The Discovery and Exploration of the Wild Dog Gold-Silver-Copper Deposit, East New Britain, P.N.G.

The Wild Dog gold-silver-copper deposit represents a new ore-deposit type in Papua New Guinea. The telluride vein mineralisation is associated with a Tertiary caldera and has similarities with that from the Baguio district, Philippines, Vatakoula, Fiji, and the San Juan Mountains, southwestern Colorado. The deposit, discovered in July 1983, has negligible stream silt and concentrate anomaly, and a float-train limited to within 300m of the prospect. The comparatively recent exposure of the vein system may explain the limited stream expression of the deposit. At least three major veins occur in the deposit; the vein system strikes north- northeasterly, dips 78¦W, and has a maximum strike length of 1350m. Veins are enveloped by a wallrock dominated by an assemblage of quartz-illite-pyrite. Four types of silicification related to multiple vein filling events have been defined on the basis of field relationships, drill-core intersections, petrology and fluid inclusion study. To December 1986 a total of 22 diamond drill holes (2304m) and 40 reverse circulation drill holes (1833m) have been completed on the deposit, defining a 750m zone of interest. The upper 30m of the deposit is oxidised. Much of the high-grade mineralisation in both the sulphide and oxide portions of the deposit is restricted to ore- shoots which strike parallel to the overall vein structure and are vertical to steeply westward dipping. They are defined geochemically by the lg/t Au cutoff and geologically by the relative increase in the vein density of auriferous grey-black sulphidic silica, the final vein filling event. Metallurgical studies and the results of close-spaced drilling have demonstrated the very good repeatibility on duplicate assays, and the extremes of grade variability of mineralisation over very short distances. The good assay agreement on duplicate samples .s indicative of fine, dispersed gold.