Petrological, mineralogical and geochemical constraints of PGE-Ni-Cu mineralization in the platreef and implications for mineral exploration

金属的持续供应对经济发展和增长至关重要，因为金属是工业化社会的支柱。该项目旨在提高我们对主要含有铂(铂)、钯(Pd)和金(Au)，但也含有大量Rh(Rh)、镍(Ni)和铜(Cu)的矿床的成因和分布的了解。这些金属有广泛的用途。例如，除了作为投资工具的价值外，铂和钯还是催化过程和包括汽车工业在内的几个部门对污染控制的高需求中的基本元素。该项目提供了一个独特的机会，详细描述世界上已知的最大的铂、钯、铝矿化之一：Platreef(南非布什维尔德火成岩杂岩)。该项目将解决两个基本问题：(A)哪些过程控制了矿化厚度的空间分布和变化？(B)哪些特殊特征可以用作“勘探载体”，以更好地确定已知矿化的范围，并在其他地方找到类似的矿床？(在南非和全世界，包括加拿大未开发的北部)。对这些问题的回答将使矿产勘探更有效率、更具成本效益，并更成功地找到新的矿藏。该项目围绕高素质人才的培训而设计，几名研究生(4名硕士和2名博士)将直接参与该项目。除了工业合作伙伴外，该项目还得到了加拿大的两项倡议的支持：女王伊丽莎白二世钻石周年纪念奖学金计划和国际发展研究中心(IDRC)。NSERC的支持有助于实现这两个加拿大机构在促进与发展中国家的研究和合作以及在英联邦国家的大学建设技术能力方面的目标。

A continuous supply of metals is essential for economic development and growth because metals are thebackbone of industrialized societies. This project aims to improve our understanding of the genesis anddistribution of deposits containing primarily platinum (Pt), palladium (Pd), and gold (Au) but also containingsignificant amounts of rhodium (Rh), nickel (Ni), and copper (Cu). These metals have a wide range ofapplications. For example, in addition to their value as investment instruments, Pt and Pd are essential elementsin catalytic processes and in high demand for pollution control in several sectors, including the automotiveindustry.The project provides a unique opportunity to characterize, in detail, one of the largest known Pt, Pd, Aumineralizations worldwide: the Platreef (Bushveld Igneous Complex, South Africa). The project will addresstwo fundamental questions: (a) which processes controlled the spatial distribution and variations in thethickness of the mineralization?; (b) what particular characteristics can be used as 'exploration vectors' to betterdefine the extent of known mineralization and find similar deposits elsewhere? (in South Africa andworldwide, including Canada's unexplored north). Answers to these questions will make mineral explorationmore efficient, cost-effective, and more successful in finding new deposits.The project is designed around the training of highly-qualified personnel and several graduate students (4MSc and 2 PhD) will be directly involved in the project. In addition to the industrial partner, the project issupported by two Canadian initiatives: the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Scholarship Program and theInternational Development Research Centre (IDRC). NSERC support contributes to fulfil the goals of the twoCanadian institutions in fostering research and collaboration with developing countries and buildingtechnological capacity in universities of Commonwealth countries.