Controls on magmatic sulfide Ni-Cu-Co-PGE mineralisation: Tales from South Africa and NE Scotland

Talk Summary:

Nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), cobalt (Co) and the platinum-group elements (PGE) are essential for the growth of many sustainable and environmentally friendly technologies. These include electric vehicles, hydrogen fuel cells and battery technologies, all markets which are expected to grow exponentially in the coming decades. Therefore, it is becoming increasingly important to better understand the deposits which host these critical minerals, in particular focussing on the source of their metal budgets, and their magmatic emplacement. all processes which are vital for developing exploration models. 

The Platreef, northern limb of the Bushveld Complex, South Africa, is widely regarded as one of the world’s largest resources of PGEs. These PGE occur alongside significant amounts of base metals (Ni, Cu, Co) also found in the northern limb. The mineralised portion of the Platreef contains PGE grades comparable, if not higher, with the world renowned Merensky Reef of the western and eastern Bushveld. However, the Platreef is enigmatic in it’s formation, and differs geologically and geochemically from the Merensky Reef in several keys way, the causes and consequences of which are still to be fully understood. 

Ni-Cu sulfide mineralisation was first discovered at Arthrath, Aberdeenshire, by Rio Tinto in 1968 during a regional exploration programme. The Arthrath intrusion is part of a larger suite of mafic-ultramafic rocks within NE Scotland, believed to have formed at 470 Ma during the Grampian Event of the larger Caledonian Orogeny. Today, Aberdeen Minerals is focussed on further developing the Arthrath Ni-Cu-Co project through drilling and cutting-edge exploration techniques, as well as assessing the regional prospectivity for magmatic sulfide mineralisation.  

Bio:

Dr Erin Thompson completed her PhD at the Centre for Sustainable Resource Extraction, University of Leicester, and her MSci degree in Earth Sciences at Durham University in 2019. Her PhD research focused on the magmatic and structural controls on Ni-Cu-PGE mineralization in the northern Bushveld Complex, South Africa and developing tools for a revised mineral systems framework for Ni-Cu-PGE deposits globally. She is now working as an Exploration Geologist for Aberdeen Minerals, working to further the understanding of the Arthrath Ni-Cu-Co project, which contains the largest nickel deposit in the UK, and the surrounding district.