Zonation of Merensky-Style Platinum-Group Element Mineralization in Turfspruit Thick Reef Facies (Northern Limb of the Bushveld Complex)*

Yudovskaya, Marina A.; Kinnaird, Judith A.; Grobler, D. F.; Costin, Gelu; Абрамова, В. Д.; Dunnett, Tim; Barnes, Sarah‐Jane

doi:10.5382/econgeo.2017.4512

Cited by 40 publications

(45 citation statements)

References 71 publications

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“…Grobler et al (2012) introduced the Turfspruit Cyclic Unit (TCU) and proposed correlations to UCZ equivalents as found elsewhere in the BIC. In turn, Yudovskaya et al (2017) recognised an Upper and a Main reef and presented geochemical and mineralogical evidence for correlation of the latter with the Merensky Reef. Drilling has to date traced the mineralised layers to a depth of~1.8 km, some 3-4 km west of the surface outcrop of the Platreef.…”

Section: Geology Of the Farm Turfspruit And Discovery Of The Flatreefmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…3b-d). The mineralised rocks have been grouped as the 'Upper Reef' by Yudovskaya et al (2017) (Fig. 2b).…”

Section: Flatreefmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The pegmatoidal interval attains an average thickness across the project area of around 15 m, but can reach thicknesses of over 60 m in some areas (Peters et al 2016). The combined mineralised interval of m e d i u m g r a i n e d o r t h o p y r o x e n i t e , p e g m a t o i d a l orthopyroxenite and poikilitic harzburgite has previously been grouped into the Main Reef by Yudovskaya et al (2017) (Fig. 2b).…”

Section: Flatreefmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Litho- and chemostratigraphy of the Flatreef PGE deposit, northern Bushveld Complex

Grobler¹,

Brits²,

Maier

et al. 2018

Miner Deposita

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The Flatreef is a world-class platinum-group element (PGE) deposit recently discovered down-dip from existing mining and exploration operations on the northern limb of the Bushveld Complex. Current indicated resources stand at 42 Moz PGE (346 Mt with 3.8 g/t Pt+Pd+Rh+Au, 0.32% Ni and 0.16% Cu) which, in the case of Pt, is equivalent to~10 years global annual production, making it one of the largest PGE deposits on earth. The grade and thickness of the Flatreef mineralised interval is highly unusual, with some drill core intersections containing up to 4.5 g/t Pt+Pd+Rh+Au over 90 m in drill core. Here, we document the down-dip and along-strike litho-and chemostratigraphy of the Flatreef and its footwall and hanging wall rocks, based on a diamond drill core database totalling > 720 km. At the base of the sequence intersected in the drill cores are up to 700-m-thick sills of ultramafic rocks (dunite, harzburgite, pyroxenite) emplaced into pelitic, dolomitic, and locally quartzitic and evaporitic rocks belonging to the Duitschland Formation of the Transvaal Supergroup. Next is an approximately 100-200-m sequence of lowgrade-sulphide-mineralised, layered mafic-ultramafic rocks containing abundant sedimentary xenoliths and, in places, several chromite seams or stringers. This is overlain by a~100-m-thick sequence of well-mineralised mafic-ultramafic rocks (the Flatreef sensu strictu), overlain by a laterally persistent mottled anorthosite layer at the base of > 1 km of homogenous Main Zone gabbronorite. Based on stratigraphic, lithological and compositional analogies to the layered rocks in the eastern and western Bushveld Complex, we correlate the Flatreef and its chromite bearing footwall rocks with the Upper Critical Zone, notably the interval between the UG2 chromitite and the Bastard Reef as found elsewhere in the Bushveld Complex. This includes recognition of a Merensky Reef correlative. The ultramafic rocks below the main chromitite seam (UG2 correlative) in the Flatreef footwall are correlated with the Lower Critical and Lower zones. However, compared to the western and eastern Bushveld limbs, the studied sequence is strongly enriched in sulphide and PGE, many of the rocks show elevated CaO, K 2 O, Rb and Zr contents, and lateral continuity of layers between drill cores is less pronounced than elsewhere in the Bushveld, whereas ultramafic units are locally considerably thickened. These compositional and lithological traits are interpreted to result from a range of processes which include contamination with calcsilicate and hornfels, intrusion of granitic magmas, and the influence of multiple structural events such as pre-to syn-emplacement regional-scale open folding and growth faults. Evidence for the existence of potholes also exists. In the shallow, up-dip portions of the project area, the entire magmatic sequence below the Main Zone becomes increasingly contaminated to the extent that individual units are somewhat more difficult to correlate between drill cores. This package represents the Platreef as expose...

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Section: Geology Of the Farm Turfspruit And Discovery Of The Flatreefmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…3b-d). The mineralised rocks have been grouped as the 'Upper Reef' by Yudovskaya et al (2017) (Fig. 2b).…”

Section: Flatreefmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Flatreefmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Litho- and chemostratigraphy of the Flatreef PGE deposit, northern Bushveld Complex

Grobler¹,

Brits²,

Maier

et al. 2018

Miner Deposita

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show abstract

“…More recently, new sections have been discovered to the south of the studied sections that display much less disrupted magmatic stratigraphy (Yudovskaya et al 2017b), and that can be more directly correlated with equivalent Upper Critical stratigraphy elsewhere. These sections have been distinguished from the Platreef by identifying it as "thick reef facies" and, to the south, as "Flatreef " (Grobler et al 2018) based on regional changes (local flattening) of the stratigraphy as contrasted to that observed to the north.…”

Section: Nature Of the Platreefmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These sections have been distinguished from the Platreef by identifying it as "thick reef facies" and, to the south, as "Flatreef " (Grobler et al 2018) based on regional changes (local flattening) of the stratigraphy as contrasted to that observed to the north. This has allowed for the identification of UG2-and Merensky Reef-equivalent stratigraphy in the Northern Lobe (Yudovskaya et al 2017b;Grobler et al 2018), albeit with much more extensive footwall-derived contamination and sulphide-mineralization styles that are consistent with the Platreef setting.…”

Section: Nature Of the Platreefmentioning

confidence: 99%

Igneous Rock Associations 23. The Bushveld Complex, South Africa: New Insights and Paradigms

Prevec

2019

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Distribution of platinum-group elements in pristine and near-surface oxidized Platreef ore and the variation along strike, northern Bushveld Complex, South Africa

et al. 2018

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Zonation of Merensky-Style Platinum-Group Element Mineralization in Turfspruit Thick Reef Facies (Northern Limb of the Bushveld Complex)*

Cited by 40 publications

References 71 publications

Litho- and chemostratigraphy of the Flatreef PGE deposit, northern Bushveld Complex

Litho- and chemostratigraphy of the Flatreef PGE deposit, northern Bushveld Complex

Igneous Rock Associations 23. The Bushveld Complex, South Africa: New Insights and Paradigms

Distribution of platinum-group elements in pristine and near-surface oxidized Platreef ore and the variation along strike, northern Bushveld Complex, South Africa

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