Bushveld Igneous Complex



  The Bushveld Igneous Complex (or BIC) is a large dimension stone.

Origin

The Bushveld Igneous Complex is divided into an eastern and western lobe, with a further northern extension. All three sections of the system were formed around the same time - about 2 billion years ago - and are remarkably similar. Vast quantities of molten rock from the earth's mantle were brought to surface through long vertical cracks in the earth's crust - huge arcuate differentiated lopolithic intrusions - creating the geological intrusion known as the Bushveld Igneous Complex. The effects of these injections of molten rock over time, combined with the crystallisation of different minerals at different temperatures, resulted in the formation of a structure rather like a layered cake consisting of distinct rock strata, including three PGM-bearing layers, referred to as reefs.

The Complex includes layered Granite Suite).

The orebodies within the complex include the UG2 reef containing up to 43.5% alloys. The Merensky and UG-2 reefs contain approximately 90% of the world's known PGE reserves. About 80% of the platinum and 20% of the palladium mined each year are produced from these horizons.

See also

References

  • Viljoen, M.J. & Schürmann, L.W. (1998), 'Platinum-group metals' in Council for Geoscience Handbook 16, Mineral Resources of South Africa, edited by M.G.C. Wilson and C.R. Anhaeusser. Pretoria: Council for Geoscience, ISBN 1-875061-52-5
  • Guilbert, John M., and Park, Charles F., Jr. (1986) The Geology of Ore Deposits, Freeman, ISBN 0-7167-1456-6
 
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