布什维尔德铂族元素矿床:铂族矿物赋存状态及其成因

总结南非布什维尔德杂岩体中Merensky Reef(简称MR矿层)和Platreef(简称PR接触带)两类铂族元素矿床的矿床地质、矿化特征以及铂族元素的赋存状态。MR矿床是典型的层状铂族元素(PGE)矿床,在杂岩体东部和西部发育,PGE总含量稳定,赋存在堆晶间隙硫化物中,常以PGE硫化物的形式产出。PR接触带型矿化集中在杂岩体北段,整体上不连续,各个矿床的具体特征由于底盘岩性的多变而不同,PGE主要赋存在碲化物和砷化物等半金属化合物中,可以脱离硫化物产在硅酸盐矿物中。相关的实验研究显示,PGE在岩浆结晶过程中发生分异,Pd/Ir比值体现了硫化物的分异程度;Pd比Pt更容易被氧化以及在热液中迁移,Pt/Pd比值体现了混染和热液的作用,这些因素造成了PR接触带与MR矿层中PGE赋存状态的差异。岩浆可能在侵入之前已经达到了硫饱和,岩浆房的压力变化和岩浆通道对于PGE的富集有重要意义,热液流体可以对已经形成的PGE矿化进行改造。     

布什维尔德杂岩体Platreef矿床与金川铜镍硫化矿床微量元素地球化学特征对比及其意义

采用ICP-MS方法分析了布什维尔德杂岩体Platreef矿床含矿岩石的主量及微量元素含量,并与金川铜镍硫化矿床进行对比研究.Platreef矿床含矿岩石与金川二辉橄榄岩的∑REE接近,球粒陨石标准化后的稀土元素(REE)均表现为轻稀土元素(LREE)富集、重稀土元素(HREE)平坦的右倾型配分曲线,但Platreef含矿岩石总体表现为正Eu异常,金川二辉橄榄岩与矿石样品则大部分表现为较强的负Eu异常,二者的差异实质上反映了成岩矿物斜长石与斜方辉石比率细微的变动.Platreef矿床岩(矿)石富集和高度分异不相容元素,Nb、Ta亏损,显示地幔柱岩浆受到地壳混染后,产生与弧苦橄岩相似的微量元素地球化学特征.金川含矿岩石富集Fe和Ti以及强不相容亲石元素,显示铁质玄武岩微量元素分布特征,虽然也可能受到地壳物质混染,但总体表现出含矿岩体母岩浆则可能来自EMI型富集地幔源区.Platreef矿层原始地幔标准化后Pt、Pd、Ru富集,Ir、Rh相对亏损的PGE配分型式以及Cs、Rb、Th、U、LREE等不相容元素和亲铜元素Cu、Ni的富集.暗示布什维尔德杂岩体岩浆源区残留地幔橄榄岩遭受含高度不相容元素的富矿流体的渗透混染即地幔交代,导致幔源岩浆发生PGE分异.     

岩浆硫化物矿床铂族元素的地球化学模式

引言岩浆硫化物矿石中铂族元素的浓度显示一个值得注意的数值范围,从一个矿床到另一个矿床可以有数量级的变化。例如Merensky层(布什维尔德杂岩体)的矿石,硫化物少于2(重量％),仅为萨德伯里矿石的1/15到1/20,而Pt和Pd的总量却是典型萨德拍里矿床的10     

试论与布什维尔德杂岩体有关的铂族元素-铬铁矿矿床成矿系列及其对中国西南部的意义

布什维尔德杂岩体中铂族元素成矿作用具有多样性的特点,既有主岩体岩浆结晶分异形成的UG2和Merensky层,有晚期小岩体结晶分异产生的块状铜镍硫化物矿石中伴生的铂族元素矿床（如Nkomati）,也有岩体侵入过程中产于接触带的热液成因硫化物-铂族元素矿床（如Potgietersrust）,以及岩筒型矿床（如Mooihoek和Driekop）、剪切带热液型硫化物矿床（如TweefonteinHill）和石英脉型铂族元素矿床.这些矿床虽然产出部位不同（矿体可以分布在岩体内部也可以出现在接触带甚至远离岩体）,矿石类型也不同（有的是铬铁矿型,有的是硫化物型,有的是硅酸盐型,甚至还有石英脉型）,但铂族元素的富集都与布什维尔德基性超基性岩杂岩体密切有关,实际上构成一个完整的由布什维尔德地幔柱形成的矿床成矿系列。类似的矿床成矿系列在深受峨眉地幔柱影响的我国西南部地区也存在,这对于在我国寻找多种类型的铂族元素矿床无疑具有重要的启示意义.除了金宝山和杨柳坪等地的岩浆型铂矿外,近年来在杨柳坪、大岩子等地也先后发现了热液型铂族元素矿床.     

四川力马河镁铁-超镁铁质岩体的地球化学特征及成岩成矿分析

四川会理力马河镍矿是峨眉山大火成岩省最重要的岩浆硫化物矿床之一,成矿岩体为一小型锾铁-超镁铁岩侵入体,由含斜长石的超镁铁岩(包括舍长辉石橄榄岩和斜长橄榄辉石岩)和辉长岩类的镬铁质岩组成.矿床富含硫化物,成矿元素组合为铜、镍,铂族元素含量很低,没有铂族元素的工业富集,是蛾眉山大火成岩省中富铜镍贫铂族元素的代表性岩浆硫化物矿床.本文对力马河镍矿成矿岩体的镁铁、超镁铁岩及矿床中各种硫化物矿石进行了主量元素、微量元素及铂族元素含量分析.分析结果表明,力马河岩体的镁铁、超镁铁岩属拉斑玄武岩成因系列,岩石特征微量元素比值大致与高钛的峨眉山玄武岩相当、与低钛的峨眉山玄武岩有明显区分,但估计原始岩浆强不相容微量元素绝对含量大大低于高钛玄武岩,因此,其成矿岩体不是与一般的低钛或高钛峨眉山玄武岩(不包括苦橄岩在内)直接对应的深成相.岩体超镁铁岩及矿石铂族元素组成特征表现为无钌亏损的型式,钯/铱比值较小、在5左右,也显著不同于一般的峨眉山玄武岩,而类似于峨眉山大火成岩省苦橄岩的铂族元素组成.运用岩石地球化学研究方法计算,原始岩浆为苦橄质成分:MgO含量约17%、SiO2含量约48%.估计原始岩浆形成于130公里左右的深度,由类似于洋岛玄武岩岩浆源区成分的地幔经19%左右的部分熔融形成.超镁铁岩及硫化物矿石铂族元素含量一般在10-9～10-8暑级,铂族元素相对铜镍强烈亏损,铜/钯比值高于原始地幔10～100倍,铜镍铂族元素组成的原始地幔标准化曲线呈铂族元素显著亏损的“U“型.模式分析说明,导致铂族元素亏损的原因是岩浆成矿演化过程中多阶段硫化物熔离作用造成的,早期熔离出来的硫化物被丢失并造成岩浆中铂族元素亏损,其铂族元素亏损后的岩浆(第)二次硫化物熔离富集形成铂族元素亏损的矿石.     

铂族元素矿床的主要类型、成矿作用及研究展望

铂族元素(PGE)矿床的研究在过去几十年取得了重要的进展.它可以赋存于不同的岩石类型、形成于不同的时代.内生PGE矿床与不同的岩浆类型及热液活动有关.由于铂族元素特殊的化学性质,比较稳定且难熔于普通的酸、碱等,故铂族元素成矿具有特殊性.PGE矿床可划分为岩浆型、热液型、火山块状硫化物型(VMS)和外生型四大类型.岩浆型又可分为铜镍硫化物型、铬铁矿型和磁铁矿型,热液型主要有斑岩型和夕卡岩型,外生型包括黑色页岩型和砂铂矿型.本文讨论了各岩浆演化过程中:(i)硅酸盐和氧化物的分异,(ii)富Fe矿物(橄榄石、辉石、磁铁矿、铬铁矿)的分异,(iii)岩浆的混染,(iv)不同成分、硫不饱和的岩浆的混合等,都可以导致岩浆中硫达到饱和,一旦形成不混熔硫化物熔体,硫化物富集,将形成有经济价值的PGE矿床.同时,成矿还受温度、Ni和Cu含量、体系中其它组分和硫逸度的控制.岩浆后期的热液蚀变会改变PGE的含量和品位,但典型的铂矿床一般没有遭受热液蚀变作用的显著影响.本文指出了铂族元素矿床研究存在的主要问题.如PGE矿床的物质来源、PGE演化过程中的分配规律、铂族元素矿物(PGM)的赋存状态,并对以后的发展前景做了展望,指出西藏(蛇绿岩套铬铁矿亚类和俯冲增生弧斑岩型Cu-Au矿)和新疆(碰撞后二叠纪岩浆Cu-Nj硫化物型和黑色页岩型)是我国寻找PGE矿床的最有利地区.     

滇西金宝山富铂钯岩体岩浆源区研究：铂族元素和Sr-Nd同位素约束

金宝山杂岩体位于扬子板块西缘,毗邻哀牢山造山带北段,岩体中蕴含丰富的铂钯资源,是峨眉山大火成岩省(ELIP)中大型岩浆型铂族元素矿床。岩体的主要组成为辉石橄榄岩,矿体以似层状、透镜状产出于辉石橄榄岩中。地幔是镍矿床和铂族元素矿床最重要的源区,因而对Ni、Cu及PGE等元素行为的研究,是剖析岩浆型Ni-Cu-PGE矿床源区特征的一个重要研究方向。该研究获得金宝山岩体中辉橄岩铂族元素及Sr-Nd同位素数据,结合前人对ELIP中不同类型岩石系列PGE成分研究及Ni、Cu、PGE等元素在岩浆和硫化物中的分配系数,半定量模拟得到金宝山原始岩浆的形成源于地幔中高度部分熔融(25%~40%)形成的富PGE岩浆(含12.8×10-9 Pd,9.8×10-9 Pt,0.6×10-9 Rh和0.7×10-9 Ir),其铂族元素成分与ELIP苦橄岩成分相当,并且岩浆在演化的过程中遭受了10%~20%地壳混染作用。利用批式部分熔融公式及各铂族元素在硅酸盐矿物和熔体之间的分配系数反演计算得到产生金宝山熔体的地幔约含有5.3×10-9 Pd,7.5×10-9 Pt,0.75×10-9 Rh和1.5×10-9 Ir,相比原始地幔而言并没有表现出明显富集PGE的特征。这表明地幔中高度部分熔融+大量岩浆与硫化物的充分反应是形成大型岩浆型铂族元素矿床的一种可具备的条件。     

大别造山带毛屋超镁铁岩的铂族元素研究

采用镍锍火试金法结合ICP-MS分析了毛屋斜方辉石岩和石榴二辉岩样品中的Ir、Ru、Rh、Pt和Pd的含量,结果显示其铂族元素(PGE)的含量随岩石类型无规律性的变化,原始地幔标准化后的铂族元素分布模式呈负斜率,Pd、Ir发生了分异。毛屋超镁铁岩铂族元素特征的形成受岩石中铂族元素的存在相制约,PPGE富集在富Cu硫化物,而IPGE以类似残留相、不熔的单硫化物固熔体形式存在,其中地壳混染也起了一定的作用;同时,成岩过程中流体的存在造成了Pt和Pd的活化。因此,单硫化物固熔体和流体的共同作用形成了毛屋超镁铁岩类似残留地幔岩的铂族元素分布特征。     

金川含矿超镁铁岩侵入体侵位序列

金川铜镍硫化物矿床是世界第三大镍矿床,但其成岩成矿过程及侵位机制一直存在较大争论。根据金川含矿超镁铁岩岩石学特征、穿插关系、矿物成分及地球化学特征,提出了金川含矿岩体5阶段的成岩、成矿侵位序列,它们分别是:(1)超镁铁质岩浆侵位;(2)浸染状硫化物矿浆侵位;(3)网状硫化物矿浆侵位;(4)块状硫化物矿浆侵位;(5)铂钯富集体侵位。金川铜镍(铂)矿床中Ni,Cu,Pt,Pd,Rh,Ir,Ru,及Co与S呈正相关关系;当ω(S)=5%～15%时,铂族元素发生明显的分离作用,铂族金属主要富集在铂钯富集体中。铂钯富集体是硫化物矿浆经单硫化物固溶体结晶后的残余熔浆;块状矿石是单硫化物固溶体堆积而成的产物。金川铜镍硫化物矿床的侵位机制为岩墙型岩浆通道。     

新疆中天山白石泉含铜镍矿镁铁-超镁铁岩体地球化学特征与岩石成因

白石泉含Cu-Ni硫化物镁铁-超镁铁侵入体位于中天山地块,其主要岩石类型有辉石橄榄岩、橄榄辉石岩、橄长岩、辉长岩及角闪辉长岩等,具有明显的堆晶结构.对岩体的主要、微量及稀土元素地球化学特征研究表明,岩体属铁质镁铁-超镁铁岩,具有拉斑玄武质岩浆的分异趋势;并相对富集大离子亲石元素(Rb、Ba、Sr等)、亏损高场强元素(Nb、Ta、Zr、Hf),以及具有LREE富集((La/Yb)n=1.27～9.95)的右倾型稀土元素分布模式.Pb同位特征表明母岩浆与软流圈地幔和EM Ⅱ地幔物质有关.综合地球化学特征表明,母岩浆为来源于受早期俯冲物质混染的软流圈地幔的高镟拉斑玄武岩浆.岩浆在上升过程中,没有受到上地壳及围岩的混染.原生岩浆形成后,经过了橄榄石、辉石、斜长石及铬铁矿的分离结晶作用和硫化物的熔离作用.目前出露的岩体为富含橄榄石及硫化物的“晶粥“在高位岩浆房中演化的产物.     

PGE mineralization in the western sector of the eastern Bushveld Complex

Summary Unusual facies of the Merensky Reef, the UG-2 and the UG-1 chromitite layers are developed in the western sector of the eastern Bushveld Complex. Within the basal pyroxenite of the Merensky unit, mineralization can be developed at up to four levels. Some of these contain significant mineralization with an increase in the Pt/Pd ratio upward in the succession.The UG-2 chromitite layer consists of a lower, sulphide-rich layer and an upper, sulphide-poor layer. Although these two layers are separated by a pyroxenite parting in places, both contain high platinum-group element (PGE) values. Textural features such as inclusions of base metal sulphides in chromite grains, and the moulding of sintered chromite grains around sulphides, indicates that immiscible sulphide liquid separated prior to or simultaneously with chromite crystallization. The presence of platinum minerals within the sulphides of the inclusions and enclosed in all the base metal sulphides interstitial to chromite, indicates that the PGE were extracted from the magma by the sulphide liquid.Textural and compositional evidence suggests that the sulphide enrichment in the UG-1 chromitite layer is also of magmatic origin, but that these sulphides underwent remobilization at high temperatures.Magma mixing processes are considered to have produced the chromitite layers. The high sulphide content associated with the chromitite layers in the upper critical zone in this sector is ascribed to favourable compositions and proportions of the magmas involved in the mixing process.

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PGE-Vererzung im westlichen Sektor des östlichen Bushveld-Komplexes

Zusammenfassung Ungewöhnliche Fazies des Merensky-Reefes sowie der UG-2 und der UG-1 Chromitite kommen im westlichen Sektor des östlichen Bushveld Komplexes vor. In den basalen Pyroxeniten der Merensky-Einheit liegt Vererzung in bis zu vier verschiedenen Niveaus vor. Einige von diesen enthalten signifikante Metallgehalte, wobei das Pt/Pd Verhältnis gegen das Hangende hin zunimmt.Der UG-2 Chromitit besteht aus einer unteren, Sulfid-reichen, und einer oberen, Sulfid-armen Lage. Obwohl diese beiden Lagen stellenweise durch eine pyroxenitische Zwischenschicht getrennt sind, enthalten beide hohe Platin-Gruppen-Elementgehalte (PGE). Texturen wie z.B. Einschlüsse von Buntmetallsulfiden in Chromitkörnern, und die Anordnung von gesinterten Chromitkörnern um Sulfide herum weisen darauf hin, daß eine unmischbare Sulfidschmelze vor oder gleichzeitig mit der Chromitkristallisation abgetrennt wurde. Das Vorkommen von Platin-Mineralen in den Sulfiden der Einschlüsse, und in allen Buntmetallsulfiden die zwischen Chromitkörnern vorkommen, zeigen, daß die PGE durch eine Sulfidschmelze aus dem Magma entfernt worden sind.Texturelle und chemische Parameter zeigen, daß die Sulfidanreicherung in den UG-1 Chromititen auch einen magmatischen Ursprung hat, jedoch waren diese Sulfide später von einer Hochtemperatur-Mobilisation betroffen.Die Chromitit-Lagen werden durch Magmen-Mischung, der hohe Sulfid-Gehalt in den Chromitit-Lagen der oberen Kritischen Zone in diesem Sektor durch günstige Zusammensetzungen und Verhältnisse der Magmen, die an diesem Mischungsprozess teilgenommen haben erklärt.

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With 7 Figures     

Platinum-group element distribution in base-metal sulfides of the Merensky Reef from the eastern and western Bushveld Complex, South Africa

Base-metal sulfides in magmatic Ni-Cu-PGE deposits are important carriers of platinum-group elements (PGE). The distribution and concentrations of PGE in pentlandite, pyrrhotite, chalcopyrite, and pyrite were determined in samples from the mineralized portion of four Merensky Reef intersections from the eastern and western Bushveld Complex. Electron microprobe analysis was used for major elements, and in situ laser ablation inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) for trace elements (PGE, Ag, and Au). Whole rock trace element analyses were performed on representative samples to obtain mineralogical balances. In Merensky Reef samples from the western Bushveld, both Pt and Pd are mainly concentrated in the upper chromitite stringer and its immediate vicinity. Samples from the eastern Bushveld reveal more complex distribution patterns. In situ LA-ICP-MS analyses of PGE in sulfides reveal that pentlandite carries distinctly elevated PGE contents, whereas pyrrhotite and chalcopyrite only contain very low PGE concentrations. Pentlandite is the principal host of Pd and Rh in the ores. Palladium and Rh concentrations in pentlandite reach up to 700 and 130 ppm, respectively, in the samples from the eastern Bushveld, and up to 1,750 ppm Pd and up to 1,000 ppm Rh in samples from the western Bushveld. Only traces of Pt are present in the base-metal sulfides (BMS). Pyrrhotite contains significant though generally low amounts of Ru, Os, and Ir, but hardly any Pd or Rh. Chalcopyrite contains most of the Ag but carries only extremely low PGE concentrations. Mass balance calculations performed on the Merensky Reef samples reveal that in general, pentlandite in the feldspathic pyroxenite and the pegmatoidal feldspathic pyroxenite hosts up to 100 % of the Pd and Rh and smaller amounts (10–40 %) of the Os, Ir, and Ru. Chalcopyrite and pyrrhotite usually contain less than 10 % of the whole rock PGE. The remaining PGE concentrations, and especially most of the Pt (up to 100 %), are present in the form of discrete platinum-group minerals such as cooperite/braggite, sperrylite, moncheite, and isoferroplatinum. Distribution patterns of whole rock Cu, Ni, and S versus whole rock Pd and Pt show commonly distinct offsets. The general sequence of “offset patterns” of PGE and BMS maxima, in the order from bottom to top, is Pd in pentlandite?→?Pd in whole rock?→?(Cu, Ni, and S). The relationship is not that straightforward in general; some of the reef sequences studied only partially show similar trends or are more complex. In general, however, the highest Pd concentrations in pentlandite appear to be related to the earliest, volumetrically rather small sulfide liquids at the base of the Merensky Reef sequence. A possible explanation for the offset patterns may be Rayleigh fractionation.     

Pressure fluctuations and the formation of the PGE-rich Merensky and chromitite reefs, Bushveld Complex

The Merensky Reef and the underlying Upper Group 2 chromitite layer, in the Critical Zone of the Bushveld Complex, host much of the world’s platinum-group element (PGE) mineralization. The genesis is still debated. A number of features of the Merensky Reef are not consistent with the hypotheses involving mixing of magmas. Uniform mixing between two magmas over an area of 150 by 300 km and a thickness of 3–30 km seems implausible. The Merensky Reef occurs at the interval where Main Zone magma is added, but the relative proportions of the PGE in the Merensky Reef are comparable to those of the Critical Zone magma. Mineral and isotopic evidence in certain profiles through the Merensky Unit suggest either mixing of minerals, not magmas, and in one case, the lack of any chemical evidence for the presence of the second magma. The absence of cumulus sulphides immediately above the Merensky Reef is not predicted by this model. An alternative model is proposed here that depends upon pressure changes, not chemical processes, to produce the mineralization in chromite-rich and sulphide-rich reefs. Magma was added at these levels, but did not mix. This addition caused a temporary increase in the pressure in the extant Critical Zone magma. Immiscible sulphide liquid and/or chromite formed. Sinking sulphide liquid and/or chromite scavenged PGE (as clusters, nanoparticles or platinum-group minerals) from the magma and accumulated at the floor. Rupturing of the roof resulted in a pressure decrease and a return to sulphur-undersaturation of the magma.     

Trace Element and Platinum Group Element Distributions and the Genesis of the Merensky Reef, Western Bushveld Complex, South Africa

The Merensky Reef of the Bushveld Complex is one of the world'slargest resources of platinum group elements (PGE); however,mechanisms for its formation remain poorly understood, and manycontradictory theories have been proposed. We present precisecompositional data [major elements, trace elements, and platinumgroup elements (PGE)] for 370 samples from four borehole coresections of the Merensky Reef in one area of the western BushveldComplex. Trace element patterns (incompatible elements and rareearth elements) exhibit systematic variations, including small-scalecyclic changes indicative of the presence of cumulus crystalsand intercumulus liquid derived from different magmas. Ratiosof highly incompatible elements for the different sections areintermediate to those of the proposed parental magmas (CriticalZone and Main Zone types) that gave rise to the Bushveld Complex.Mingling, but not complete mixing of different magmas is suggestedto have occurred during the formation of the Merensky Reef.The trace element patterns are indicative of transient associationsbetween distinct magma layers. The porosity of the cumulatesis shown to affect significantly the distribution of sulphidesand PGE. A genetic link is made between the thickness of theMerensky pyroxenite, the total PGE and sulphide content, petrologicaland textural features, and the trace element signatures in thesections studied. The rare earth elements reveal the importantrole of plagioclase in the formation of the Merensky pyroxenite,and the distribution of sulphide. KEY WORDS: Merensky Reef; platinum group elements; trace elements     

Crustal contamination and PGE mineralization in the Platreef,Bushveld Complex,South Africa: evidence for multiple contamination events and transport of magmatic sulfides

Diamond drill core traverses across the Platreef were carried out at Tweefontein, Sandsloot, and Overysel in order to establish the relationship between crustal contamination and platinum group element (PGE) mineralization. The footwall rocks are significantly different at each of these sites and consist of banded iron formation and sulfidic shales at Tweefontein, of carbonates at Sandsloot, and of granites and granite gneisses at Overysel. As demonstrated in this study, Platreef rocks are characterized by two stages of crustal contamination. The first contamination event occurred prior to emplacement of the magma and is present in Platreef rocks at all three sites, as well as in the Merensky Reef. This event is readily identified on trace element spidergrams and trace element ratio scattergrams. The second contamination event was induced by interaction of the Platreef magma with the local footwall rocks. It is most easily identified at Tweefontein, where there is a large increase in the FeO content of the Platreef rocks, and at Sandsloot, where there is a large increase in their CaO and MgO contents, relative to Bushveld rocks that are uncontaminated by the local footwall rocks. At Overysel, the second contamination event did not result in pronounced changes in the major element composition of the Platreef rocks, but can be detected in their trace element chemistry. A strong inverse relationship between PGE tenors and S/Se ratios is interpreted to suggest that the PGE-rich sulfides were formed prior to emplacement of the Platreef magmas through assimilation of crustal S and became progressively enriched in the PGE during transport. Rather than promoting S-saturation, interaction of the Platreef magma with the footwall rocks diluted the metal tenors of the sulfides. Although both the Platreef and the Merensky Reef magmas were contaminated by the same crustal contaminant and were probably PGE-rich, they have radically different Pd/Pt ratios. Their Pd/Pt ratios suggest that whereas the Merensky Reef magma became PGE-rich due to dissolution of PGE-rich sulfides segregated from a pre-Merensky magma that had undergone relatively little fractionation prior to reaching S-saturation, the pre-Platreef magma had undergone greater fractionation prior to the sulfide saturation event, thereby increasing its Pd/Pt ratio. We suggest that the magmas that formed the Platreef and Merensky Reef may have simply been carrier magmas for sulfides that had formed elsewhere in the plumbing system of the Bushveld Complex by the interaction of earlier generations of magmas with the crustal rocks that underlie the Complex.     

Platinum-group Elements and Microstructures of Normal Merensky Reef from Impala Platinum Mines, Bushveld Complex

The Merensky Reef of the Bushveld Complex contains one of theworld’s largest concentrations of platinum-group elements(PGE). We have investigated ‘normal’ reef, its footwalland its hanging wall at Impala Platinum Mines. The Reef is 46cm thick and consists from bottom to top of leuconorite, anorthosite,chromitite and a very coarse-grained melanorite. The footwallis leuconorite and the hanging wall is melanorite. The onlyhydrous mineral present is biotite, which amounts to 1%, orless, of the rock. All of the rocks contain 0·1–5%interstitial sulphides (pyrrhotite, pentlandite and chalcopyrite),with the Reef rocks containing the most sulphides (1–5%).Lithophile inter-element ratios suggest that the magma fromwhich the rocks formed was a mixture of the two parental magmasof the Bushveld Complex (a high-Mg basaltic andesite and a tholeiiticbasalt). The Reef rocks have low incompatible element contentsindicating that they contain 10% or less melt fraction. Nickel,Cu, Se, Ag, Au and the PGE show good correlations with S inthe silicate rocks, suggesting control of the abundance of thesemetals by sulphides. The concentration of the chalcophile elementsand PGE in the silicate rocks may be modelled by assuming thatthe rocks contain sulphide liquid formed in equilibrium withthe evolving silicate magma. It is, however, difficult to modelthe Os, Ir, Ru, Rh and Pt concentrations in the chromititesby sulphide liquid collection alone, as the rocks contain 3–4times more Os, Ir, Ru, Rh and Pt than the sulphide-collectionmodel would predict. Two possible solutions to this are: (1)platinum-group minerals (PGM) crystallize from the sulphideliquid in the chromitites; (2) PGM crystallize directly fromthe silicate magma. To model the concentrations of Os, Ir, Ru,Rh and Pt in the chromitites it is necessary to postulate thatin addition to the 1% sulphides in the chromitites there isa small quantity (0·005%) of cumulus PGM (laurite, cooperiteand malanite) present. Sulphide liquids do crystallize PGM atlow f_S2. Possibly the sulphide liquid that was trapped betweenthe chromite grains lost some Fe and S by reaction with thechromite and this provoked the crystallization of PGM from thesulphide liquid. Alternatively, the PGM could have crystallizeddirectly from the silicate magma when it became saturated inchromite. A weakness of this model is that at present the exactmechanism of how and why the magma becomes saturated in PGMand chromite synchronously is not understood. A third modelfor the concentration of PGE in the Reef is that the PGE arecollected from the underlying cumulus pile by Cl-rich hydrousfluids and concentrated in the Reef at a reaction front. Althoughthere is ample evidence of compaction and intercumulus meltmigration in the Impala rocks, we do not think that the PGEwere introduced into the Reef from below, because the rocksunderlying the Reef are not depleted in PGE, whereas those overlyingthe Reef are depleted. This distribution pattern is inconsistentwith a model that requires introduction of PGE by intercumulusfluid percolation from below. KEY WORDS: Merensky Reef; platinum-group elements; chalcophile elements; microstructures     

Morphology and microstructure of chromite crystals in chromitites from the Merensky Reef (Bushveld Complex, South Africa)

The Merensky Reef of the Bushveld Complex consists of two chromitite layers separated by coarse-grained melanorite. Microstructural analysis of the chromitite layers using electron backscatter diffraction analysis (EBSD), high-resolution X-ray microtomography and crystal size distribution analyses distinguished two populations of chromite crystals: fine-grained idiomorphic and large silicate inclusion-bearing crystals. The lower chromitite layer contains both populations, whereas the upper contains only fine idiomorphic grains. Most of the inclusion-bearing chromites have characteristic amoeboidal shapes that have been previously explained as products of sintering of pre-existing smaller idiomorphic crystals. Two possible mechanisms have been proposed for sintering of chromite crystals: (1) amalgamation of a cluster of grains with the same original crystallographic orientation; and (2) sintering of randomly orientated crystals followed by annealing into a single grain. The EBSD data show no evidence for clusters of similarly oriented grains among the idiomorphic population, nor for earlier presence of idiomorphic subgrains spatially related to inclusions, and therefore are evidence against both of the proposed sintering mechanisms. Electron backscatter diffraction analysis maps show deformation-related misorientations and curved subgrain boundaries within the large, amoeboidal crystals, and absence of such features in the fine-grained population. Microstructures observed in the lower chromitite layer are interpreted as the result of deformation during compaction of the orthocumulate layers, and constitute evidence for the formation of the amoeboid morphologies at an early stage of consolidation. An alternative model is proposed whereby silicate inclusions are incorporated during maturation and recrystallisation of initially dendritic chromite crystals, formed as a result of supercooling during emplacement of the lower chromite layer against cooler anorthosite during the magma influx that formed the Merensky Reef. The upper chromite layer formed from a subsequent magma influx, and hence lacked a mechanism to form dendritic chromite. This accounts for the difference between the two layers.     

Platinum-group elements in the Boulder Bed,western Bushveld Complex,South Africa

Concentrations of platinum-group elements in samples from the Boulder Bed at five localities in the western Bushveld Complex range between 50 ppb and 70 ppm. Boulders thus have much more variable, and sometimes highly enriched, PGE contents relative to the other lithologies in the immediate foot-wall sequence of the Merensky Reef. The PGE enrichment can largely be modelled as a result of primary magmatic processes including collection of PGE by segregating sulphide melt and fractionation of mss. Other features of the Boulder Bed, such as the selvages of pure anorthosite and the chromitite stringers surrounding some of the boulders, bear evidence of recrystallisation. A model is proposed by which the Boulder Bed formed as a result of a combination of early and late magmatic processes. The PGEs were collected by magmatic sulphide melt which accumulated in a pyroxenite layer. The host rock to the pyroxenite was a thick package of norites which recrystallised in response to upward-migrating magmatic fluids. The fluids caused partial hydration melting of the norites adjacent to the pyroxenite, producing anorthosite. The boulders represent the broken-up remnants of the pyroxenite layer. The selvages of chromite and pure anorthosite around some of the boulders remain poorly understood, but may represent the latest recrystallisation event, in response to localised late-magmatic fluid overpressure upon cooling.     

Origin of the UG2 chromitite layer, Bushveld Complex

Chromitite layers are common in large mafic layered intrusions.A widely accepted hypothesis holds that the chromitites formedas a consequence of injection and mixing of a chemically relativelyprimitive magma into a chamber occupied by more evolved magma.This forces supersaturation of the mixture in chromite, whichupon crystallization accumulates on the magma chamber floorto form a nearly monomineralic layer. To evaluate this and othergenetic hypotheses to explain the chromitite layers of the BushveldComplex, we have conducted a detailed study of the silicate-richlayers immediately above and below the UG2 chromitite and anotherchromitite layer lower in the stratigraphic section, at thetop of the Lower Critical Zone. The UG2 chromitite is well knownbecause it is enriched in the platinum-group elements and extendsfor nearly the entire 400 km strike length of the eastern andwestern limbs of the Bushveld Complex. Where we have studiedthe sequence in the central sector of the eastern Bushveld,the UG2 chromitite is embedded in a massive, 25 m thick plagioclasepyroxenite consisting of 60–70 vol. % granular (cumulus)orthopyroxene with interstitial plagioclase, clinopyroxene,and accessory phases. Throughout the entire pyroxenite layerorthopyroxene exhibits no stratigraphic variations in majoror minor elements (Mg-number = 79·3–81·1).However, the 6 m of pyroxenite below the chromitite (footwallpyroxenite) is petrographically distinct from the 17 m of hangingwall pyroxenite. Among the differences are (1) phlogopite, K-feldspar,and quartz are ubiquitous and locally abundant in the footwallpyroxenite but generally absent in the hanging wall pyroxenite,and (2) plagioclase in the footwall pyroxenite is distinctlymore sodic and potassic than that in the hanging wall pyroxenite(An_45–60 vs An_70–75). The Lower Critical Zone chromititeis also hosted by orthopyroxenite, but in this case the rocksabove and below the chromitite are texturally and compositionallyidentical. For the UG2, we interpret the interstitial assemblageof the footwall pyroxenite to represent either interstitialmelt that formed in situ by fractional crystallization or chemicallyevolved melt that infiltrated from below. In either case, themelt was trapped in the footwall pyroxenite because the overlyingUG2 chromitite was less permeable. If this interpretation iscorrect, the footwall and hanging wall pyroxenites were essentiallyidentical when they initially formed. However, all the modelsof chromitite formation that call on mixing of magmas of differentcompositions or on other processes that result in changes inthe chemical or physical conditions attendant on the magma predictthat the rocks immediately above and below the chromitite layersshould be different. This leads us to propose that the Bushveldchromitites formed by injection of new batches of magma witha composition similar to the resident magma but carrying a suspendedload of chromite crystals. The model is supported by the commonobservation of phenocrysts, including those of chromite, inlavas and hypabyssal rocks, and by chromite abundances in lavasand peridotite sills associated with the Bushveld Complex indicatingthat geologically reasonable amounts of magma can account foreven the massive, 70 cm thick UG2 chromitite. The model requiressome crystallization to have occurred in a deeper chamber, forwhich there is ample geochemical evidence. KEY WORDS: Bushveld complex; chromite; crystal-laden magma; crustal contamination; magma mixing; UG2 chromitite     

The Merensky Cyclic Unit and its impact on footwall cumulates below Normal and Regional Pothole reef types in the Western Bushveld Complex

The Merensky Reef of the Bushveld Complex occurs in its highest stratigraphic position as a heterogeneous, pegmatitic, feldspathic melanorite bounded by two narrow chromitite stringers at the base of the Merensky Cyclic Unit (MCU). In the Swartklip Facies of the Rustenburg Layered Suite, the occurrence of widespread thermal and mechanical erosion termed “potholing” has led to the subdivision of the Merensky Reef into Normal Reef and Regional Pothole Reef sub-facies. The transition between the two sub-facies occurs where the MCU transgresses the lower chromitite stringer of the Normal Merensky Reef and cuts down into the underlying cumulate lithologies. In the Regional Pothole Reef at the Northam Platinum Mine, several economic reef types are identified, where the Merensky Reef becomes conformable to cumulate layering, in particular, to the footwall marker (NP2 reef type) and the upper pseudoReef (P2 reef type). The Normal Merensky Reef, as well as the P2 and NP2 Reefs, contains economic platinum group element (PGE) grades and includes the lower portion of the MCU melanorite and the Merensky Chromitite. Whole rock geochemistry indicates that this package is compositionally identical in Normal, P2, and NP2 Reefs, suggesting that the base of the MCU is a relatively homogeneous drape over both Normal and Regional Pothole Reef regions. However, the lower sections of the three Reefs are variables depending on the depth of transgression of the MCU. In the Normal and P2 reef types, transgression by the MCU was arrested within harzburgites, melanorites, and norites, resulting in coarse, pegmatitic textures in the immediate footwall units. For the NP2 Reef, transgression by the MCU was arrested within leucocratic rocks and resulted in the formation of troctolites below the Merensky Chromitite. These troctolites are characterised by a coupled relationship between olivine and sulphides and by changes in major element chemistry and PGE contents relative to equivalent units in the footwall of the Normal Reef. Along with micro-textural relationships, these features suggest that troctolization of leucocratic cumulates in the NP2 Reef beneath the Merensky chromitite was a result of a reactive infiltration of a chromite-saturated melt and an immiscible sulphide liquid from the overlying MCU, rather than a significant fluid flux from below. In all reef types, the concentration of S defines symmetrical peaks centred on the Merensky Chromitite (and chromitites from pre-existing cyclic units in Normal and P2 Reefs), whereas PGE concentrations define asymmetrical peaks with higher PGE contents in reconstituted footwall rocks relative to the MCU melanorite. This signature is attributable to a magmatic model of PGE collection followed by deposition towards the base of the MCU and within reconstituted footwall rocks. The continuity of the asymmetrical magmatic PGE signature between the Normal Reef and Regional Pothole Reef sub-facies indicates that PGE mineralization inherent to the Merensky magma occurred as a drape over a variably eroded and subsequent texturally and geochemically reworked or reconstituted footwall.