocene 17/. o ~ =k)
~15.65 volcanism ( ~ ~ . . . o ~
,io
a. 0 Ma
SK Oro en
15.6o
Miocene
~ ¢ ' - - - ~ J volcanism ~ ~ _ ~,~
15.55 i

18.2 18.4 18.6 18.8

206 Pb J204 Pb
Fig. 8. -~'Pb/eCuPbversus -'°7pb/2°4pband 2~'Pb/-~Pb versus 2 o~ Pb/-"~4 Pb lead isotope diagrams. The
reference curve of Stacey and Kramers (1975), the orogen curve of Zartman and Doe ( 1981), and the
MORB field are shown. 2o- is analyticaluncertainty.

gests a genetic relationship that will be discussed further on. Similarly, the lead-isotope composition of a
sample from Pongkor is characterized by a high 2°7pb/2°4pb ratio, which also indicates the influence of
old continental crust.

6. Conclusions

Epithermal gold mineralization of the adularia-sericite type in West Java belongs to two distinct vein
types, hosted by intrusions and volcanic rocks of Miocene to Pliocene age.
406 E. Marcoux, J.-P. Mil~si /Journal of Geochemical Exploration 50 (1994) 393-408

These are the "Pongkor " type gold veins with manganese oxides and minor sulphides, and
the "Cirotan" type polymetallic ( P b - Z n - S n - W ) - rhodochrosite-rhodonite gold-bearing
veins. The "Pongkor " type veins are not well enough known to establish a possible
relationship with the "Cirotan" type.
Mineralogical relationships between galena, electrum, cassiterite and other ore minerals
within "Cirotan" type gold deposits suggest that the metals, including tin and gold, were
emplaced by a single metallogenic process, with progressively increasing Sn and W con-tents.
In the Cirotan ore deposit, the absence of a lead-isotope variation during deposition suggests
there was no change in the metal source during the evolution of the hydrothermal process.
The appearanceof granite-relatedminerals and the clustered values of ~345 around 0%~
suggest a magmatic environment for such gold deposits and thus a possible magmatic source
for the fluid and metals involved in mineralization. This hypothesis is supported in the central
part of the Bayah Dome by Pliocene-Pleistocene ages and lead-isotope similar-ities of both
Pliocene crustal volcanism and gold deposits. Although this model would be better
constrained by 6~80 and ~D isotope studies, the present results suggest that magmatic fluids
played a role in ore-forming processes.
These conclusions can be extended to the Pliocene gold deposits in the whole district,
because lead-isotope geochemistry indicates a common source of lead in the two styles of
gold mineralization, which are contemporaneous in the Cikotok-Ciawitali area.
On the northern flank of the Bayah Dome, the Pongkor mineralization has a lead-isotope
signature that clearly indicates a similar source of lead, although its age is late Miocene. Its
relationship with possible Miocene magmatism of crustal origin is as yet unclear, but it is
likely that several gold-mineralization events were responsible for the deposits now found in
the same province.
The existence of strike-slip faults induced by subduction favoured upward migration of
magmas and the subsequent emplacement of related epithermal gold mineralization.
Lead-isotope characteristics of both epithermal gold deposits and Pliocene magmatism
also demonstrate the existence of an underlying Precambrian crust in West Java. Jones et al.
(1977) showed that the Liassic tin deposits of Belitung (Fig. 1 ) are also characterized by
high 2°Tpb/2°apb ratios, and they also proposed a similar interpretation for the source of the
lead in the Tin Islands region (Fig. 8). All available lead isotope data indicate that, beneath
the volcanic arc, the Java-Belitung crust probably consists of cratonized Precam-brian
continental rocks, or at least younger sedimentary rocks derived from such Precam-brian
source material. No Pb - Pb secondary isochron (with t 2 = 2 Ma) can be defined to
determine the precise age of this crust, for which ages of 1000-1300 Ma and 1500-1700 Ma
have been proposed (Hutchison, 1988). This spread of isotope compositions indicates a
source with many components.
This underlying Precambriancontinental crust may be the source for the lead, and
possibly associated metals such as gold and tin (via magmatic assimilation?), contained in
the deposits from Java to Belitung. The metal content is therefore essentially inherited and
juvenile contributions would appear to be very limited in this arc setting.
The occurrence of Precambrian basement-derived gold and tin mineralization over
the last 200 million years in the Sunda-Banda arc illustrates the persistent influence of
this old crust up to the present-day dynamics of Western Indonesia.
 E. Marcoux, J.-P. Milisi / Journal of Geochemical Exploration 50 (1994) 393-408 407

Acknowledgements

This study (BRGM contributionNo. 93041 ) was carried out as part of the BRGM
Scientific Programme(RM 13) investigatingfactors controllinggold deposits. The work
was greatly helped by the BRGM-DSM (Directorateof SumberdayaMinerals, Bandung)
cooperation team of the Ministry of Industry, and by A. Soedjarwadi and G. Faiman
(Directors of Mines for the Cikotok to Aneka Tambang district). We are also grateful to
Y. Sunarya (DSM) and D. Sinambela (Aneka Tambang Ltd), and also to the DSM geologists
and Aneka Tambang geologists and miners. Early field assistance by J. Felenc and D. Sutisna
is gratefullyacknowledged.Access to the mine was providedby P.T. Aneka Tambang and the
Directorateof SumberdayaMinerals of Indonesia (Bandung). HM .
Kluyver translatedthis contribution.We thank A. Arribas, J.C. Carlile, J.W. Hedenquist,
S.F. Simmons and Theo van Leeuwen for their very useful (and rapid) reviews, which
considerablyimprovedour manuscript.

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