Mineralium Deposita (2002) 37: 117136
DOI 10.1007/s00126-001-0234-7
A RT I C L E
Peter J. Pollard Roger G. Taylor
Paragenesis of the Grasberg CuAu deposit, Irian Jaya,
Indonesia: results from logging section 13
Received: 10 June 2001 / Accepted: 20 July 2001 / Published online: 20 December 2001

Springer-Verlag 2001
Abstract The Grasberg CuAu deposit is hosted within
the Grasberg Igneous Complex (GIC), a Pliocene vol-
canic and intrusive complex situated in the highlands of
Irian Jaya, Indonesia. The GIC is composed of intrusive
and volcanic rocks that were disrupted by formation of
the Dalam Diatreme and intruded by later, multistaged
Grasberg and Kali intrusions. Each intrusive phase is
overprinted by extensive hydrothermal inll and alter-
ation. Based on drillcore logging on section 13, 35
separate stages of alteration and inll have been recog-
nized, and their spatial distribution mapped in 14
drillholes that represent approximately 1.8 km of verti-
cal section. Using intrusions as timelines, the hydro-
thermal stages can be timed as post-Dalampre-MGI
(Main Grasberg Intrusion), post-MGIpre-Kali, and
post-Kali, and linked into seven groups that are inter-
preted as separate hydrothermal systems. Pre-Kali sys-
tems include ten of the recognized stages, and are mostly
high-temperature alteration (K-feldspar and/or biotite)
devoid of sulde mineralization. Suldes are restricted
to post-Kali time and, excluding early quartzanhy-
drite sulde and molybdenite veins, can be grouped
into three main stages: (1) Heavy Sulde Zone (HSZ)
mineralization, (2) Grasberg coppergold stage, and (3)
late copper mineralization (mixed copper suldes,
covelliteenargitepyrite and pyritecovellitemarca-
site). The HSZ is dominated by ne-grained replacement
pyrite and distributed mainly towards the periphery of
the GIC, with only minor occurrences towards the
central zones. It is suspected that a high proportion of
the copper and gold content of the HSZ is due to
overprinting by the Grasberg coppergold stage and late
copper mineralization.
P.J. Pollard (&) R.G. Taylor
School of Earth Sciences,
James Cook University,
Townsville, Queensland 4811, Australia
E-mail: Peter.Pollard@jcu.edu.au
Tel.: +61-7-47815050
Fax: +61-7-47251501
The Grasberg coppergold stage is a major chal-
copyritebornitepyritegoldhematite event occur-
ring as a centrally focused fracture system that has
been traced from the surface to the limits of drilling
(>1,800 m). It is considered to also have a minor
focus in peripheral zones, where it overprints the HSZ.
The Grasberg coppergold stage exhibits no obvious
vertical or lateral changes in mineralogy. Late copper
mineralization comprises several stages and is domi-
nantly disseminated in character. The early stages are
dominated by chalcopyrite, bornite, digenitechalco-
cite, covellitenukundamite, and colusite, with the
later stages containing pyrite, marcasite, covellite, and
enargiteminor chalcopyrite. Late copper mineraliza-
tion is essentially a high suldation system, and is
associated with zones of mild acid leaching, develop-
ment of small-scale vugs, andalusite alteration, and
abundant intermediate argillic alteration (illite, kaoli-
nite). Rare pyrophyllite is reported. Hydrothermal
alteration/inll stages within the GIC are controlled
dominantly by oriented fracture arrays and major
brittleductile fracture systems. These are focused
around pre-existing igneous or igneoussediment con-
tacts, with the margins of the Kali intrusions being a
prime focus of fracturing linked to the Grasberg cop-
pergold stage. The pattern of repetitive introduction
of uid and magma from deeper levels is compatible
with the presence of an evolving magma chamber at
depth. No signicant quantities of sulfur-bearing min-
erals were precipitated until formation of the purple
anhydritequartz veins that preceded the major sulde
stages. This suggests that the early hydrothermal uids
had temperature and oxygen fugacity characteristics
that precluded precipitation of sulfur-bearing phases,
and/or that a model involving late-stage addition of
sulfur to a deeper level magma chamber, perhaps by
intrusion of more primitive magma, may be applicable
to Grasberg.
Keywords Grasberg Porphyry coppergold
Irian Jaya Indonesia
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Introduction
The Grasberg CuAu deposit is situated in the Ertsberg
mining district of Irian Jaya, Indonesia (Fig. 1) and is
the worlds major coppergold mine. Grasberg was
discovered by P.T. Freeport Indonesia in 1988 when
the rst vertical drillhole (GRS-4) encountered 600 m
averaging 1.65% Cu and 1.4 g/t Au (Van Nort et al.
1991; MacDonald and Arnold 1994). Current recover-
able reserves are 51 billion pounds of copper,
62.4 million ounces of gold, and 135.5 million ounces
of silver (see also Table 1; Freeport McMoRan Copper
and Gold Inc. 2000). The Grasberg deposit comprises
Fig. 1 Simplied geological
map of the Ertsberg district
the present open pit that is being mined at a rate of
approximately 240,000 t of ore per day, and the
downward extension of mineralization that is planned
as a future underground mine.
The Ertsberg mining district forms part of the Central
Range Mobile Belt of Irian Jaya that contains Miocene
Pleistocene magmatic rocks formed in response to the
partial subduction of the northern margin of Australia
beneath a south-facing island arc located on the south-
ern edge of the Pacic Plate. Mineralization in the
Ertsberg district appears to be related to a suite of
high-K calc-alkaline to shoshonitic intrusive rocks
(McMahon 1994a, 1994b) that were emplaced during
the Pliocene (McDowell et al. 1996). The strontium