Introduction to the bushveld complex, south africa the bushveld complex, of palaeoproterozoic age, is located in the central northeast portion of the kaapvaal craton in southern africa, and has an estimated total area of 65 000 km2 hunter, 1976. Located in south africa, the bic contains some of the richest ore deposits on earth. Is there some commonality between the geological structures. Of its kind the bushveld igneous complex of the transvaal is the. Cawthorn synopsis the earliest authenticated scientific report of the occurrence of. The geology of the bushveld igneous complex, the largest. Geochemical evolution of the lebowa granite pluton in. The outline of the whole mass is accordingly lobulate. Layer of igneous rock in the bushveld igneous complex in the north west, limpopo, gauteng and mpumalanga provinces of south africa which together with an underlying layer, the upper group 2 reef ug2, contains most of the worlds known reserves of platinum group metals pgms or platinum group elements pgesplatinum, palladium, rhodium, ruthenium, iridium and osmium. The bushveld complex in south africa is the largest layered intrusion on earth. The bushveld complex is the largest known layered intrusion on earth, with an outcrop area of over 29450 km. The bushveld complex, south africa figure 1 is well known as one of the worlds largest igneous complexes and is of significant importance. The bushveld igneous complex bic is a layered mafic to ultramafic igneous complex located in the northeastern part of the republic of south africa. Bushveld igneous complex last updated december 07, 2020 bushveld igneous complex geologic map and mine locations.
Bushveld igneous complex wikimili, the free encyclopedia. Map of the merensky reef in western and eastern limbs of the bushveld complex, showing surface projection of mined portion of reef mined out, portion for which. Platinumgroup element pge deposits in the bushveld complex and other layered intrusions form when large, incompletely solidified magma. Economic geology research institute wits university. Sketch map of the bushveld igneous complex showing the northern, eastern and western lobes of the complex. The kaapvaal craton covers an area of approximately 1. It is the worlds largest layered mafic intrusion and boasts the highest concentration of platinum group elements pge. Assessment of atmospheric trace metals in the authors. A record of assimilation preserved by exotic minerals in the. Pdf this is the preface to a special issue on various aspects of the. Pd is emitted from mining activities in the bushveld igneous complex schouwstra et al. We suggest that this contributes to the debate on processes forming the unit. It lies almost entirely within the bounds of the transvaal. The geology of the nuanetsi igneous province on jstor.
The middle part of the early proterozoic was dominated by powerful orogenic mountainbuilding. G, felsite, granophyre, and granite of the bushveld. Mar 10, 2021 bushveld minerals results for the six months ending 30 june 2020. Introduction to the special issue on the flatreef pgeni. It has a shape like a bowl that emerges at the surface in a number of places as part of a ring some 300 km in diameter around pretoria. Mooinooi mine, near brits, north west province, northern south africa. An introduction to mineralisation in the northern limb of the. May 31, 2017 bushveld minerals bmn was first floated on aim as an iron focussed junior miner in 2012, when the iron ore price was over 140 usdtonne. The complex consists of multiple suites of rocks, each of which in turn holds multiple layers. Group ten announces acquisition of the stillwater east pgeni. Other articles where bushveld complex is discussed.
The pilanesberg complex is a 1400 ma alkaline ring complex. Pdf this is the preface to a special issue on various aspects of the bushveld complex, transvaal basin, south africa. The bushveld complex or bushveld igneous complex, bic, hosted in northeastern south africa, represents the worlds largest known layered mafic intrusive complex, and the largest magmatic ore resource lee 1996. The palaeoproterozoic bushveld igneous province in south africa is comprised of. The bushveld igneous complex after the deposition of the transvaal supergroup, there was a rumbling from down below. Geology and geomorphology of a uniquely layered ultramaficmafic intrusion pdf version geoscience in the economy. The merensky cyclic unit, bushveld complex, south africa. Geological sketch map of the bushveld complex after kinnaird et al. Pdf enigmatic textures developed along plagioclaseaugite. This guide provide an indepth summary of the geology and mineralization of the bushveld igneous complex of sa.
It has been tilted and eroded forming the outcrops around what appears to be the edge of a great geological basin. The implications for mine design and support are discussed in this paper. Download full the bushveld complex book or read online anytime anywhere, available in pdf, epub and kindle. An air quality assessment in the industrialised western. Structural relations of the bushveld igneous complex. The complex consists essentially of five adjoining, basinshaped masses of igneous rocks. It is approximately 2 billion years old and is divided into four different limbs. The bushveld complex is seated in the central northeast portion of the kaapvaal craton and is regarded as having been emplaced in an intracratonic, anorogenic setting possibly related to mantle pluming. Download full the geology of the bushveld complex on the sekhukhune plateau eastern transvaal book or read online anytime anywhere, available in pdf, epub and kindle. The latter is part of a zone of intense karroo and postkarroo volcanicity which lies along the boundary between the uplifted central portion of southern.
The reserves of platinum group metals pgms, platinum, palladium, osmium, iridium, rhodium, and. Viljoen 2016, containing significant proportions of the earths known extractable ores. Assessing the extent of local crust assimilation within. Platinumgroup elements usgs publications repository. Minerals free fulltext evaluating the changes from. However, a large part of the complex is actually covered by younger deposits, and the actual outcrop of mafic rocks has a complex. The bushveld complex is situated in the central transvaal, south africa, and covers an area of 67000 km2 of. Click get books and find your favorite books in the online library. Bushveld complex, and so this report represents the first published documentation of platinum in the bushveld complex. We also acknowledge previous national science foundation support under grant numbers 1246120, 1525057, and 14739. The bushveld episode was evidently initiated by the outpouring of andesitic lava on three occasions, and of agglomerate and tuff on one occasion, during the deposition of the transvaal system. Research article atmospheric trace metals in the western bushveld igneous complex page 1 of 11 assessment of atmospheric trace metals in the western bushveld igneous complex, south africa trace metal species emitted into the atmosphere from natural and anthropogenic sources can cause various healthrelated and environmental problems. Map does not differentiate the southern bethal limb, which is a minor 10 km by 40 km structure trending ns in the southeast corner of the bushveld. The complex includes the merensky reef, which is the worlds biggest source of platinum as well as platinumgroup metals.
Viljoen 2016, containing significant proportions of. Comparatie geology of uncomformitytype deposits and. Jan 12, 2021 the jm reef, and other pgeenriched sulphide horizons in the stillwater complex, share many similarities with the highly prolific merensky and ug2 reefs in the bushveld complex. These are the bushveld complex in south africa, the stillwater complex in the u. The centenary of the discovery of platinum in the bushveld complex 10 november, 1906 by r. Such curved structures have been seen in both the bushveld complex and the great dyke. The centenary of the discovery of platinum in the bushveld. Geological maps of the bushveld complex, northern limb, and volspruit region. Introduction to the special issue on the flatreef pgenicu. The bushveld complex rocks comprise the rooiberg group oldest, the rustenburg layered suite, the rashoop granophyre suite and the lebowa granite suite youngest. These notes were prepared with the student in mind hence their reasonable pricing. Pdf the bushveld complex download full ebooks for free.
This study integrates an extensive field study with detailed petrographic and textural analyses of the merensky unit to determine whether it is a. The uppermost poikilitic anorthosite formed above a distinct boundary through a subsequent injection of a plagioclasesaturated magma, which crystallised in situ. We cannot guarantee that the bushveld complex book is in the library. Pdf oisotope study of the bushveld complex granites and. The bushveld complex bc, located in northern south africa, is a paleoproterozoic large igneous province 2 ga in age. Bushveld minerals 2019 full year results and 2020 outlook. This suite of igneous rocks was emplaced in the following chronological order. Dec 31, 2020 pdf this is the preface to a special issue on various aspects of the bushveld complex, transvaal basin, south africa.
The stanniferous granites of the zaaiplaats tin field are part of the atype lebowa granite suite, within the greater bushveld igneous complex of northeast south africa. Roelofse council for geoscience, private bag x112, pretoria, 0001 email. The bushveld complex crops out in the northern part of south africa, in the provinces of northwest, limpopo and mpumalanga. Geoheritage of the eastern limb of the bushveld igneous. An introduction to mineralisation in the northern limb of. Farming edit as most of the region tends to be dry, the bushveld is mostly beef cattle and game farming country, with only a few droughtresistant crops such as sorghum and millet being farmed, usually under irrigation. The bic, which covers an area of 66 000 km2, holds more than 70% of the worlds viable chrome resources, as well as large deposits of vanadium, cobalt, nickel, tin and copper. Geology of the pge deposits in the bushveld complex, south.
Minerals free fulltext the merensky cyclic unit, bushveld. Bushveld complex geological formation, south africa. The resources of the wbjv project 3 are located approximately 11km along strike from the active merensky reef mining face at the operating bafokeng rasimone platinum mine brpm. Different colors indicate major units in the bushveld igneous stratigraphy. The bushveld igneous complex bic is the largest layered igneous intrusion within the earths crust. A geological map of the area, which provides the largest known example of this interesting type of formation, is shown on the facing page. Fetivp resources in the upper zone of the bushveld complex. Most ferrochrome producers have its own mining and smelting operations and are located near the bushveld complex, in rustenburg, brits, witbank, lydensberg, and. Bushveld igneous complex bic, which stretches across the north west, gauteng, mpumalanga and limpopo provinces figure 1. Structural relations of the bushveld igneous complex, transvaal. The bushveld igneous complex or bic is a large igneous intrusion within the earths crust which has been tilted and eroded and now outcrops around what appears to be the edge of a great geological basin. Jun 18, 2019 the eastern limb of the bushveld igneous complex outcrops in the middleveld, a localized physiographic region of northeastern south africa associated with an erosional embayment into the interior plateau. It lies almost entirely within the bounds of the transvaal sedimentary basin with both the intrusion and the sedimentary rocks possibly forming.
The huge bushveld igneous complex, composed of norite, pyroxenite, anorthosite etc. Novel hypothesis for origin of massive chromitites in the bushveld. The wbjv property is located on the south western limb of the bushveld igneous complex bic, 110km westnorthwest of pretoria and 120km from johannesburg. The nuanetsi igneous province is situated in the southeastern corner of southern rhodesia and marks the intersection of the limpopo lineament with the volcanic monocline of the lebombo. The bushveld igneous complex bic is the largest layered igneous intrusion within the earths. These layered intrusions consist of rocks which cooled slowly from molten magma, deep within the earth. In fact, bushveld by itself is a large igneous province lip according to criteria of bryan and ernst 2008. Przybylowicz 39 enigmatic textures developed along plagioclaseaugite grain boundaries at the base of the main zone, northern limb, bushveld complex evidence for late stage melt infiltration into a nearly solidified crystal mush f. Superimposed drainage of the olifants and steelpoort rivers has produced a mountainous terrain where the layered ultramaficmafic rocks rustenburg layered suite and metamorphic. Chromitite middle group chromitite, lower critical. The origin of chromitites in the bushveld complex has been attributed to two. Lnstitute lor geological research on the bushveld complex, university of. The bushveld complex flexural slip thrust faults the 2.
Between 2014 and 2016 the price of iron fell by more than 70% forcing bmn to reassess its exploration assets for other exploitation angles. In the south african bushveld the thick waterberg system of sediments lies unconformably on the transvaal system. They suggested that crystal free melt replenishes a magma chamber and crystallizes into a thick pile of crystalrich slurry. Igneous and metamorphic studies group meeting 15 18 january 2017. With on the order of 1millionkm3 of igneous rocks, the bushveld igneous complex is by far the worlds largest igneous intrusion, preserving a unique record of magma chamber processes on a truly grand scale. Bushveld igneous complex article about bushveld igneous. It is approximately 2 billion years old and is divided into fo. Bushveld igneous complex geologic map and mine locations. Pdf petrogenesis of the platreef, bushveld complex, south. The jinbaoshan ultramafic sill, emeishan large igneous province, china, wehrlite. Bushveld igneous complex large igneous provinces commission. At the same time, the lower part of the stillwater complex also shows the potential for much larger scale disseminated and highsulphide pgenicuco deposits, similar. Pmas 100% owned tenements cover areas of one of the worlds largest known layered mafic intrusions, the windimurra complex, which is a close model of south africas mineralrich bushveld igneous complex bic, the worlds dominant source of platinum group metals pgm.
However, recent research casts some doubt on some of these correlations. Bushveld is an example of a large igneous province, a massive assemblage of rocks formed by volcanic activity. The merensky unit, bushveld complex, is commonly described using genetic terms such as cyclic unit, typically without careful consideration of the connotations. The geomorphological history of the bushveld basin gave rise to four discrete physiographic regions found in the study area. Bushveld igneous complex bic is the largest layered mafic intrusion in the world 60,000 km2 and hosts the worlds largest reserves of platinumgroup elements pge. Pdf petrogenesis of the platreef, bushveld complex. Our mineral reserves and resources royal bafokeng platinum. It hosts the largest known accumulation of ptpd mineralizationintheworldmudd2012. The bushveld igneous complex bic is the largest layered igneous intrusion 1 2 within the earths crust.
Geology and mineralization of bushveld igneous complex sa. Eastern limb of the bushveld complex, south africa. Bushveld igneous complex is part of wikiproject geology, an attempt at creating a standardized, informative, comprehensive and easytouse geology resource. Drilling through the largest magma chamber on earth. The extension of the western limb, bushveld complex south africa. The second equates to the magma proposed as being parental to the bushveld complex 2060 ma. Bushveld complex about 600 million years ago there occurred beneath the surface of this part of the world a considerable disturbance. Create free account to access unlimited books, fast download and ads free. The bushveld complex an introduction the bushveld complex is located in south africa, between the limpopo and north west provinces and covers an area of approximately 66000 km2 it consists of four groups of rocks. May 10, 2017 the bushveld igneous complex bic wikipedia is a very large igneous outcrop north of johannesburg, sa that contains some of the richest ore deposits on earth. The bushveld complex consists of several igneous suites. The palaeoproterozoic bushveld complex has been studied in detail in the last century, primarily because of the. The bushveld igneous complex covers a very large area of the transvaal extending over four provinces.
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