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New Hanover
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The New Hanover project is located on New Hanover 60 km west of the Provincial capital Kavieng in New Ireland Province (Fig 1). Access is by a two-hour boat journey from Kavieng. |
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The project comprises two exploration licences (EL 1566 & ELA 1856: PPM 100%) covering 591.6 km2 at the northwestern end of the Lihir-Tabar alkaline volcanic belt, host to the giant Lihir gold deposit and the Simberi gold deposit (Fig 2). PROPERTY BACKGROUNDHistorical exploration on New Hanover. Very little modern exploration has been completed on the New Hanover epithermal systems. CRA Exploration Pty Ltd conducted a broad-scale reconnaissance stream geochemical survey of the island in 1965. Broken Hill Pty Co Ltd conducted a similar programme in 1971, but restricted to the southern part of the island, and made numerous references to the presence of rocks of epithermal origin. Between 1969-1973 geologists from Australia’s Bureau of Mineral Resources and the Geological Survey of PNG mapped the island at 1:250,000 scale. It was during this work that a quartz-pyrite-haematite-zeolite-alunite breccia phase (advanced argillic alteration) was mapped as part of a Late Miocene-Early Pliocene volcanic unit. Nord Resources (Pacific) Pty Ltd (“Nord Resources”) explored the entire island during a three-year period from June 1985. They completed intensive stream sediment, panned concentrate, float and outcrop sampling across the island. Approximately 370 stream sites were sampled and gold was seen in panned concentrates at 27 sites, mainly restricted to the southern half of the island. Geological mapping outlined the 19 km2 extent of widespread advanced argillic alteration inland from the south coast. Consistently high panned concentrate values focused attention to the ridge-line between the Asmin and Woi Rivers and ridge and spur soil sampling defined a 2 km2 anomaly, now known as the Kuliuta gold-copper prospect. A considerable amount of Nord Resources’ exploration effort was directed towards this prospect. Nord Resources joint ventured the New Hanover property to the Kennecott-Niugini Mining JV (“KNMJV” or the “Joint Venture”) and detailed bulldozer trenching commenced on the Kuliuta gold-copper prospect during late 1988. Six km of trenching was completed on the Central and Northern Stockwork Zones. A six-hole diamond drilling programme (totalling 705 m and predominantly in NQ-sized core) was completed during May 1989. The KNMJV subsequently withdrew from the New Hanover Joint Venture. PPM’s New Hanover reconnaissance exploration. PPM’s 2009 exploration of the New Hanover property produced early encouragement. Initial reconnaissance defined 10 geochemical/alteration anomalies for follow-up exploration in addition to the previously located epithermal Kuliuta gold-copper prospect (Fig 1; Table 1). Follow-up of these anomalies, involving detailed 1:1,000 or 1:2,500 geological mapping and sampling, has been completed on Metekavil (Fig 6), Metemana (Fig 7), Ngamin (Fig 8), Elang and Upper Anas. Coarse pannable gold is present in Metemana Creek and anomalous panned concentrate gold anomalies are present across the Upper Anas anomaly. Fieldwork in all five areas has defined extensive (1-2 km2 sized) areas of argillisation (illite-smectite+pyrite grading to illite-sericite+quartz+haematite) that host swarms of grey sulphidic, colloform, crustiform banded epithermal quartz veins. Vein widths up to 3 m have been recorded (at Metemana). Some of these vein swarms are auriferous: Metekavil (3 m @ 1.86 g/t Au) and Upper Anas (one sample 1.71 g/t Au, 36.4 g/t Ag). PORPHYRY COPPER POTENTIAL ON NEW HANOVERThe porphyry copper potential of New Hanover has gone unrecognised by previous explorers. This is despite the presence of extensive zones of advanced argillic alteration (covering a 19 km2 area) immediately inland from the south coast. Advanced argillic alteration consists of both massive and brecciated zones of alunite+silica+kaolinite+ sulphide. The presence of alkaline porphyry style gold-copper mineralisation on the nearby Tabar island group has recently been demonstrated during recent competitor’s drilling at the Banesa and Tupinda prospects on Big Tabar Island.
Numerous porphyry-style signature have been noted during PPM’s fieldwork in EL 1566. The Company’s drilling at Kuliuta has attracted mineral industry interest for its unusual intersection of a native and sulphide copper-bearing sub-volcanic hosted porphyry to depths of ~500m below La’mau’sing Mountain. PPM’s reconnaissance exploration has located 9.67% copper in an outcrop in Metemana Creek, 5 km southwest of Kuliuta (Fig. 1), and detailed fieldwork during 2011 at Elang and Metewoi has expanded to four the number of porphyry copper plays in the New Hanover project. Grid soil sampling and detailed mapping covering extensive (~6 km2) areas at both Elang and Metewoi is recently complete and results are being compiled. The Company intends to advance both prospects to drill targets by mid-2012. |
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Fig 2 - Lihir-Tabar gold mineral belt
Fig 4 - Kuliuta gold-copper prospect – 1,400 m x 600 m gold (>0.1 g/t Au) soil anomaly. Grid is 3.2 km long.
Fig 6 - Metekavil gold prospect – geology and alteration
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Fig 3 - Kuliuta gold-copper prospect. Plan of KNMJV trenches showing trench intercepts >0.1 g/t Au. Drillhole locations are also shown. Trenching was confined to the axis and immediate flanks of the northwest trending Kuliuta ridge and failed to fully cover all areas of soil anomaly.
Fig 5 - Kuliuta gold-copper prospect - PPM trench sampling results and gold in soil anomaly
Fig 7 - Metemana gold-copper prospect - geology and alteration |
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Fig 9 - Kuliuta gold-copper prospect - Detail of La'mau'sing or Zone A showing high grade trench results, gold in soil anomalies along Line 16 and results of recent selective grab sampling
Fig 11 - Elang Creek geophysical and geochemical anomaly, showing strong near surface magnetic anomaly, interpreted to be an intrusive body unlike any other in the New Hanover tenement. It is associated with silica-alunite breccias, gold anomaly in panned concentrate and copper anomalies in outcrop
Fig 13 - Kuliuta gold-copper prospect - Drillhole KUD007: Native copper present in drillcore (near centre of drillcore sample) at 123.80m downhole. The widespread downhole presence of porphyry style native copper occurrence in hole KUD007 as disseminations, void infillings and rimming clasts is considered unusual.
Fig 15 - Kuliuta gold-copper prospect - Drillhole KUD008: Fracture coatings of native copper at 89.66m downhole, hosted in an augite porphyryitic latite.
Fig 17 - Kuliuta gold-copper prospect - La'mau'sing Mountain copper target showing placement of PPM drillholes.
Fig 19 - Kuliuta gold-copper prospect - Drillhole KUD009: Native copper from 74.50m in argillised porphyritic latite. Specimen collected after sampling of core shown in Fig 18. |
Fig 10 - Kuliuta gold-copper prospect - Radiogenic thorium anomaly associated with the the Kuliuta gold prospect. Gold in soil anomaly is shown by coloured balls along soil grid lines. Thorium anomaly may indicate the presence of a porphyry intrusion below the prospect. Thorium anomaly is associated with other PNG porphyry copper deposits. Thorium data from PPM's recently completed Fugro Airborne Surveys geophysical programme
Fig 12 - Kuliuta gold-copper prospect - Drillhole location plan in the La'mau'sing area, showing large 400m x 300m chargeability anomaly (mid and dark blue).
Fig 14 - Kuliuta gold-copper prospect - Proposed closed-spaced step out drilling plan to investigate copper mineralisation in the La'mau'sing zone - Resistivity image at 150m depth.
Fig 16 - Kuliuta gold-copper prospect - Drillhole KUD008: Fracture coatings of native copper at 89.68m downhole, hosted in an augite porphyryitic latite.
Fig 18 - Kuliuta gold-copper prospect - Drillhole KUD009: Native copper 'seam' in interval 74.50 to 74.60m interval in argillised porphyritic latite. |
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Table 1 - PPM’s New Hanover geological and geochemical anomalies. Anomalies are listed west to east across tenement EL 1566. |
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Table 2: Kuliuta gold-copper prospect – PPM and Kennecott trench results |
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Table 3 - Kuliuta gold-copper prospect – Summary of KNMJV’s drillhole results |
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