the nature and genesis of marginal cu pge au sulphide mineralisation in paleogene macrodykes of the kangerlussuaq region east greenland the kangerlussuaq region of east greenland hosts a variety of early tertiary extrusive and intrusive igneous rocks related to continental break up and the passage of the ancestral iceland plume these intrusive bodies include a number of gabbroic macrodykes two of which the miki fjord macrodyke and the newly discovered togeda macrodyke contain cu pge au sulphide mineralisation along their margins sulphides occur as disseminated interstitial blebs and rounded globules of chalcopyrite and pyrrhotite with some fe ti oxides and platinum group minerals comprising largely pd bismuthides and tellurides the globules are interpreted to have formed from fractionation of trapped droplets of an immiscible cu and pd rich sulphide melt and show geopetal indicators sulphur isotopes imply a local crustal source of s in these from pyritic sediments of the kangerlussuaq basin thus generation of these sulphide occurrences was controlled by local country rock type low ni cu and pt pd ratios also present in the platinova reefs in the skaergaard intrusion indicate that early fractionation of olivine may have depleted the magma of ni and suggest the likely presence of a large magma chamber at depth xenoliths of ni rich olivine cumulates in the miki fjord macrodyke may have been sourced from such a body the location of thus far unidentified conduit or feeder zones to the macrodykes beneath the present day surface may represent potential targets for more massive sulphide orebodies

the mineralogy petrology and origin of the merensky cyclic unit in the western bushveld complex the merensky cyclic unit of the bushveld complex represents the first products to crystallize after the influx and mixing of a large new batch of magma in the chamber excluding the merensky pegmatoid the merensky cyclic unit grades upward from an orthopyroxenite at the base through norite to anorthosite at the top of the sequence it is followed by the very similar bastard cyclic unit the mg mg fe 1 ratio of the pyroxenes changes relatively smoothly from about 0 80 at the base of the pyroxenite to 0 70 at the top of the anorthosite with no abrupt changes between rock types there is a suggestion of an upward increase in the average an content of the plagioclase from midpoint values of an 73 in the norite to an 76 at the top of the anorthosite there also appears to be a decrease in the range of an compositions 10 mole in the norite to 4 5 mole in the anorthosite upward in the sequence as determined by electron microprobe the merensky pegmatoid situated at the base of the cyclic unit commonly but not everywhere contains the nickel copper and platinum group minerals the pegmatoid shows evidence of high fluid activity such as pegmatoidal texture high biotite content redistribution of sulfide phases and the presence of unusual minor phases normally associated with hydrothermal activity variations in the mg fe ratio of the orthopyroxenes from the merensky cyclic unit indicate that this unit formed from a limited thickness of magma between 10 and 30 m whereas mass balance requires that the platinum group element ni and cu mineralization be derived from at least 4 to 5 times this volume of magma to explain these data several processes are inferred to have occurred initially a new influx of slightly more siliceous magma mixed with that already in the chamber by turbulent convection penecontemporaneous warping of the crystal pile and some erosion and solution of the footwall crystal mush occurred resulting in a disconformity the mixing process also led to the formation of dense immiscible sulfide droplets which scavenged platinum group elements ni and cu from the liquid and were then deposited on the floor of the chamber after the mixing event a stable diffusive regime i e a double diffusive convection system became operative as heat was lost from the top of the magma chamber the basal double diffusive convection layer about 10 30 m thick then started bottom crystallization of orthopyroxene resulting in the upward mg fe fractionation observed plagioclase subsequently joined orthopyroxene on the liquidus but this phase nucleated and grew within the convecting liquid which caused convection in the layer to slow as the viscosity sharply increased orthopyroxene continued to crystallize from the bottom up and enclosed small plagioclase crystals in large sievelike orthopyroxene oikocrysts or mottles the plagioclase crystals not enclosed by pyroxene started to impinge mutually and sinter to form large polygonal grains penecontemporaneous infiltration of material from below the merensky unit modified the isotopic and chemical character of the crystal pile by mixing with and displacing the preexisting interstitial liquid the merensky pegmatoid is inferred to postdate both the initial mineralization and formation of the other units in the merensky cyclic unit we conclude that the pegmatoid is the result of trapping of the final late fluids expelled from the footwall rocks this fluid reacted with the basal part of the merensky pyroxenite and also redistributed the platinum group elements ni and cu to form the coarse pegmatoid and its assemblage of platinum group minerals and other sulfide minerals

postcumulus processes in layered intrusions during the postcumulus stage of solidification in layered intrusions fluid dynamic phenomena play an important role in developing the textural and chemical characteristics of the cumulate rocks one mechanism of adcumulus growth involves crystallization at the top of the cumulate pile where crystals are in direct contact with the magma reservoir convection in the chamber can enable adcumulus growth to occur to form a completely solid contact between cumulate and magma another important process may involve compositional convection in which light differentiated melt released by intercumulus crystallization is continually replaced by denser melt from the overlying magma reservoir this process favours adcumulus growth and can allow adcumulus growth within the pore space of the cumulate pile calculations indicate that this process could reduce residual porosities to a few percent in large layered intrusions but could not form pure monomineralic rocks intercumulus melt may also be replaced by more primitive melt during episodes of magma chamber replenishment dense magma emplaced over a cumulate pile containing lower density differentiated melt may sink several metres into the underlying pile in the form of fingers reactions between melt and matrix may lead to changes in mineral compositions mineral textures and whole rock isotope compositions another important mechanism for forming adcumulate rocks is compaction in which the imbalance of the hydrostatic and lithostatic pressures in the cumulate pile causes the crystalline matrix to deform and intercumulus melt to be expelled for cumulate layers from 10 to 1000 metres in thickness compaction can reduce porosities to very low values 1 and form monomineralic rocks the characteristic time scale for such compaction is theoretically short compared to the time required to solidify a large layered intrusion during compaction changes of mineral compositions and texture may occur as moving melts interact with the surrounding matrix both compaction and compositional convection can be interrupted by solidification in the pore spaces compositional convection will only occur if the rayleigh number is larger than 40 if the residual melt becomes lower in density and the convective velocity exceeds the solidification velocity measured by the rate of crystal accumulation in the chamber orthocumulates are thus more likely to form in rapidly cooled intrusions where residual melt is frozen into the pore spaces before it can be expelled by compaction or replaced by convection

the lower zone critical zone transition of the bushveld complex a quantitative textural study the lower zone critical zone boundary of the bushveld complex is an intrusion wide major stratigraphic transition from ultramafic harzburgite and pyroxenite in the lower zone to increasingly plagioclase richpyroxenitesandnoritesinthecriticalzone quantitative textural and compositional data for 29 samples through this transition show the following lower zone orthopyroxene grains are larger have higher aspect ratios are better foliated and have a lower trapped liquid component than those of the critical zone the larger grain size of the lower zone results in crystal size distribution plots that are rotated to lower slopes and intercepts relative to those in the critical zone although all rocks show differing amountsoffoliation mineral lineations are weak to absent these data are consistent with significant compaction driven recrystallization in the study section numerical modeling of concurrent compaction and crystallization provides a quantitative model of how the lower zone critical zone transition may have formed plagioclase is rare in the lower zone because compaction removes interstitial liquid before it reaches plagioclasesaturation however asthecrystalpilegrows plagioclase saturation is reached in the interstitial liquid before compaction is complete in more evolved pyroxenites producing more abundant but still modest amounts of plagioclase characteristic of the lower critical zone it is concluded that both the textures and the modal mineralogy are largely controlled by compaction and compactiondriven recrystallization primary magmatic textures are not preserved

magmatic metasomatism and formation of the merensky reef bushveld complex the rare earth element ree contents of pyroxenes and other minerals from the merensky reef and stratigraphically adjacent rocks of the atok section bushveld complex have been determined with the ion microprobe merensky reef clinopyroxene and orthopyroxene contain much higher and more variable concentrations of the ree than their cumulus counterparts in rocks several meters below the reef chondrite normalized merensky clinopyroxene ce contents vary from 10 to 90 for ce and from 4 to 17 for yb they also possess deep negative eu anomalies the eu anomalics being deeper for crystals having high ree contents and relatively shallow for pyroxenes with low ree contents similar compositional characteristics are displayed by cl rich apatite which is an accessory phase in the rocks interstitial pyroxene in cumulates above and below the reef also tends to have elevated ree contents and in general is not in equilibrium with coexisting cumulus minerals the melt from which the cumulus minerals crystallized falls within the compositional range of continental basalts that from which merensky and postcumulus pyroxenes crystallized is inferred to be much more highly enriched in ree than any normal tholeiitic or alkalic basalt despite their highly evolved nature in terms of the ree the merensky reef pyroxenes are not evolved in terms of major elements the decoupling of incompatible trace and major elements is best explained by a metasomatic process it is speculated that metasomatism involved upward percolation of hydrated silicate melt through and its reaction with the crystalline cumulate pile the fact that the rocks enriched in the platinum group elements are also those that show evidence for metasomatism suggests that these elements were also metasomatically redistributed

numerical model to determine the composition of h2o nacl cacl2 fluid inclusions based on microthermometric and microanalytical data natural fluids approximated by the h2o nacl cacl2 system are common in a wide range of geologic environments including sedimentary basins associated with hydrocarbon occurrences and mvt deposits submarine hydrothermal systems and other metamorphic magmatic and hydrothermal environments we present a comprehensive numerical model and microsoft excel based computer program to determine the compositions of fluid inclusions in the h2o nacl cacl2 system based on microthermometric and microanalytical data the model consists of six polynomial correlation equations that describe liquid salinity as a function of nacl cacl2 ratio and melting temperature on each of the ice hydrohalite halite antarcticite cacl2 4h2o and cacl2 2h2o vapor saturated liquidus surfaces the cotectic and peritectic boundaries are determined from the intersections of the liquidus surfaces the model is implicitly internally consistent and topologically correct the model expands upon the compositional range of applicability and the data types that can be used for compositional determination it reproduces experimental data for all compositions that lie within the h2o nacl cacl2 4h2o compositional triangle in the h2o nacl cacl2 system and yields accurate reproductions of the h2o nacl and h2o cacl2 binaries furthermore in comparison to previously published models the one presented here eliminates systematic errors wavy isotherms and cotectic and peritectic curves with local bumps

pge enrichment in chromitite layers and the merensky reef of the western bushveld complex a re os and rb sr isotope study abstract four poikilitic pyroxenites of the bastard unit all being relatively low in osmium concentrations define a re os isochron age of 2043 11 ma with initial 187os 188os 0 151 which is in accordance with the normally cited crystallization age of the bushveld complex the isochron fit demonstrates an excellent radiogenic os isotopic homogeneity of this portion of the complex at the time of crystallization and excludes any later disturbance of the re os isotope system initial 187os 188os ratios of platinum group element pge enriched sulfides and whole rocks of the directly underlying merensky reef are highly radiogenic and variable with values between 0 168 and 0 181 separates of chromite grains and interstitial phases of critical zone chromitite layers show initial 187os 188os signatures ranging from the near chondritic mantle values of lower group chromitites i e 0 120 to 0 137 for middle group chromitites and to 0 150 for the upper group 2 chromitite layer osmium concentrations of interstitial phases exceed those of the associated chromite in all layers by up to 30 fold showing the presence of highly pge enriched interstitial sulfides equal or very similar initial 187os 188os signatures of the interstitial minerals and the cumulus chromite grains together with their coupled increasing and decreasing trends in this ratio clearly demonstrate that interstitial sulfides and associated cumulus chromite of the different chromitite layers scavenged their osmium from the same or similar sources therefore a pge enrichment of the interstitial sulfides by a primary magmatic process such as precipitation of immiscible sulfide droplets during magma mixing appears more likely than a scenario involving fluid or melt transport of pge into these layers such a primary magmatic pge enrichment process is also preferred for the formation of the merensky reef

replacement of base metal sulfides by actinolite epidote calcite and magnetite in the ug2 and merensky reef of the bushveld complex south africa interaction of base metal sulfides pyrrhotite pentlandite and chalcopyrite with aqueous fluids in the ug2 chromitite layer and the merensky reef in the western bushveld complex has produced four common replacements 1 replacement of sulfides and orthopyroxene by actinolite or tremolite 2 replacement of sulfides and plagioclase by epidote 3 replacement of sulfides by calcite and 4 replacement of sulfides by magnetite the first three replacements are directly related to the presence of sulfides in the rocks and occur at the grain scale silicate minerals that are not in direct contact with sulfides are usually not affected the replacement of sulfides by magnetite accompanies regional serpentinization superimposed on the union section platinum group minerals including ru pt and pd sulfides pt and pd tellurides and pd arsenides occur in replacement aureoles around sulfide aggregates as well as within the aggregates suggesting that the platinum group minerals are more resistant to hydrothermal alteration than the associated base metal sulfides redistribution of chalcopyrite at least at the millimeter scale variable losses of s and ni and perhaps decoupling of pt and pd at the centimeter scale took place during secondary hydrothermal alteration these effects should be considered before models of primary mineralization processes can be meaningfully applied

temporal evolution of a long lived syenitic centre the kangerlussuaq alkaline complex east greenland abstract we present new mineral and whole rock compositions and sr nd hf pb o h isotope data on samples from the kangerlussuaq alkaline complex 1000 km2 in central east greenland part of the north atlantic igneous province this complex mainly consists of the kangerlussuaq intrusion but includes at least 13 separate satellite intrusions emplaced in the uppermost crust close to the unconformity between archaean gneisses and overlying palaeogene flood basalts the complex is divided into i older satellite intrusions 55 53 ma composed of multiple syenites and granites and minor gabbros and peridotites ii the voluminous kangerlussuaq intrusion 50 ma which displays a gradual transition from quartz syenites nordmarkites at the margin to nepheline syenites foyaites in the centre and iii younger satellite intrusions 47 45 ma of minor syenites granites and diorites concentrated southeast of the kangerlussuaq intrusion the complex displays a temporal evolution in which sio2 decreases 74 56 wt and total alkalis 6 16 wt amphibole na k content 206pb 204pbmeas endi and ehfi 3 to 11 increase from the older intrusions through the nepheline syenites this is followed by a reversal to higher silica 62 73 wt and lower total alkalis 9 12 wt amphibole na k content 206pb 204pbmeas endi and ehfi 13 to 2 in the younger satellite intrusions temporal changes in the location of magma plumbing systems and in magma production rates played a profound role in controlling silica content alkalinity and degree of crustal contamination during development of the complex phonolitic magma was only generated after prolonged magmatism had shielded the conduits from interaction with country rock the parental magmas were probably basanitic to alkali olivine basaltic in composition the older satellite intrusions and the kangerlussuaq intrusion have low 18o magma values 1 to 6 compared to the younger more crustally contaminated satellite intrusions 4 5 to 7 it appears that the magmas only had sufficient over pressure to intrude the basalt cover when larger volumes of less contaminated trachyte magma were produced resulting in the generation of low 18o magmas due to dehydration of hydrothermally altered basalt xenoliths

sill intrusion into pyroxenitic mush and the development of the lower upper critical zone boundary of the bushveld complex implications for the origin of stratiform anorthosites and chromitites in layered intrusions

microthermometric laser raman spectroscopic and volatile ion chromatographic analysis of hydrothermal fluids in the paleozoic muruntau au bearing quartz vein ore field uzbekistan fluid inclusions in quartz and scheelite from flat steeply dipping central and stockwork type quartz veins within the muruntau au bearing quartz vein ore field have been investigated in a reconnaissance study using fluid inclusion mapping microthermometry laser raman spectroscopy and integrated gas and ion chromatography for bulk volatile and cation anion analysis muruntau central veins are dominated by inferred early co2 bearing fluid inclusions in contrast flat quartz veins contain considerable numbers of low density pure aqueous inclusions on deformation and recrystallization related microstructures fluid phase separation is indicated for samples from the muruntau central ore veins by fluid inclusion observational work as well as by microthermometry and bulk fluid geochemistry co2 ch4 co2 n2 and co2 c2 and c3 hydrocarbon ratios salinity data however in flat veins and all samples from the myutenbai deposit no evidence for fluid immiscibility could be found quartz microstructural results and fluid inclusion data suggest formation of the low grade mineralized flat veins before the main stage of hydrothermal activity and considerable variation in the geochemical conditions during fluid evolution in the muruntau and myutenbai deposits mixing of fluids from different sources in variable proportions may be inferred from halide geochemistry furthermore fluid inclusion br cl ratios differ significantly for samples from different vein types fluid phase separation is suggested as a mechanism for the precipitation of au from the hydrothermal fluid in the muruntau high grade au mineralized central veins

a gold and platinum mineralized layer in gabbros of the kap edvard holm complex field petrologic and geochemical relations the lower layered series a cumulates of the kap edvard holm complex contain a stratiform layer 1 to 20 m thick and 6 km long that is mineralized with gold and platinum group elements pges the lower layered series a cumulates 650 m thick are dominated by modally layered gabbro with lesser volumes of granular anorthosite and troctolite that together form 2 to 30 m thick layers that are most abundant above the mineralized layer minor volumes of poikilitic wehrlite form a few 1 to 2 m thick layers throughout the section field and petrographic relations as well as cryptic variations in cumulus mineral compositions indicate that the lower layered series a formed in an open system magma chamber from repeated magma injections within the mineralized layer average concentrations over 3 m thickness are 250 ppb pt 40 ppb pd and 50 ppb au with individual samples containing up to 5 ppm pt and 6 ppm au the concentrations of ir os ru and rh are uniformly low 20 ppb stratigraphic zoning of pt pd and au is consistent along strike with peak au concentrations overlying pt and pd peaks platinum minerals are primary pt fe alloy sperrylite and moncheite with secondary pt sulfide overgrowths gold occurs as alloys with ag and cu these minerals are found in contact with primary and secondary silicates and oxides and with intercumulus base metal sulfides that consist of the assemblage bornite chalcopyrite digenite deposition of the mineralized layer is associated in space and time with injections of plagioclase saturated primitive magma that mixed with more evolved resident magma these events caused efficient partitioning of au and pge into sulfides derived from a large volume of magma deposition of these sulfides to form the mineralized layer and subsequent deposition of the overlying anorthosite layers the wehrlite layers however were formed by postcumulus reactions between gabbro cumulates and hydrous intercumulus melts probably derived from the compacting cumulus pile subsolidus reactions between primary minerals and meteoric hydrothermal solutions caused extensive alteration of the mineralized gabbro oxidation and desulfurization of cu fe sulfides and local recrystallization of pge minerals

geochemistry of the merensky reef rustenburg section bushveld complex controls on the silicate framework and distribution of trace elements this whole rock and silicate mineral study focuses on the genesis of the merensky reef sequence as well as the footwall and hanging wall norites at an area of rustenburg platinum mines in a demonstrably normal undisturbed environment continuous sampling provides major and trace element variations and mineral compositions and allows an evaluation of the post liquidus processes which affected the sequence following the formation of liquidus phases three stages are envisaged to have modified the rocks these are a migration of fluid during early compaction of cumulates b circulation of fluids within the crystal mush and c reaction and solidification of trapped liquid liquidus compositions are nowhere preserved in the sequence a strong link is demonstrated between orthopyroxene compositions e g mg and tio2 and the incompatible trace element content of the whole rocks the final amount of trapped liquid is shown to have been variable but never exceeded 10 calculated liquidus pre equilibration orthopyroxene compositions show an up sequence progression of evolving compositions from the footwall norite to the hanging wall norite initial sr isotopic values do not support a simple magma mixing model by which radiogenic main zone magma mixes with that of the critical zone at the level of the merensky reef there is evidence that the hanging wall norite formed from a much more evolved magma these conclusions have implications for the distribution and origin of the pge enriched merensky reef package

post deposition structures in the bushveld complex mafic sequence the stratigraphy of the bushveld complex is characterized by laterally continuous horizontal layering at the interface of some of these layers there are phenomena analogous to flame load cast ball and pillow and liquid escape structures of sedimentary rocks three plastic deformation styles recognized in the complex are i vertical ii vertical followed by horizontal and iii vertical fluid movement with brittle failure these post deposition structures are used to estimate viscosity and density of adjacent layers during consolidation the distribution of the structures through the mafic sequence provides some information on magma movement and rates of crystal accumulation

potholes of the merensky reef at brakspruit shaft rustenburg platinum mines primary disturbances in the magmatic stratigraphy potholes are locations where parts of the magmatic stratigraphy are missing in the foot wall sequence of the merensky reef in general potholes are circular to elliptical in plan and funnel shaped in cross section within narrow limits most potholes reveal the same three dimensional orientation to the strike and dip of the magmatic layering the updip pothole flank is steep to vertical the downdip flank is horizontal the pothole bottom generally coincides with one of the marker horizons of the footwall stratigraphy and is conformable with layering where the merensky reef fills potholes it is more variable in thickness than it is at its normal stratigraphic level in the potholes it changes over short distances from an unusually thin chromite rich contact phase of the reef to thick unlayered lenses of harzburgite pegmatite in deep seated parts of the potholes when the bastard reef is observed in potholes it sometimes grades into massive graphite rich transgressive gabbroic pegmatite the marker horizons in the anorthositic footwall units around potholes are often intensely mineralized with stratiform and crosscutting sulfides such marginal footwall mineralization is absent in the undisturbed footwall sequence away from potholes potholes are traditionally considered to be resorption pits due to the influx of a new hot primitive magma at the merensky reef level or to represent scars of a late magmatic fumarole activity the present study suggests that cumulate resorption played a minor role only potholes are sites of nondeposition where the missing rock units did not crystallize they formed where locally high concentrations of dissolved c h o s volatiles lowered the liquidus temperature of the magma and suppressed the crystallization of cumulus plagioclase potholes seem to be concentrated above anticlines of the metasedimentary basement rocks in the footwall of the bushveld complex volatiles derived by pyrometamorphism were focused upward into the overlying melt above such topographic highs and were accumulated at the level of the merensky reef

the hydrothermal fluid of archaean lode gold deposits at different metamorphic grades compositional constraints from ore and wallrock alteration assemblages a low salinity mixed aqueous carbonic fluid is common to all archaean lode gold deposits throughout the range of mineralising conditions from sub greenschist to lower granulite facies temperatures alteration assemblages and fluid inclusion data give constraints on the fluid composition fluid xco2 is 0 1 0 3 in typical greenschist facies mesothermal deposits at higher temperatures the assemblages are consistent with formation from a fluid of similar composition but slightly higher or lower xco2 cannot be ruled out and fluid inclusion data indicate that ch4 may be an important component in ore fluids at these temperatures fluid ph is neutral or weakly alkaline at all conditions a range of relative oxidation states of four orders of magnitude fo2 is indicated at any temperature with deposits more oxidising relative to qfm at lower temperature sulphur contents of the fluids vary from 10 to 10 3 5m s with a trend towards lower sulphur contents at lower temperatures the relative concentrations of major cations in solution are similar at all conditions with na k ca although ca may be less abundant at low temperatures the broad similarities in ore fluid composition at all temperatures give support to crustal continuum models in which archaean lode gold mineralisation involved either a single fluid moving through the middle and upper crust or derivation of ore fluids by similar processes at different crustal levels many of the compositional differences between high and lowtemperature ore fluids may be attributed to evolution of deep sourced hydrothermal solutions as they rise along structurally controlled conduits the constancy of major ore fluid component concentration e g co2 cl k suggests fluid buffering and high fluid rock ratios along fluid pathways fluid buffered conditions can also explain the ore fluid fo2 temperature relations with equilibria between oxidised and reduced aqueous carbon or sulphur species controlling the oxidation state in contrast the concentrations of components present in lesser abundance in archaean gold ore fluids e g s ca h were probably controlled either by saturation of one or more mineral phases brought on by decreasing temperature or were rock buffered through fluid rock reactions extrapolation to high temperatures of the k na and ca contents of the gold bearing fluids indicates that their composition is consistent with derivation from or final equilibration with rocks of intermediate granitic composition thus giving support to isotopic and geological arguments for ore fluid source regions external to the greenstone belts the fluid oxidation states are characteristic of a wide range of potential source rocks including mantle derived igneous rocks calc alkaline granitoids and magmas and seaflooraltered metabasalts strongly oxidised magmatic sources or unusually oxidising source processes e g co2 streaming during granulitisation of the lower crust are therefore not required in the genesis of arch an lode gold deposits

towards a model for the in situ origin of pge reefs in layered intrusions insights from chromitite seams of the rum eastern layered intrusion scotland the current debate on the origin of platinum group element pge reefs in layered intrusions centres mostly on gravity settling of sulphide liquid from overlying magma versus its introduction with interstitial melt fluids migrating upward from the underlying cumulate pile here we show that pge rich chromitite seams of the rum eastern layered intrusion provide evidence for an alternative origin of such deposits in layered intrusions these laterally extensive 2 mm thick chromitite seams occur at the bases of several cyclic mafic ultramafic units and show lithological and textural relationships suggesting in situ growth directly at a crystal liquid interface this follows from chromitite development along the edges of steeply inclined culminations and depressions at unit boundaries even where these are vertically oriented or overhanging high concentrations of pge up to 2 3 ppm pd pt are controlled by fine grained base metal sulphides which are closely associated with chromitite seams the following sequence of events explains the origin of the pge rich chromitite seams a emplacement of picritic magma that caused thermal and mechanical erosion of underlying cumulate followed by in situ growth of chromite against the base b precipitation of sulphide droplets on chromite grains acting as favourable substrate or catalyst for sulphide nucleation c the scavenging of pge by sulphide droplets from fresh magma continuously brought towards the base by convection since the rate of magma convection is 105 107 times higher than that of the solidification km year to km day versus 0 5 1 0 cm year the in situ formed sulphide droplets can equilibrate with picritic magma of thousands to million times their own volume as a result the sulphide bearing rocks are able to reach economic concentrations of pge several ppm we tentatively suggest that the basic principles of our model may be used to explain the origin of pge rich chromitites and classical pge reefs in other layered mafic ultramafic intrusions

differentiation and compaction in the skaergaard intrusion igneous differentiation processes are constrained from bulk compositions densities and mineral modes of 116 cumulate gabbro samples in a new reference profile through the layered series of the skaergaard intrusion east greenland the stratigraphic distribution of p u and rb in cumulates and residual magma modeled by rayleigh fractionation constrains the final porosities or trapped liquid contents to 30 52 in lza troctolites decreasing to 4 12 at the top of lzb olivine gabbros and remaining low 1 13 4 middle dot 6 on average in the oxide gabbros of lzc mz and uz local variations in trapped liquid content are associated with modal layering leucocratic low density rocks have higher proportions of trapped melt than adjacent melanocratic high density rocks these observations are explained by varying degrees of compaction compaction was most important after the onset of fe ti oxide crystallization because of the high densities of the crystal matrix here computed rates of compaction exceed the rate of crystal accumulation in layers that are metres to a few tens of metres thick in the basal section lza the crystal pile was too thin and the density of the crystal matrix too low to drive the rate of compaction above the high rate of crystal accumulation promoted by initial cooling through the intrusion floor in the overlying section lzb the efficiency of compaction gradually increased as a result of thickening of the crystal pile and lowering of the rate of crystal accumulation the modeling constrains the p2o5 content of the residual magma to 1 middle dot 7 wt at the level of apatite in suggesting that the magma contained 49 wt sio2 and followed a trend of iron enrichment compaction of the uppermost metres to tens of metres of crystal mush at the top of the cumulate pile was an efficient means of differentiation and resulted in layers with variable final porosities and trace element contents depending on the mineralogy and density of the crystal matrix

constraints on the formation of platinum group element deposits in igneous rocks mechanisms of concentration of the platinmn group and other chalcophile elements iu several platinum group element deposits in layered intrusions are evaluated in light of recently published data on element partitioning between immiscible sulfide and silicate melts the similarity of the partition coefficieut d super sulfide melt silicate melt of ir to that of pd indicates that the observed fractionation of these elements in nature resulted from a process other than or in addition to sulfide liquid immiscibility in experiments designed to test the possibility that this fractionation was due to the presence of os ir alloy sulfide and silicate melts were equilibrated with ir metal at 1 450 degrees c 8 kbars total pressure and under sulfur and oxygen fugacity conditions appropriate for nature the ir content of the sulfide liquid was found to be or 3 7 wt percent and that of the coexisting silicate melt inferred to be or 1 000 ppb these concentrations are far in excess of the ir contents of natural sulfides or rocks and indicate that os ir alloys are not stable in the presence of sulfide or silicate melts in nature using our preferred values of d super sulfide melt silicate melt for the chalcophile elements and their estimated concentrations in the mantle limits are determined for the possible ranges of concentrations and relative abundances of these elements in immiscible sulfide liquid formed in magma derived by partial melting of the mantle the ratios of highly chalcophile to moderately chalcophile elements and of metal to sulfur of several deposits including the j m reef stillwater complex the ug 2 bushveld complex and the lac des isles complex are inconsistent with concentration solely by segregation of sulfide liquid in contrast the merensky reef fits the geochemical criteria for formation by accumulation of magmatic sulfide stratigraphic variations in chalcophile element concentrations through the ug 2 and the main sulfide zone of the great dyke also indicate that metals must have been redistributed on at least the meter scale our analysis implies either different relative mobilities of the chalcophile elements relative to one another in a process postdating initial sulfide liquid deposition or concentration by a different mechanism

consequences of crystal shape and fabric on anisotropic permeability in magmatic mush crystals that form an interconnected porous network can become preferentially oriented both prior to and during compaction of magmatic mush this introduces anisotropy in the melt pore space that can reduce permeability in the direction of compaction and in turn decrease melt flux and compaction rate using a number of grain scale numerical models the consequences of end member magmatic fabrics on the directional dependence of permeability are tested over a range in melt fraction from 22 to 77 as the crystal aspect ratio i e ratio of long to short axis length increases from 2 to 10 isotropic permeability decreases by a factor of 2 and 5 for randomly oriented prolate and oblate shaped crystals respectively at a melt fraction of 22 with a flattening fabric permeability is reduced in the compaction direction no more than approximately a factor of 2 relative to the isotropic permeability at the same melt fraction and crystal shape for both oblate and triaxial prisms however permeability is enhanced in directions orthogonal to the compaction direction for example permeability is enhanced up to a factor of 11 relative to the isotropic permeability at a melt fraction of 22 for oblate prisms with a ratio of the long to short axis length of 10 anisotropy in permeability increases as the melt fraction decreases and the crystal aspect ratio increases ratios of the principal permeabilities are sufficiently large based on the realistic crystal shapes tested here to warrant including anisotropic permeability into macroscale melt segregation models including those for compaction

origin of phlogopite orthopyroxene inclusions in chromites from the merensky reef of the bushveld complex south africa about 30 of the chromite grains of variable sizes in a chromitite seam at the base of the merensky reef of the bushveld complex on the farm vlakfontein contain abundant composite mineral inclusions the inclusions are polygonal to circular with radial cracks that protrude into the enclosing chromite they vary from a few microns to several millimeters in diameter and are concentrated in the cores and mantles of chromite crystals electron backscattered patterns indicate that the host chromites are single crystals and not amalgamations of multiple grains na phlogopite and orthopyroxene are most abundant in the inclusions edenitic hornblende k phlogopite oligoclase and quartz are less abundant cl rich apatite rutile zircon and chalcopyrite are present at trace levels na phlogopite is unique to the inclusions it has not been found elsewhere in the bushveld complex other minerals in the inclusions are also present in the matrix of the chromitite seam but their compositions are different the mg mg fe2 ratios of orthopyroxene in the inclusions are slightly higher than those of orthopyroxene in the matrix k phlogopite in the inclusions contains more na than in the matrix the average compositions of the inclusions are characterized by high mgo 26 wt na2o 2 4 wt and h2o 2 6 wt and low cao 1 1 wt and feo 4 4 wt the 18o value of the trapped melt estimated by analysis of inclusion rich and inclusion poor chromites is 7 this value is consistent with the previous estimates for the bushveld magma and with the 18o values of silicate minerals throughout the reef the textural features and peculiar chemical compositions are consistent with entrapment of orthopyroxene with variable amounts of volatile rich melts during chromite crystallization the volatile rich melts are thought to have resulted from variable degrees of mixing between the magma on the floor of the chamber and na k rich fluids expelled from the underlying crystal pile the addition of fluid to the magma is thought to have caused dissolution of orthpyroxene leaving the system saturated only in chromite both oxygen and hydrogen isotopic values are consistent with the involvement of a magmatic fluid in the process of fluid addition and orthopyroxene dissolution most of the cr and al in the inclusions was contributed through wall dissolution of the host chromite dissolution of minor rutile trapped along with orthopyroxene provided most of the ti in the inclusions the na and k rich hydrous silicate minerals in the inclusions were formed during cooling by reaction between pyroxene and the trapped volatile rich melts

significance of 87 sr 86 sr ratios in the merensky cyclic unit of the bushveld complex in a number of mafic layered intrusions layers with platinum group element pge mineralization coincide with breaks in cumulus mineral composition and isotopic variation trends through the layered sequence1 2 for example in the bushveld complex in south africa abrupt increases in initial 87sr 86sr ratios occur at the ug 2 and merensky pegmatoid or reef horizons both of which are exploited for pges we report here the results of a detailed sr isotope study across the merensky unit and its immediate foot and hangingwall rocks which when considered together with new ideas on processes operating in magma chambers3 5 suggest that magma mixing and post cumulus infiltration of liquids displaced from below were important during crystallization of the merensky pegmatoid

genesis of compositional characteristics of stillwater an i and an ii thick anorthosite units a single 10 m 10 m outcrop of stillwater anorthosite unit an ii was mapped for pyroxene mode on a decimeter scale and samples from each range of pyroxene proportion were analyzed for major and trace elements distinct one to several square meter regions of different pyroxene mode were observed samples from regions with 10 pyroxene showed strong elemental correlations and anticorrelations with mgo concentrations that can be interpreted in terms of the following scheme for development of the stillwater anorthosites aggregates containing 50 to 80 cumulus plagioclase average 67 formed stable frameworks in a crystal mush of complexly zoned plagioclase the interstices among the plagioclase grains in these frameworks filled in part with pyroxene and plagioclase that were produced in equilibrium with the bulk melt and in part with pyroxene and plagioclase derived by crystallization of trapped intercumulus liquid the proportions of these three types of materials were mutually constrained in a manner that gave rise to lines instead of fields on two element variation diagrams samples richest in cumulus plagioclase are also richest in intercumulus plagioclase and pyroxene regions of the outcrop with 10 original pyroxene underwent substantial alteration by hydrous fluids that produced variations in fe2o3 tio2 loi and most incompatible trace elements

chemical evolution of intercumulus liquid as recorded in plagioclase overgrowth rims from the skaergaard intrusion the intercumulus liquid of a crystal mush fills pore spaces and typically solidifies to form overgrowths on cumulus grains and poikilitic post cumulus minerals if the liquid is immobile solidification produces zoned intercumulus minerals as a result of progressive fractionation of the residual liquid convection within the mush results in buffering of the liquid composition and thus limits mineral zonation for fully solidified cumulates fossil changes in liquid composition or porosity are difficult to identify however detailed study of immobile minor components of plagioclase overgrowth rims can provide information about the progressive solidification of intercumulus material ti contents of plagioclase overgrowths in samples from the lowermost parts of the skaergaard intrusion show strong variations with anorthite content with decreasing xan ti concentrations first rise and then fall consistent with changing tio2 contents of the intercumulus liquid during solidification tio2 in plagioclase decreases sharply at an55 reflecting local saturation of fe ti oxides ti in clinopyroxene oikocrysts also falls rimward but zoning in faster diffusing species fe mg is limited other than slight reverse zones that may occur on the plagioclase margins xan falls continuously during crystallization the reverse zoning is interpreted as the result of compaction driven dissolution and reprecipitation of plagioclase the continual decrease in xan is exploited together with back scattered electron images of the cumulates to produce calibrated images showing regions of progressive crystallization this allows the regions crystallizing at each stage of solidification to be visualized these images show that the final remnants of interstitial melt were present in triangular pockets and as thin grain boundary melt films this approach can provide information about the progressive reduction of porosity during cumulate solidification

concentration of platinum group elements by magmatic fluids in layered intrusions evidence leading to a model which supports the formation of pt pd reefs in a layered intrusion by the action of magmatic fluids is presented as well as some of the constraints imposed on such a model the stillwater complex is used as an example of this model within the stillwater complex no laterally continuous sulfide enriched cumulates occur above the lowermost parts of the ultramafic series until one reaches the platiniferous j m reef this sulfide poor stratigraphic interval beneath the j m reef is characterized by unusually cl rich apatite although reported sulfide modes and whole rock sulfur contents in the cumulates below the j m reef are approximately an order of magnitude lower than that expected for a sulfide saturated magma sulfide saturation prior to the formation of the j m reef is suggested by relatively high pd and pt concentrations reported in the cumulates below the j m reef as well as by the presence of sulfide as inclusions in silicate and oxide cumulus minerals hence it is suggested that the footwall cumulates to the j m reef were originally sulfide saturated but later lost sulfur to a fluid phase exsolving from inter cumulus liquid sporadic sulfide bearing pegmatoids in some of these rocks are additional evidence for late loss of sulfur these observations as well as the association of the j m reef at the first significant stratigraphic break in the cl cl f ratio of apatite and the relatively high solubility of pt and pd as aqueous cl complexes are consistent with the formation of the j m reef by exsolution of cl and volatile rich fluids from footwall intercumulus liquids which leached and transported ore components both the pge and s upward to the level of the reef using published whole rock platinum group element pge concentrations for the ultramafic and lower banded series the cumulates below the j m reef must have been enriched by a factor of at most 1 24 for pt and 1 75 for pd if these rocks were to be the source for the metals in the j m reef model raleigh fractionation calculations suggest that the cumulates beneath the j m reef could have had the required metal concentrations if during the crystallization of a parent magma containing no more than 15 ppb of either metal the average bulk solid liquid distribution coefficients for pt and pd were no more than 5 these values are consistent with assumption of sulfide saturation prior to the formation of the j m reef during solidification of intercumulus liquid the separation and loss of a cl rich fluid will deplete the residual assemblage of s and pge if 0 1 to 0 5 wt percent fluid containing 5 percent s evolved during solidification of the footwall cumulates the amount of fluid expected to be exsolved by the crystallization of approximately 2 to 10 percent fluid saturated intercumulus liquid the fluid liquid distribution coefficients for pt and pd would need to be almost as large as the sulfide liquid silicate liquid distribution coefficients to remove significant amounts of pt and pd much smaller distribution coefficients are needed if sulfide is completely lost to fluid during degassing the latter possibility is consistent with the low s contents of the footwall cumulates beneath the j m reef numerical models of the degassing of intercumulus liquids suggest that thick cumulus sequences can act as chromatographic columns to separate the pge and s during the degassing of intercumulus silicate liquids the pge being enriched at a sulfide dissolution front as upward migrating sulfide undersaturated fluids resorb cumulus sulfides zones of pge and s enrichment can occur where degassing fronts encounter stratigraphic physical chemical discontinuities such as changes in the fluid saturation temperature of the intercumulus silicate liquids

trapped intercumulus liquid in the main zone of the eastern bushveld complex south africa lateral variations in the amount of trapped intercumulus liquid in the main zone of the eastern bushveld complex are constrained by new sr isotopic whole rock and mineralogical data from three profiles that are separated laterally by ca 100 km and represent thicknesses of 551 1 127 m of main zone gabbronorites below the pyroxenite marker an analysis of the an contents 100 ca ca na of plagioclase cores within the thornhill north roossenekal and stoffberg south profiles show similar systematic up section variations from an66 to an59 in contrast both the an contents of bulk plagioclase separates and the mg numbers 100 mg mg fet of orthopyroxenes show pronounced lateral variations from thornhill an67 61 mg 67 61 through roossenekal an64 58 mg 64 55 to stoffberg an59 55 mg 59 50 these mineralogical variations are interpreted to be the result of reaction between cumulus minerals and an increasing amount of trapped liquid from north to south modelling of the trapped liquid shift of orthopyroxene compositions suggests that the amount of trapped liquid in the cumulates increased from near 0 at thornhill through 10 30 at roossenekal to 30 45 at stoffberg a two to eightfold southward increase in whole rock concentrations of p ti y zr and ba is consistent with the trapped liquid model however the 14 fold increase in rb from thornhill to stoffberg is too great to be accounted for by trapped liquid alone but can be explained by local assimilation of partial melts of the country rock constant initial 87sr 86sr isotopic ratios of main zone plagioclase separates 0 7081 0 7085 in all the three profiles do not preclude assimilation of adjacent basaltic to rhyolitic country rock with initial ratios between 0 6924 0 7096 the southward increase in the amount of trapped liquid is ascribed to an increased cooling rate by enhanced heat loss and partial assimilation of country rock xenoliths in the distal cumulate sequence at stoffberg

the merensky reef at winnaarshoek eastern bushveld complex a primary magmatic hypothesis based on a wide reef facies the merensky reef on the winnaarshoek property in the central sector of the eastern limb of the bushveld complex belongs to what may be described as a wide reef facies in which platinum group element pge mineralization is largely contained within a relatively thick succession of medium grained nonpegmatoidal feldspathic orthopyroxenite bounded top and bottom by thin chromite stringers the wide reef merensky reef facies at winnaarshoek presents the opportunity to study subtle processes which could potentially be obscured or obliterated in the thinner reef facies found in many areas of the western limb especially in places where the reef zone contains a component of pegmatoidal orthopyroxenite at winnaarshoek a pegmatoidal feldspathic orthopyroxenite is developed below the lower chromite stringer and a second pegmatoidal orthopyroxenite is intermittently developed several centimeters above the upper chromite stringer in contrast to most occurrences in the western limb however both these pegmatoidal orthopyroxenites are only sporadically mineralized if at all in addition rather than being at the base of a feldspathic orthopyroxenite unit as is the case throughout most of the western limb the merensky reef at winnaarshoek occurs toward the top of a sequence of feldspathic orthopyroxenite despite the gross relative uniformity of the merensky reef on a property wide scale at winnaarshoek we demonstrate using underground channel samples that individual intersections spaced a matter of meters apart commonly display remarkable variations in grade distribution our study is based primarily on whole rock and mineral chemical profiles from drill cores through three separate and distinctive subfacies of essentially normal i e nonpothole reef one of the drill core intersections represents typical reef in which pge mineralization forms an upper reef extending from the upper chromitite stringer approximately 1 m into the underlying feldspathic pyroxenite and a much thinner lower reef centered on the lower chromitite stringer the other two drill core intersections represent extremes in terms of the vertical distribution of the pge one having mineralization confined to the immediate vicinity of the two chromitite stringers while the other is richly mineralized throughout the reef zone peaks in pge concentrations in all three intersections are coincident with the most primitive compositions of orthopyroxene plagioclase and chromite the dominant rock forming minerals whereas the cumulate layers below major pge peaks are the most evolved as indicated by mineral compositions and elevated whole rock incompatible element concentrations furthermore the lowest grade merensky reef intersection has the most chemically evolved footwall whereas the richest intersection has a relatively primitive footwall we consider the origin of the merensky reef in the context of its position as the culmination of a sequence of several pge mineralized chromite bearing layers in the upper critical zone and suggest that the regular upward variations in the chemistry of the chromitite from one layer to the next and the overall cyclicity are indicative of complex magma replenishment and mixing processes in the chamber we apply a model of lateral streaming of magma with chromite crystallization and consequent sulfide and platinum group mineral pgm precipitation resulting from magma mixing specifically the merensky reef cannot be properly interpreted outside the context of the sequence of successive events that evolved throughout the development of the upper critical zone genetic models also need to account for lateral facies variations in the reef

petrologic evolution of partially molten cumulate the atok section of the bushveld complex the postcumulus evolution of a portion of the bushveld complex that includes the merensky reef is inferred from the study of a continuous 56 m drill core the core penetrated the basal orthopyroxenites of the merensky and bastard units the massive anorthosites overlying the two pyroxenites and about 10 m of norite underlying the merensky pyroxenite detailed profiles of major minor and rare earth element ree contents of clinopyroxene and orthopyroxene were determined by electron and ion probe good correlations exist between textural and lithological variations and the ree contents of the pyroxenes specifically enrichments in pyroxene ree abundances are observed in the basal pyroxenites of the merensky and bastard units relative to the underlying and overlying rocks in the pyroxenites the nd content of clinopyroxene is typically over 12 ppm and reaches nearly 40 ppm 90 chondrite and nd yb ratio is in the range 8 to 25 these extreme enrichments in ree are not accompanied by large variations in major element contents computations of the compaction parameters relevant to the conditions of crystallization of the bushveld complex combined with a consideration of cooling history confirm the importance of compaction as a post cumulus process this analysis indicates that the geochemical variability is a result of redistribution of interstitial melt driven by compaction and cannot reflect variations in the initial porosity of the accumulating crystal pile a model for the development of the atok section is developed the merensky anorthosite is interpreted to have served as a barrier to the upward porous flow of late stage hydrous and incompatible element enriched melt which was thus trapped in the underlying merensky pyroxenite the flow was driven by compaction of the 350 meter thick section of predominantly norite beneath the anorthosite the introduction and accumulation of this melt in the pyroxenite and subsequent cooling resulted in partial dissolution recrystallization and ree enrichment of the rock forming minerals and in the formation of the main lithologic features of the merensky pyroxenite further upward percolation of the interstitial melt through the merensky anorthosite was restricted to channels due to the relatively impermeable nature of the cemented anorthosite this melt accumulated in and metasomatized the bastard pyroxenite in the same manner as the merensky pyroxenite having again been trapped by the overlying bastard anorthosite

orogenic gold mineralisation hosted by archaean basement rocks at sortekap kangerlussuaq area east greenland a gold bearing quartz vein system has been identified in archaean basement rocks at sortekap in the kangerlussuaq region of east greenland 35 km north northeast of the skaergaard intrusion this constitutes the first recorded occurrence of au mineralisation in the metamorphic basement rocks of east greenland the mineralisation can be classified as orogenic style quartz vein hosted au mineralisation two vein types have been identified based on their alteration styles and the presence of au mineralisation mineralised type 1 veins occur within sheared supracrustal units and are hosted by garnet bearing amphibolites with associated felsic and ultramafic intrusions gold is present as native au and au rich electrum together with arsenopyrite and minor pyrite and chalcopyrite in thin alteration selvages in the immediate wall rocks the alteration assemblage of actinolite clinozoisite muscovite titanite scheelite arsenopyrite pyrite is considered to be a greenschist facies assemblage the timing of mineralisation is therefore interpreted as being later and separate event to the peak amphibolite facies metamorphism of the host rocks type 2 quartz veins are barren of mineralisation lack significant alteration of the wall rocks and are considered to be later stage fluid inclusion microthermometry of the quartz reveals three separate fluids including a high temperature th 300 350 c h2o co2 ch4 fluid present only in type 1 veins that in interpreted to be responsible for the main stage of au deposition and sulphidic wall rock alteration it is likely that the carbonic fluids were actually trapped at temperatures closer to 400 c two other fluids were identified within both vein types which comprise low temperature 100 200 c brines with salinities of 13 25 wt eq nacl and at least one generation of low salinity aqueous fluids the sources and timings of the secondary fluids are currently equivocal but they may be related to the emplacement of paleogene mafic intrusions the identification of this occurrence of orogenic style au mineralisation has implications for exploration in the underexplored area of east greenland between 62 and 69 n where other similar supracrustal units are known to be present

distinguishing biological from hydrothermal signatures via sulphur and carbon isotopes in archaean mineralizations at 3 8 and 2 7 ga

the upper critical zone of the bushveld complex and the origin of merensky type ores the mg number mg mg fe atomic ratio of bronzite in each unit at the top of the critical zone of the bushveld complex decreases upward in a manner consistent with fractional crystallization the base of each unit is marked by an increase in the mg number suggesting that crystallization of fresh magma is responsible for the initiation of the unit bulk trace and major element concentrations in pegmatoids of the merensky reef which itself forms the basal part of one of a series of these cyclic units are similar to those in medium grained feldspathic bronzitite the base of each unit is also marked by pockets or a layer of sulfide with a higher ni cu and much higher pt cu ratio than the sulfides of the remainder of the unit thus the pt tenor alternates from high to low three times upward through the three units these data indicate strongly that the pt tenor was established with the stratigraphy of the rocks and are inconsistent with models calling upon upward migration of hydrothermal or magmatic fluids to enrich the sulfides in platinum group elements there are no features in the rocks to indicate that fluids could have been channeled to flow laterally for the tens to hundreds of kilometers occupied by continuous merensky reef a model based on that of campbell et al 1983 in which small amounts of sulfides form during injection of fresh magma as a turbulent plume and then settle after becoming thoroughly mixed with a large mass of magma accounts well for all of our observations and many other features of the upper part of the critical zone

proposed younger dryas glaciation of the eastern scotian shelf a refined synthesis of the stratigraphy of the scotian shelf is presented based on recently published borehole and seismic reflection data and detailed correlation along high resolution seismic profiles between the outer banks and the central basins one of the new stratigraphic units of the outer bank region is of glacigenic origin and represents the last glacial event near the margin of the shelf these deposits appear to be part of a morainal bank complex formed at a tidewater front a younger dryas age is proposed for the glacial deposits and the ice may have been widely distributed across the eastern scotian shelf evidence for the late glaciation is expressed in the central shelf area by an unconformity which on the bank areas is associated with subglacial meltwater channels 14c dates for the basin sediments of this region provide the most reliable chronology for the shelf stratigraphy the origin of sable island is closely related to the depositional history of the moraine and its surface has be

sulfur isotope variations within the platreef ni cu pge deposit genetic implications for the origin of sulfide mineralization the platreef the world s third largest platinum group element pge deposit is a 10 400 m thick pyroxenitic unit at the base of the northern limb of the mafic bushveld complex hosting pge mineralization in association with base metal sulfides the sulfide mineralization is thought to have been either largely magmatic in origin with contamination by assimilation of local floor rocks considered an ore modifying process or a product of assimilation of country rock s and silicic contamination which caused s saturation in the magma with the contamination being fundamental to the ore forming process we have performed an extensive and detailed sulfur isotope study of the platreef which indicates that magmatic signatures 34s 0 to 2 are preserved in early formed sulfide droplets within the platreef pyroxenites in the area from sandsloot to witrivier these values are comparable to sulfide inclusions in diamonds in the nearby klipspringer kimberlite and are considered to have a primary mantle origin there is no indication of any significant external s in any of the primary sulfides in the sandsloot witrivier area however later sulfides found in calc silicate floor rocks at sandsloot and zwartfontein and in xenoliths of calc silicate throughout the section indicate an input of country rock s anhydrite bearing horizons in the malmani dolomites may have exchanged s with magmatic platreef sulfide during platreef intrusion imparting a heavier s isotope signature in the fluid affected rocks than those in the early sulfides the archean basement although containing minor amounts of sulfide with a negative 34s value is not a significant contributor to the s budget of the platreef previous studies have indicated that in areas where the sedimentary floor rocks contain appreciable sulfides rather than sulfates such as at turfspruit the platreef sulfides are extensively contaminated with country rock s assimilation of pyrite bearing shales in the turfspruit area has locally upgraded the s content of the platreef and given the basal platreef sulfides a heavier isotopic signature sulfur saturation in the platreef magma took place before contamination probably in a staging chamber prior to intrusion a major pulse of magma entrained the preformed pge rich sulfides and was injected to form the platreef where assimilation of country rock sulfides upgraded the s content on a strictly local scale and hydrothermal leaching introduced s from country rock sulfates into later stage sulfides again on a local scale south of zwartfontein it is proposed that the platreef was intruded into sediments of the transvaal supergroup which formed the floor and the roof of the platreef north of zwartfontein the platreef intruded the boundary between the malmani supergroup sediments and the archean basement this could have potentially mineralized the roof calc silicates north of zwartfontein in a manner similar to the floor in the sandsloot area the later intrusion of the main zone magma formed a magmatic unconformity on top of the cold platreef and entrained large rafts of mineralized calc silicate for tens of kilometers north of the last footwall outcrop of calc silicate

strontium isotope evidence for preserved density stratification in the main zone of the bushveld complex south africa the bushveld complex formed from two isotopically distinct magmas magma addition and mixing can be tracked by measuring initial strontium isotope ratios of cumulates rocks with ratios of 0 7065 lie below the lower 2 2 km of the main zone ratio 0 7085 whereas those with ratios of 0 7073 lie above it this unit represents a liquid layer intruded into the density stratified magma pile near the base of the chamber the merensky reef was produced by mixing of the pile with underlying trapped liquid enriched in precious metals

an re os date for molybdenite bearing quartz vein mineralization within the kangerlussuaq alkaline complex east greenland implications for the timing of regional metallogenesis the kangerlussuaq alkaline complex east greenland is one of the largest alkaline complexes in the world it is known to host a number of occurrences of base and precious metal mineralization including the flammefjeld porphyry mo deposits and a suite of epithermal style base and precious metal veins in an area around the sondre syenitgletscher here we describe and date a previously unknown occurrence of molybdenite pyrite scheelite bearing quartz veins associated with alkali basalt dikes that intrude the main syenites of the complex the veins appear to be cogenetic with the dikes which crosscut and brecciate granodiorites of the cirque 1320 complex sulfur isotope signatures of molybdenite and pyrite in the veins give a tight range with mean 34 s of 2 2 0 7 consistent with a magmatic s source related to the intrusion of the dikes molybdenite from the veins gave an re os age of 52 74 0 26 ma some 13 m y older than molybdenite at the flammefjeld porphyry deposit thus distinguishing this metallogenic episode as a distinct event temporally unrelated to the known mo mineralization at flammefjeld significantly in terms of the timing of regional metallogenesis and magmatism our date suggests that the age of the kangerlussuaq alkaline complex itself may be slightly older than the 50 ma currently accepted based on 40 ar 39 ar dating from biotites in the main syenites given the common discrepancy in ore systems of 40 ar 39 ar which produce slightly younger dates than those by re os and u pb we suggest the actual age of the kangerlussuaq alkaline complex may be closer to 53 to 52 ma

the effect of trapped liquid crystallization on cumulus mineral compositions in layered intrusions a series of calculations have been carried out to evaluate the effect on cumulus mineral compositions of solidification of trapped intercumulus liquid in orthocumulates the calculation assumes local equilibrium between phases and that the system remains chemically closed during crystallization of the trapped liquid the latter assumption is held to be valid on a scale of tens to hundreds of centimeters it is not necessary to know the composition of the trapped liquid as the calculation only requires an estimate of feo content and trapping temperature the change in composition of a mineral from that of the initially precipitated cumulus crystals to the final composition after complete solidification is termed the trapped liquid shift its magnitude depends on the modal proportions of cumulus phases and the initial porosity and is only weakly dependent on initial phase compositions trapped liquid shifts are significant when compared with mineral composition changes occurring during fractional crystallization crystallization of 30 trapped liquid gives rise to shifts of up to 10 mol percent in mg number of olivine or pyroxene the size of the shift becomes greater when the initial cumulus assemblage has a lower total feo mgo content and vice versa as a result of the relationship between trapped liquid shift and cumulus mode mineral composition variations and trends may be generated in sequences of cumulates which originally had constant compositions of cumulus minerals for example in a cyclic unit grading from a pyroxenitic base to an anorthositic top crystallization of a uniform proportion of trapped liquid will result in an apparent iron enrichment trend from bottom to top of the cycle as has been observed in the upper critical zone of the bushveld complex

compositional convection in a reactive crystalline mush and melt differentiation fractional crystallization and partial melting involve relative motion of liquid and solid phases and chemical and thermal interactions between them to elucidate some physical principles of thermosolutal convection in a reactive porous medium we describe experiments on the directional solidification of aqueous ammonium chloride solutions the addition of small amounts of a polymerizing agent permits variation of the solution viscosity independently of thermal conditions the phase diagram and permeability solutions were cooled from below and crystallization developed at the base of the tank generating at first a field of thin plumes of light residual fluid released from the boundary layer at the top of the mush the interstitial fluid within the mush also became unstable eventually the onset of convection occurring when the porous medium rayleigh number of the mush reached a critical value this threshold value was found to be 25 at low initial superheat and to decrease with increasing superheat local thermodynamic equilibrium between crystals and liquid within the mush coupled the evolution of temperature composition and porosity convective motions locally caused dissolution and precipitation and hence fluctuations of porosity developed dissolution occurred preferentially in the central parts of upwellings and the upflow gradually focused being ultimately channelized into narrow chimneys devoid of crystals all else being equal the areal density of chimneys was greater the lower the viscosity chimney diameter increased with increasing solution viscosity in the liquid above the growing mush the convective plumes were very similar to salt fingers depending on solution viscosity and temperature gradient they exhibited a phenomenon of collective instability such that vertical motion was disrupted by wave instabilities the base plate temperature chosen was above the eutectic and hence the total amount of crystals at the end of experiments with the same initial composition and the same final temperature was a constant fixed by the phase diagram the spatial distribution of crystals and the final porosity of the mush were however determined by the strength of compositional convection as measured by the porous medium rayleigh number when no convection occurred mush thickness finally became equal to the initial layer thickness and the system was homogeneous when compositional convection occurred the overlying reservoir underwent chemical evolution and mush growth slowed dramatically in experiments with progressively lower solution viscosity and hence more vigorous convection final mush thickness was progressively less and final porosity lower final mush thickness was found to scale with solution viscosity to the power 0 33 during fractional crystallization of magma the effects of compositional convection can be recorded in the chemical and mineralogical features of cumulate rocks we speculate that fossil chimney structures can be found in the lower zone of the bushveld ultramafic complex in the form of iron rich platinum bearing dunite pipes this could explain the adcumulate nature of the lower zone rocks and the chemical and mineralogical similarities between the pipes and the overlying merensky reef the merensky reef would be interpreted as a hiatus in mush growth the results may also have applications to the flow structure in regions of partial melting and in the earth s core

assimilation and fractionation in adjacent parts of the same magme chamber vandfaldsdalen macrodike east greenland the vandfaldsdalen macrodike which lies in the skaergaard region of east greenland is a remarkably zoned fossil magma chamber with a granophyric cap overlying cumulate gabboros the intrusion is distinctly bimodal with a large compositional discontinuity at the contact between the gabbro and granophyre although the exposed part of the macrodike is in contact with tertiary basalts and sediments the granophyre originated by assimilation of xenoliths derived from the underlying archean basement sr and nd isotopic ratios throughout the cumulate sequence are remarkably similar indicating insignificant contamination of the gabbro by the granophyre modelling of the compositional effects of cooling and crystallization indicate that the cumulate pile resulted from fractional crystallization with the complicating effects of trapped liquid and post cumulus fractionation the uppermost rocks in the mafic part of the chamber sio2 62 feo 12 4 resulted from about 85 fractional crystallization a transgressive sill of strongly fractionated magma sio2 67 feo 8 8 formed from extracted intercumulus liquid that was the result of 90 fractional crystallization of the original magma mass balance indicates that typical granophyre is made up of about 75 dissolved xenoliths by weight and 25 mantle derived basaltic magma the magmas were not measurably affected by material exchange across the interface between the gabbro and granophyre this magma chamber evolved by both assimilation and fractional crystallization but the residual liquids formed by fractional crystallization were unaffected by assimilation heat exchange between were unaffected by assimilation heat exchange between the two parts of the chamber was obviously important but there was insignificant material exchange the inability of fractional crystallization and assimilation to affect the same liquid is related to the dynamic behavior of this particular magma chamber particularly the buoyancy of granophyre relative to evolving tholeiitic magma

the chronology of magma influxes to the eastern compartment of the bushveld complex as exemplified by its marginal border groups the floor contact of the eastern compartment of the bushveld complex has been mapped in detail for 130 km field relations petrographical and geochemical data have enabled 3 important marginal border groups and a possible parent to the lower zone to be demarcated these represent the 4 main magma influxes which formed the malic phase of the bushveld complex and are in chronological order 1 a contaminated magnesian basalt b1 which gave rise to a saucer shaped laminated marginal zone at the base of the complex with diverse related sills 2 a harrisitic peridotite representing quenched lower zone magma 3 a border group to the more evolved probably basaltic critical zone magma which was intruded in two phases an early quenched norite facies n being followed by a chilled bulk critical zone facies b2 which forms a skin to the whole critical zone finally 4 a border group to the main and upper zone b3 which represents an early magnesian pulse of this last immense volume of tholeiitic liquid there is also evidence for minor influxes of magma within the critical zone and main zone

trace elements in the merensky reef and adjacent norites bushveld complex south africa trace elements were analysed in rocks and minerals from three sections across the merensky reef in the rustenburg platinum mine in the bushveld complex of south africa whole rocks and separated minerals were analysed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer icp ms and in situ analyses were carried out by ion microprobe and by laser source icp ms merensky reef pyroxenites contain extremely high concentrations of a wide range of trace elements these include elements incompatible with normal silicate minerals as well as siderophile and chalcophile elements for major elements and compatible trace elements the measured concentrations in cumulus phases and the bulk rock compositions are similar for highly incompatible elements however concentrations in bulk rocks are far higher than those measured in the cumulus phases in situ analyses of plagioclase have far lower concentrations of th zr and rare earth elements than icp ms analyses of bulk separates of plagioclase a difference that is attributed to the presence of trace element rich accessory phases in the bulk mineral separates we used these data to calculate the trace element composition of the magmas parental to the merensky unit and adjacent norites we argue that there is no reason to assume that the amount of trapped liquid in the merensky orthopyroxenite was far greater than in the norites and we found that the pyroxenite formed from a liquid with higher concentrations of incompatible trace elements than the liquid that formed the norites we propose that the bushveld complex was fed by magma from a deeper magma chamber that had been progressively assimilating its crustal wall rocks the magma that gave rise to the merensky unit was the more contaminated and unusually rich in incompatible trace elements and when it entered the main bushveld chamber it precipitated the unusual phases that characterize the merensky reef the hybrid magma segregated sulphides or platinum group element rich phases during the course of the contamination in the lower chamber these phases accumulated following irruption into the main bushveld chamber to form the merensky ore deposits

the behaviour of platinum group elements in basalts from the east greenland rifted margin the continental flood basalts of the east greenland volcanic rifted margin were extruded during continental breakup above the ancestral iceland mantle plume at 55 ma three distinct magma types the low ti high ti and very high ti series lts hts and vhts respectively are found intercalated in the 6 km thick plateau lava sequence incompatible trace elements indicate that the lts are derived from a more depleted mantle source compared to hts and vhts the lts is characterised by increasing cu 105 to 248 ppm and pd 7 to 24 ppb constant cu pd ratio 10 000 and decreasing ir 1 1 to 0 05 ppb and ru 1 8 to 0 3 ppb concentrations during magmatic differentiation 16 to 7 wt mgo the constant cu pd ratio reflects silicate and chromite dominated fractionation without concurrent segregation of sulphide s undersaturated differentiation is also indicated in the hts which also displays increasing pd 6 16 ppb and decreasing ir concentrations 1 to 0 05 ppb during differentiation and the cu pd ratios for the entire series average 21 000 however some hts samples have elevated cu pd ratios up to 33 000 cu pd ratios in the hts do not correlate with mgo and this is interpreted to reflect varying cu pd ratios of hts parental magmas rather than s saturated differentiation during s undersaturated differentiation of the lts and hts pt pd ratios decrease from 1 3 to 0 11 and 1 1 to 0 2 respectively which indicates that pd is much more incompatible than pt during s undersaturated differentiation the vhts consists exclusively of highly evolved samples with low mgo 6 6 6 1 wt and pd ir ratios 98 228 here cu pd ratios increase from 17 500 to 35 000 with decreasing cr concentrations which indicate that these magmas experienced silicate fractionation with concurrent segregation of sulphide the lts represent melting of a depleted source and show high pge concentrations and constant cu pd ratios during s undersaturated differentiation melting of a normal depleted upper mantle source generates s saturated melts morb and the depleted lts source is therefore considered an extraordinary s poor component within the ancestral iceland plume of the three series the vhts contain the largest contribution from enriched mantle portions the vhts have similar pge but much higher nb concentrations for instance compared to the most evolved lts and hts samples indicating that the enriched source contributes nb but not pge

the triple group and the platinova gold and palladium reefs in the skaergaard intrusion stratigraphic and petrographic relations this paper describes the setting structure and textural relations of the platinova reefs in the skaergaard intrusion the reefs comprise a strata bound occurrence of au pge estimated at 91 million tons of rock with 1 8 ppm au and similar amounts of pd the precious metals occur in two major zones a lower major pd reef which is concordant with the modal layering and followed by at least ten minor pd reefs also concordant and an au concentration which fringes the pd reefs outward and upward through the triple group units the major pd concentration and the au concentration are separated in a systematic way across the intrusion near the center of the intrusion the au concentration occurs some 60 m higher in the stratigraphy than the main pd reef but the separation decreases gradually outward being only a few meters near the margins the dominant precious metal minerals are small grains of cu fe au pd pt alloys which typically are included in interstitial sulfides bornite digenite and smaller amounts of chalcopyrite the textural relations suggest a close genetic association between the sulfides and au pge minerals an association which is confirmed by whole rock compositional data our observations demonstrate that the platinova reefs formed after significant concentration of the au pge and s in the residual magma during fractional crystallization before it became saturated with respect to a sulfide fe cu s o liquid this sulfide liquid acted as a collector of au pge and settled into the layered series cumulates we propose that the structure of the deposit evolved through fractional crystallization of the au pge bearing sulfide liquid as it was filter pressed along with the interstitial silicate melt upward into the overlying unconsolidated cumulates the fractional crystallization resulted in an evolution of the au pge bearing phases with progressive fractionation from pd rich alloys at the base of the deposit to au rich alloys at the top we argue that the sulfides evolved to their present extreme cu rich fe poor composition during oxidation desulfurization reactions in the same event which oxidized the iron titanium oxides of the intrusion this oxidation desulfurization probably had no overall effect on the distribution of au and pge

concentrations of rare earth elements in silicate rocks of the lower critical and main zones of the bushveld complex concentrations of rare earth elements in the lower critical and main zones of the bushveld complex at union section show distinct variation with stratigraphic height in that lower and lower critical zone cumulates are lree and th enriched ce sm 10 25 ce smn 3 65 th smn 6 17 over main zone cumulates ce sm 4 10 ce smn approximately 2 th smn 1 57 the upper critical zone constitutes a transitional interval in terms of ree concentrations ce sm 9 17 this pattern is broadly coupled albeit in a contraposed manner to that in initial sr isotopic ratio and confirms earlier studies that the bushveld complex crystallized from at least two compositionally distinct parental magmas mixing between the two magmas occurred as early as in the lower zone and is sensitively reflected by variation in ce sm th sm modal plagioclase and chromite while ree contents of the lower and critical zones are approximately 15 those of the corresponding b1 and b2 marginal rocks the main zone cumulates have similar ree contents to the b3 marginal rocks this suggests that the main zone rocks either crystallized from a highly viscous crystal mush without appreciable fractionation or from magma strongly ree enriched over the marginal rocks which would imply that the main zone is not represented in the suite of marginal rocks

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

melt segregation from partially molten source regions the importance of melt density and source region size the compressibility of basic melt at 1 atmosphere is about an order of magnitude higher than that of mantle minerals consequently the density contrast between melt and the principal residual crystals in mantle source regions is expected to decrease with increasing source region depth the increasingly olivine normative character of primary melts produced at greater depths is also expected to result in a decrease in this density contrast with increasing source region depth once vertical permeability is established by melt generated during partial melting buoyancy driven melt percolation can under some circumstances segregate melt from the residual crystals in its source region on a geologically rapid time scale limits to this process are provided by cooling of the source region freezing melt in and rigidity of the crystalline matrix mechanically trapping melt source region size influences these limits strongly consequently small partially molten diapirs km in diameter may be able to trap large melt fractions 30 but larger source regions would be unable to do so the reduction in density contrast with pressure reduces the buoyant force driving melt percolation and provides another limit to melt segregation diapirs at depth may thus stably contain large fractions of melt but may decompress and unload their melt during ascent this effect would be enhanced in small diapirs and may be relevant to the genesis of komatiitic magma melt compression may also be a factor in explaining why the very different maximum depths inferred for typical basic melt segregation from source regions on different planets 500 km on the moon 250 km on mars 100 km on earth correspond to similar pressures 25 35 kbar at greater pressures melt may no longer be capable under ordinary conditions of segregating upwards by buoyancy this may also help to explain why depleted peridotites overlie more fertile peridotites and how deep regions of the mantle are able to remain fertile over geologic time

petrogenesis of the merensky reef in the rustenburg section of the bushveld complex a petrogenetic model for the merensky reef in the rustenburg section of the bushveld complex has been developed based on detailed field and petrographic observations and electron microprobe data the model maintains that the reef formed by reaction of hydrous melt and a partially molten cumulate assemblage the model is devised to account for several key observations 1 although the dominant rock type in the rusterburg sections is pegmatoidal feldspathic pyroxenite there is a continous range of reef lithology from pyroxenite to pegmatoidal harzburgite and dunite and small amounts of olivine are present in nearly all pegmatoids 2 the pegmatoid is usually bounded above and below by chromitite seams and the basal chromitite separated from underlying norite by a centimeter thick layer of anorthosite the thicknesses of the two layers exhibit a well defined positive correlation 3 inclusion of pyroxenite identical to the hanging wall and of leuconorite identical to the footwall are present in the pegmatoid the leuconorite inclusions are surrounded by thin anorthosite and chromitite layers in the same sequence as that at the base of the reef 4 chromite in seams adjacent to plagioclase rich rocks is characterized by higher mg mg fe and al r3 and lower cr r3 than that in seams adjacent to pyroxene rich rocks similar variations in mineral compositions are observed across individual chromitite seams where the underlying and overlying rock types differ the chromite compositional variations cannot be rationalized in terms of either fractional crystallization or reequilibration with surrounding silicates it is proposed that the present reef was originally a melt rich horizon in norite immediately overlain by relatively crystallized pyroxenite magmatic vapor generated by crystallization of intercumulus melt migrated upward through fractures in the cumulate pile below the protoreef the melt rich protoreef became hydrated because fractures were unable to propagate through it and because the melt itself was water undersaturated hydration of the intercumulus melt was accompanied by melting and the hydration melting front migrated downward into the footwall and upward into the hanging wall in the footwall melting resulted first in the dissolution of orthopyroxene and then of plagioclase with continued hydration chromite was stabilized as melt alumina content increased the regular variations in chromite compositions reflect the original gradients in melt composition at the hydration front the stratigraphic sequence downward through the base of the reef or pegmatoid melt chromitite anorthosite norite represents the sequence of stable mineral assemblages across the hydration melting front the sequence is shown to be consistent with knowledge gained from experiments on melting of hydrous mafic systems at crustal pressures with cooling the hydrated mixture from partial melting of norite footwall and more mafic hanging wall crystallized in the sequence chromite olivine pyroxene plagioclase with peritectic loss of some olivine calculations of mass balance indicate that a significant proportion of the melt was lost from the melt rich horizon variations in the development of the pegmatoid and associated lithologies and amount of modal olivine in the pegmatoids along the strike of the merensky reef resulted because the processes of hydration melting and melt loss operated to varying extents

lead isotopic disequilibrium between sulfide and plagioclase in the bushveld complex and the chemical evolution of large layered intrusions abstract the pb isotopic compositions of coexisting plagioclase and sulfide from the bushveld complex were determined by laser ablation multi collector icpms la mc icpms the samples are of the upper critical zone in the northeast corner of the complex and were collected from drill core and underground mine exposures all the rocks are fresh and exhibit no evidence for alteration weathering or disruption of the pb isotope systematics subsequent to the initial cooling of the intrusion furthermore individual plagioclase and sulfide crystals do not contain enough u to warrant correction for radiogenic in growth for these reasons the measured pb isotope ratios approximate the initial ones for plagioclase 207pb 206pb ranges from 0 98 to 1 02 and 208pb 206pb from 2 26 to 2 35 low 207pb 206pb and 208pb 206pb ratios characterize grain boundaries and partially annealed microcracks some of which contain minute fragments of sulfide and other phases and this accounts for most if not all the heterogeneity exhibited by individual samples real compositional differences exist however in plagioclase from different lithologic layers for example plagioclase 207pb 206pb values vary from 1 004 in norite beneath the merensky pyroxenite to 1 009 in the mineralized pyroxenite and 0 997 in overlying norite in most samples in which sulfide and plagioclase coexist the sulfide 207pb 206pb ratio is lower and 208pb 206pb ratio higher than the corresponding ones in plagioclase for example in a mineralized merensky reef sample average sulfide 207pb 206pb and 208pb 206pb ratios are 0 993 and 2 313 respectively while those in plagioclase are 1 000 and 2 292 in one sample the sulfide is extremely heterogeneous with 207pb 206pb and 208pb 206pb ratios as low as 0 84 and 2 12 in this particular sample the compositions must represent an isolated occurrence of addition of a young pb component the array of sulfide and plagioclase compositions requires multiple sources of pb at the time of crystallization or soon thereafter the disequilibrium between plagioclase and sulfide implies that some of the pb originated from the isotopically distinct country rocks and was introduced at temperatures at which the composition of sulfide but not plagioclase could be modified thus bushveld sulfide and to some extent plagioclase do not reliably record the initial pb isotopic composition s of the parent magma s

the compaction of igneous and sedimentary rocks in many problems of interest to geology and soil mechanics a fluid moves through a solid matrix which is also being deformed in most cases of interest the effective viscosity of the matrix is many orders of magnitude greater than that of the percolating fluid and both form interconnected networks in three dimensions the partial differential equations governing such behaviour can now be obtained and a variety of simple model problems have been investigated some of the more surprising solutions contain solitary waves and compaction fronts some of the less exotic solutions are presently of more geological interest the mobility of volatile rich melts at melt fractions as small as 0 1 has important consequences for trace element geochemistry the geometry of layered intrusives appears to result from differential compaction of the crystal mush and the rates required can be used to estimate a viscosity of 3 x 10 18 pa s for an olivine matrix this value agrees excellently with laboratory experiments when proper account is taken of the grain size dependence compaction in sedimentary rocks results in overpressure when the porosity becomes sufficiently small and can also lead to the development of secondary porosity