Simplified geological map of the eastern lobe of the bushveld igneous complex. The bushveld complex, a product of interaction among magmas derived from a mantle plume c. Bushveld minerals is a lowcost, vertically integrated primary vanadium producer with a diversified vanadium product portfolio, currently supplying approximately 3,000 mtvp. This is due to the bushveld igneous complex, an extremely rich saucershaped geological formation that stretches over more than 50,000 square kilometers. A vast composite body of plutonic and volcanic rocks in the central part of the transvaal, the bushveld igneous complex includes the platinum reef worked by rustenburg platinum mines limited and constituting the worlds greatest reserve of the platinum metals. This formation contains most of the worlds reserves of minerals such as andalusite, chromium, fluorspar, platinum and vanadium.
The presence of dykes, ironrich ultramafic pegmatites irups, faults and potholes can cause adverse mining conditions through. Through bushveld energy, the companys energy storage. The bushveld complex, a product of interaction among. The mafic igneous rocks are of deepseated origin, and they occur in thick stratiform sheets, such as the bushveld complex in south africa willemse, 1969. The bushveld complex is a 65,000 km2 layered intrusive. The complex is not only unique in size but also in the range and economic signiicance of its contained mineral. The bushveld igneous complex bic is the largest layered igneous intrusion within the earths. The complex consists of multiple suites of rocks, each of which in turn holds multiple layers. View from the chuniespoortburgersfort road of the rustenburg. The huge bushveld igneous complex, composed of norite, pyroxenite, anorthosite etc. Construction expos in south africa recommended for you. The bushveld is one of the most mineralrich regions of the world.
Petrogenesis of the bushveld complex, south africa by. Platinum group elements in stream sediments of mining. The complex contains the worlds largest reserves of the platinum group metals, platinum, palladium, osmium, indium, rhodium and rhenium, along with vast quantities of iron, tin, chromium. The bushveld complex bc is a large layered intrusion, emplaced into a stable cratonic setting. Also shown is a schematic stratigraphic section of the bushveld complex where the approximate position of the ug1 chromitite has been highlighted. Important notice this report includes results for mineral resources. The rustenburg layered suite of the bushveld complex is a series of layered igneous rocks exposed in five arcuate lobes spanning 450 km from east to west and 350 km from north to south. Samples collected from inliers of basement rock within the complex the assen and marble hall fragments and from the rooiberg series exhibit no. The bushveld igneous complex bic is a large layered igneous intrusion within the earths crust, exposed at the edge of the transvaal basin in south africa. A field and laboratory search for shockmetamorphic features associated with the bushveld igneous complex, south africa, was made to test the hypothesis that the structure formed by meteorite impact.
Apr 29, 2016 cjm consulting, south africa, pty ltd. The bushveld complex is an extremely large 66 000 km 2, two billion yearold layered igneous intrusion occurring in the northern part of south africa. May 04, 2017 the bushveld layered complex of south africa measures up to 100. South africa is the worlds top producer of platinum, used in everything from jewelry to catalytic converters. Bushveld complex bc sedibelo platinum mines limited. The geology of the bushveld igneous complex, the largest.
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. The bushveld complex, a product of interaction among magmas. Hatton anglo american research laboratories pty ltd. The complex consists essentially of five adjoining, basinshaped masses of igneousrocks. 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. The bushveld complex is the largest known layered intrusion on earth, with an outcrop area of over 29450 km. Geoheritage of the eastern limb of the bushveld igneous complex. During 19811982 an extensive search was made for shockmetamorphic features in the bushveld tgneous complex bic of south africa. Bushveld igneous complex article about bushveld igneous. Generalized geology of the bushveld complex modified after webb, 2009. Pdf the zonal nomenclature of the bushveld complex relegated to informal. Higher underground thermal gradient than the goldbearing witwatersrand basin, requiring refrigeration for underground mines deeper than 700 metres. Structural relations of the bushveld igneous complex.
It consists of a large variety of extrusive, intrusive, and metamorphic rocks, the basic stratified portion of which constitutes the largest layered intrusion of its kind in the world. Not the least of the finds is the amazing body of igneous rocks called the bushveld complex, in the transvaal. Box 106, crown mines, 2025, south africa chromite and pgeenriched layers in the bushveld are modelled on a process of the cooling of resident lower zone magma by sub. The complex contains the worlds largest reserves of the platinum group metals, platinum, palladium, osmium, indium, rhodium and rhenium, along with. Reeftype pge deposits are mined only in the bushveld complex merensky reef and ug2, the stillwater complex jm reef, and the great dyke main sulphide layer. It contains many magmatic ores, pegmatitic and hydrothermal ore deposits and has metamorphosed the floor rocks of the intrusive. Samples collected from inliers of basement rock within the complex the assen and marble hall fragments and from the rooiberg. Bushveld igneous complex last updated january 16, 2020 bushveld igneous complex geologic map and mine locations. Allard, 1970, or in complex intrusive bodies, such as taberg, sweden hjelmqvist, 1950. It consists of a large variety of extrusive, intrusive, and metamorphic rocks, the basic stratified portion of which constitutes the largest layered intrusion of its. French, planetary materials program, code el4, nasa headquarters, washington, dc 20546. During 19811982 an extensive search was made for shockmetamorphic features in the bushveld tgneous complex bic of south africa in order to.
The outline of the whole mass is accordingly lobulate. Space images bushveld igneous complex, south africa. In this lecture shield volcanoes stratovolcanoes other types of volcanic centres flood basalt provinces 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. The duration of continental flood basaltic magmatism may be of the order of several million years. The bushveld igneous complex johnson matthey technology. However, a large part of the complex is actually covered by.
Bushveld is an example of a large igneous province, a massive assemblage of rocks formed by volcanic activity. It is approximately 2 billion years old and is divided into four different limbs. Magmatic ore deposits in layered intrusionsdescriptive model. Pdf a felsic end to bushveld differentiation semantic scholar. Bushveld complex bc 300km east west synclinal basin containing vast quantities of pgms and chromite. The complex consists essentially of five adjoining, basinshaped masses of igneous rocks. An intrusive origin of some ug1 chromitite layers in the. According to new geophysical data the complex now occupies an area of more than 90,000 km 2 finn et al.
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. To investigate this possibility we derive a robust new estimate of the major and trace element bulk composition of the bushveld upper zone and upper main zone uumz. The complex contains the worlds largest reserves of the platinum group metals, platinum, palladium, osmium, indium, rhodium and rhenium, along with vast quantities of iron, tin, chromium, titanium and vanadium wikipedia. The bushveld layered complex of south africa measures up to 100. Magmatic ore deposits in layered intrusionsdescriptive. Additionally, disclosure of contained ounces in a resource is permitted disclosure under canadian securities laws. Geological setting university of the witwatersrand. Novel hypothesis for origin of massive chromitites in the. It lies almost entirely within the bounds of the transvaal sedimentary basin with both the intrusion and the sedimentary rocks possibly forming. Most of it comes from a geological formation the size of west virginia, called the bushveld igneous complex, created two billion years ago as molten lava from earths mantle bubbled to the surface and cooled.
In the south african bushveld the thick waterberg system of sediments lies unconformably on the transvaal system. Emplacement and crystallization time for the bushveld complex. Rock types range in composition from ultramaic to felsic. An introduction to mineralisation in the northern limb of the bushveld. These layered intrusions consist of rocks which cooled slowly from molten magma, deep within the earth. Bushveld igneous complex of the transvaal gsa bulletin. The bushveld igneous complex bic is the largest layered igneous intrusion 1 2 within the earths crust. 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. Molengraaff, henderson, kynaston, mellor, humphrey, hall, wagner, and du toit have published the results of study. The bushveld complex is the largest maficultramafic layered intrusion on earth and encompasses about a million cubic kilometres of igneous rocks that were emplaced into the upper crust 2a05. Bushveld igneous complex, south africa aster image gallery. Reeftype and contacttype deposits, in particular those in the bushveld complex, south africa, are the worlds primary source of platinum and rhodium tables 2 and 3.
The bushveld complex underlies an area of about 50,000 square km 20,000 square miles. It has been considered an intrusive equivalent of a continental flood basalt province, and inferred to be related to a mantle plume hatton, 1995. These are the bushveld complex in south africa, the stillwater complex in the u. It has been tilted and eroded forming the outcrops around what appears to be the edge of a great geological basin. The bushveld complex is situated in the central transvaal, south africa, and covers an area of 67,000 km 2 of which about onethird is concealed by younger formations fig. The complex consists of multiple suites of rocks, each of. The geomorphological history of the bushveld basin gave rise to four discrete physiographic regions found in the study area. This article describes the geological and economic aspects of this unusually interesting formation. Bushveld igneous complex, south africa the bushveld igneous complex bic is a large layered igneous intrusion within the earths crust, exposed at the edge of the transvaal basin in south africa. Bushveld igneous complex archives state of the planet.
Bushveld complex deposits of platinum and chromites, situated in transvaal province of the republic of south africa, on the territory of the districts of. Apr 11, 20 5 years to complete sinking the shafts at the new bakubung platinum mine big construction project duration. The bushveld igneous complex bic is the largest layered igneous intrusion within the earths crust. The bushveld complex is the largest maficultramafic layered intrusion on earth and encompasses about a million cubic kilometres of igneous rocks that were emplaced into the upper crust 205 billion years ago as part of a major intracontinental magmatic event. 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. Map and cross section in the bushveld complex winter 2002. Predicting the subsurface geometry and extent of deformation within an ultramafic magma chamber is a challenging task. Upb geochronology documents outofsequence emplacement of. Bushveld igneous complex wikimili, the best wikipedia reader.
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