Bushveld Igneous Complex

E558575

The Bushveld Igneous Complex is a vast layered mafic intrusion in South Africa renowned as the world’s largest known source of platinum-group metals, chromium, and vanadium.

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Statements (64)

Predicate Object
instanceOf geological formation
igneous complex
layered mafic intrusion
approximateAgeInMillionsOfYears 2050
approximateArealExtentInSquareKilometers 66000
continent Africa
country South Africa
discoveryCentury 19th century
economicImportance major global source of chromium
major global source of vanadium
world’s largest known source of platinum-group metals
formationProcess large layered mafic magma chamber differentiation
geologicalAge Paleoproterozoic
hasPart Chromitite layers
Critical Zone
Eastern Limb NERFINISHED
Far Western Limb NERFINISHED
Lebowa Granite Suite NERFINISHED
Lower Zone NERFINISHED
Main Zone NERFINISHED
Merensky Reef NERFINISHED
Northern Limb NERFINISHED
Platreef NERFINISHED
Rooiberg Group NERFINISHED
Rustenburg Layered Suite NERFINISHED
UG2 Reef NERFINISHED
Upper Zone
Western Limb NERFINISHED
hostCraton Kaapvaal Craton NERFINISHED
locatedIn Bushveld region NERFINISHED
Gauteng Province NERFINISHED
Limpopo Province NERFINISHED
Mpumalanga Province NERFINISHED
North West Province NERFINISHED
northern South Africa
notableFeature laterally extensive ore horizons
well-developed magmatic layering
notableMiningDistrict Polokwane area
Rustenburg mining district NERFINISHED
oreDepositType layered mafic intrusion PGE deposit
stratiform chromitite deposit
vanadium-bearing magnetite deposit
produces chromite
iridium
osmium
palladium
platinum
rhodium
ruthenium
vanadiferous magnetite
rockType anorthosite
gabbroic rock
granite
granophyre
harzburgite
mafic rock
norite
pyroxenite
ultramafic rock
studiedInDiscipline economic geology
geochemistry
petrology
tectonics
tectonicSetting intracratonic basin

Referenced by (3)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Kaapvaal Craton contains Bushveld Igneous Complex
Kalahari Craton contains Bushveld Igneous Complex
Rustenburg near Bushveld Igneous Complex