Abstract
Abstract. A scientific drilling project in the Bushveld Igneous Complex in South Africa has been proposed to contribute to the following scientific topics of the International Continental Drilling Program (ICDP): large igneous provinces and mantle plumes, natural resources, volcanic systems and thermal regimes, and deep life. An interdisciplinary team of researchers from eight countries met in Johannesburg to exchange ideas about the scientific objectives and a drilling strategy to achieve them. The workshop identified drilling targets in each of the three main lobes of the Bushveld Complex, which will integrate existing drill cores with new boreholes to establish permanently curated and accessible reference profiles of the Bushveld Complex. Coordinated studies of this material will address fundamental questions related to the origin and evolution of parental Bushveld magma(s), the magma chamber processes that caused layering and ore formation, and the role of crust vs. mantle in the genesis of Bushveld granites and felsic volcanic units. Other objectives are to study geophysical and geodynamic aspects of the Bushveld intrusion, including crustal stresses and thermal gradient, and to determine the nature of deep groundwater systems and the biology of subsurface microbial communities.
Highlights
With on the order of 1 million km3 of igneous rocks, the Bushveld Igneous Complex is by far the world’s largest igneous intrusion, preserving a unique record of magma chamber processes on a truly grand scale
The enormous size and rapid emplacement of the Bushveld intrusion poses first-order questions about how vast amounts of magma are generated from the mantle and emplaced in the crust, and what consequences these processes have, both geodynamically and in terms of the palaeo-environment
The complex contains fabulous mineral wealth, with world-class deposits of strategic and precious metals that are vital for both the South African and global economies. Most important of these are the platinum-group metals for which Bushveld alone contains on the order of 70 % of known world reserves, but there are very important other commodities including Cr and V
Summary
With on the order of 1 million km of igneous rocks, the Bushveld Igneous Complex is by far the world’s largest igneous intrusion, preserving a unique record of magma chamber processes on a truly grand scale. The complex contains fabulous mineral wealth, with world-class deposits of strategic and precious metals that are vital for both the South African and global economies Most important of these are the platinum-group metals for which Bushveld alone contains on the order of 70 % of known world reserves, but there are very important other commodities including Cr and V. The economic importance of the Bushveld Complex means that the mining and mineral support industries are very active This is an advantage for the ICDP project because of the local drilling expertise, and because of industry involvement, with inkind contributions of data and core materials to the archive, and possibly with help to offset the drilling costs. – establishing working groups and a steering committee to carry the momentum forward to a full drilling proposal
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