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The Bushveld Complex

The document summarizes research on the Bushveld Complex in South Africa. It describes the geological formations and intrusions that make up the complex based on studies from the 1980s. These include layered igneous rocks, metamorphic aureoles, and mineral deposits. The paper compiles these various studies to provide a simplified overview of the processes that formed the different rock units in the Bushveld Complex over hundreds of millions of years.

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Jomarie Binas
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49 views11 pages

The Bushveld Complex

The document summarizes research on the Bushveld Complex in South Africa. It describes the geological formations and intrusions that make up the complex based on studies from the 1980s. These include layered igneous rocks, metamorphic aureoles, and mineral deposits. The paper compiles these various studies to provide a simplified overview of the processes that formed the different rock units in the Bushveld Complex over hundreds of millions of years.

Uploaded by

Jomarie Binas
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

The Bushveld Complex:

Introduction and Review


G. VON GRUENEWALDT, MARTIN R. SHARPE, AND C. J. HATTON
Introduction

• The paper introduced the Bushveld complex (it’s formations, their


compositions, their origins and how these formations developed over
time).
• The objective of the paper was to depict a simplified picture of what
existed in the Bushveld complex and what processes may have
occurred that may lead to the explanations of the different formations
encompassed by the complex.

• The paper compiled different research works that explains the different
intrusions, metamorphic auroles, layered suites, mineral deposits,
mineralized and non-mineralized layers and other formations in the
complex.
• The major source of the research works that were used in the paper, is
from the symposium on the Bushveld Complex which was held at the
University of Pretoria from October 31 to November 2, 1983.
Discussion

• Bushveld complex map


• The Bushveld Complex lies within the bounds of the Transvaal basin,
in which a 12-km-thick succession of clastic and chemical sedimentary
rocks was deposited.
• The Transvaal sequence consist of alternating flows of acid, basaltic,
and andesitic lava and is represented by the 1.5-km-thick Dullstroom
lavas.
• The lavas in the rocks are not precisely known but have tholeiitic and
calc-alkaline affinities.
• Included in the Transvaal Basin is the Abel Erasmus Pass lavas.
• Magmatic events that commenced with the extrusion of the Abel
Erasmus Pass lavas and ended with the intrusion of the Bushveld
granites occurred on a period of several hundred million years.
• A wide variety mafic sills intrude rocks in the Bushveld complex as a
response to the subsidence of Transvaal Basin and are now represented
as an amphibolitic pre-Bushveld sill suite.
• A consensus from the researchers stated that 2 main types of magma
were involved during it’s evolution.(The 2 types were termed U
(ultramafic) and A (Anorthositic)).
• The detailed chronological addition of other magmas are unknown.
Conclusion

• The nearest conclusion the paper had given is the summary of how the
Bushveld complex formed along with the different processes that
occurred and its magmatic and intrusive origin. Most of the papers used
were not able to explain how the mineral deposits were formed but they
were able to piece together a clear picture on what the complex is.
Assessment

• The paper was a collection of different minds. Each researchers


contributed their work and expertise on the subject matter to deliver not
a finding. But more of a tapestry of the topic. Each work complimented
(and possible contradicted) the work of another weaving through, to
produce the compilation that paper presented.
Reference:

• Hatton, C.J. & et. al.(1985) The Bushveld Complex:Introduction and Review.
Economic Geology. 80(803-812).DOI: 10.2113/ .
gsecongeo.80.4.803

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