Heres some of the info I used in doing my research
See here
http://www.pecc.org/community/minerals-shanxi-2005/papers/howard-lole(paper).pdf
WOWO GAP (NICKEL LATERITE)
LOCATION: Wowo, Oro Province
OPERATOR: Niugini Nickels Ltd.
OWNERSHIP: Niugini Nickels Ltd 100%
STATUS: EL 1165 (94.4km²),
YEAR GRANTED: 1996
BACKGROUND
The Wowo Gap Project is huge laterite deposit with a potential for a global resource of in access of 300 Mt of lateritic and saprolitic ore that has developed over a peridotite breccia. There is lot of potential outside the current project area as well. Within the project area previous exploration of Wowo Gap laterite nickel deposit has outlined a resource of 62 Mt @1.8% Ni equivalent
The project area under exploration licence (EL1165) granted to Niugni Nickels in 1996 was first discovered in 1958. Several exploration companies had explored it since and a prefeasiility was carried out in 1972 found the deposit uneconomic. The metallurgy, stripping characteristics and location of Wowo Gap compares favourably with other lateric nickel deposits. Further drilling and pitting are required to bring the project to the feasibility study stage.
The Wowo Gap Project is located about 200 kilometres east of Port Moresby, and 35 kilometres from the towns of Safia, near the Musa River and Wanigela, situated on Collingwood Bay. The deposit is located at the eastern end of the Didana Range in a topographic saddle some 700 meters above sea level. The area is drained by the Musa River and its various tributaries, the largest of which is Bereruma Creek which flows north from the deposit.
CURRENT STATUS
Since the granting of the Licence Niugini Nickel NL has undertaken review of past data and there were periods of low activity corresponding to low commodity price and the asian economic crisis. The drilling completed in 2003 was only within the laterite developed on the foliated ultramafic. Drilling of the Sivai Breccia was completed in 2004. Soil and young volcanic ash overlies limonite- and saprolite-laterite profiles.
The limonite profile, 1 to 10 metres, thick consists of clay with iron oxides. Commonly this material in the diamond core contains no boulders. At similar depths in the pits there are small weathered boulders, particularly at the bottom of the profile. It is probable that the diamond bit has pushed the small boulders away in the limonite-clay rich material. Only when the boulders are large enough to resist the downward thrust of the drill stem have they been penetrated.
The saprolite profile, 1 to 15 metres thick, consists of serpentine and garnierite with clay. This material also contains significant sections of boulders. The boulders are interspersed with the saprolite material. This lower section of the profile was previously not seen in the pits or wacker drilling, as this material was too hard to have been previously penetrated
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Sources of Saprolite include: New Caledonia, Philippines and Indonesia. Saprolite is used as a direct feed for the production of Ferronickel with Ferronickel accounting for approximately 38% of the world’s primary nickel production.
Ferronickel smelters are located throughout the world with significant production centres situated in New Caledonia, Indonesia, and Japan. The latter relies 100% on imported material to satisfy demand, with the three smelters in Japan importing approximately 3.0 Mtpa of Saprolite averaging 2.35% Ni. RMC understands that +2.0% Ni grade Saprolite ore sells for +US$35.00/wmt. RMC has initiated discussions with selected Japanese companies involved in the Saprolite trade to determine interest in Wowo Gap’s role as a potential Saprolite ore source of the future.
Planning is underway for the commencement of a Wacker drilling programme at Awariobo once the Wowo Gap drilling is complete.
WOWO GAP REOURCES
The reported “inferred resource with a0.8% nickel cutt off from pits, previous diamond drilling and wacker drilling is;
Central Zone Limonite 30.9Mt @ 1.09% Ni and 0.11%Co
Saprolite 17.9Mt @ 1.44% Ni and 0.04%Co
Northern Zone Limonite 18.0Mt @ 1.02% Ni and 0.11%Co
Total 66.8Mt @ 1.17% Ni and 0.09%Co
However comparisons of work by Niugini Nickel indicate that limonite profile of limonite were twice as thick and as a result potentially doubles the resource potential of the limonite drilled area.
Limited drilling in the Central Zone indicated that with further drilling there is a potential to conceptually increase the increase significantly from 18Mt, as as no saprolite ore has been factored into this resource. The Ther is significant resource open to the north and south and will be furter teste by continuing the current drilling program across s the Sivai Breccia and immendiately to the north and south.
Comparing the Wowo Gap nickel deposit with the Ramu nickel deposit you can see that the global resource at Ramu is 143 Mt @ 1.01% Nickel and 0.01% cobalt.