The Bushveld igneous complex contains one of the richest ore deposits on Earth. The reserves of chromium, platinum, palladium, osmium, iridium, rhodium, and ruthenium are the world's largest along with vast quantities of iron, tin, titanium, and vanadium. The complex is a vast layered mafic intrusion. The complex is located in the Transvaal just north of Pretoria in South Africa centered at about 25° S and 29° E. Iron ore (Banded iron formation) Manganese ore Lead ore Gold ore An ore is a mineral deposit containing a metal or other valuable resource in economically viable concentrations. ... General Name, Symbol, Number chromium, Cr, 24 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 6, 4, d Appearance silvery metallic Atomic mass 51. ... General Name, Symbol, Number platinum, Pt, 78 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 10, 6, d Appearance grayish white Atomic mass 195. ... General Name, Symbol, Number palladium, Pd, 46 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 10, 5, d Appearance silvery white metallic Atomic mass 106. ... General Name, Symbol, Number osmium, Os, 76 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 8, 6, d Appearance silvery, blue cast Atomic mass 190. ... General Name, Symbol, Number iridium, Ir, 77 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 9, 6, d Appearance silvery white Atomic mass 192. ... Rh redirects here. ... General Name, Symbol, Number ruthenium, Ru, 44 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 8, 5, d Appearance silvery white metallic Atomic mass 101. ... General Name, Symbol, Number iron, Fe, 26 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 8, 4, d Appearance lustrous metallic with a grayish tinge Atomic mass 55. ... General Name, Symbol, Number tin, Sn, 50 Chemical series poor metals Group, Period, Block 14, 5, p Appearance silvery lustrous gray Atomic mass 118. ... General Name, Symbol, Number titanium, Ti, 22 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 4, 4, d Appearance silvery metallic Atomic mass 47. ... Vanadium is a chemical element in the periodic table that has the symbol V and atomic number 23. ... In geology, mafic minerals are silicate minerals, magmas, and volcanic and intrusive igneous rocks that have relatively high concentrations of the heavier elements. ... Pluton redirects here. ... Flag of Transvaal The Transvaal (lit. ... City motto: Praestantia Praevaleat Pretoria (May Pretoria Be Pre-eminent In Excellence) Province Gauteng Area  - % water 1,644 km² 0. ...

It is over 67,000 km² in lateral extent, an area the size of Ireland. The complex varies in thickness with a section of the Eastern Belt reaching 7780 meters thick. The lithologies vary from largely ultramafic peridotite, chromitite, harzburgite, and bronzitite in the lower sections to mafic norite, anorthosite, and gabbro toward the top. Ultramafic rocks are igneous rocks with very low silica content (less than 45%) and are composed of usually greater than 90% mafic minerals (dark colored, high magnesium and iron content). ... Peridotite Peridotite is a dense, coarse grained ultramafic rock, consisting mainly of the minerals olivine and pyroxene. ... In geology, mafic minerals are silicate minerals, magmas, and volcanic and intrusive igneous rocks that have relatively high concentrations of the heavier elements. ... Norite is a mafic intrusive igneous rock composed largely of the calcium rich plagioclase labradorite and hypersthene with olivine. ... Anorthosite is a phaneritic, intrusive igneous rock characterized by a predominance of plagioclase feldspar (90-100%), and a minimal mafic component (0-10%). Pyroxene, ilmenite, magnetite, and olivine are the mafic minerals most commonly present. ... Gabbro Gabbro is a dark, coarse-grained, intrusive igneous rock that is chemichly equivalent to basalt. ...

The origin of the vast complex has been attributed to a huge sill or lopolithic intrusion or a vast surface volcanic flow, both now considered to be a result of a huge meteorite impact. The mafic to ultramafic layered intrusive has been dated at 1.9 billion years of age and lies between Proterozoic sediments below and felsite volcanics and arkose above. It was later intruded by granite. This article is about volcanoes in geology. ... A meteorite is a small extraterrestrial body that impacts the Earths surface. ... In geology, the Proterozoic is an eon prior to the first abundant complex life on earth. ... Felsite is a very fine to cryptocrystalline igneous rock that may or may not contain larger crystals, called phenocrysts, that are typical of many porphyritic igneous rocks. ... Arkose is a kind of sandstone combining of quartz and with large amounts of feldspar. ... Quarrying granite for the Mormon Temple, Utah Territory. ...

The orebodies within the comples are associated with chromitite layers consisting of up to 90% chromite along with a variable platinum group mineral association. The Merensky Reef is the richest and varies from 30 to 90 cm in thickness. It is a norite with extensive chromitite and sulfide layers or zones containing the ore. The Reef contains an average of 10 ppm platinum group metals in pyrrhotite, pentlandite, and pyrite as well as in rare platinum group minerals and alloys. Chromite, iron magnesium chromium oxide: (Fe,Mg)Cr2O4, is an oxide mineral belonging to the spinel group. ... Pyrrhotite is an unusual iron sulfide mineral with a variable iron content: Fe(1-x)S (x = 0 to 0. ... Pentlandite is a iron-nickel sulfide, (Fe,Ni)9S8. ... The mineral pyrite, or iron pyrite, is iron disulfide, FeS2. ...

References

• Guilbert, John M., and Park, Charles F., Jr. (1986) The Geology of Ore Deposits, Freeman, ISBN 0-7167-1456-6