Knowledge-Driven Prospectivity Mapping for Granite-Related Polymetallic Sn–F–(REE) mineralization, Bushveld Igneous Complex, South Africa

Abstract

This paper presents mineral prospectivity mapping to identify potential new exploration ground for polymetallic Sn–F–REE mineralization associated with the Bushveld granites of the Bushveld Igneous Complex, South Africa. The Lebowa Granite Suite, commonly known as the Bushveld granites, is host to a continuum of polymetallic mineralization with a wide range of metal assemblages (Sn–Mo–W–Cu–Pb–Zn–As–Au–Ag–Fe–F–U–REE), ranging from a high-temperature to a low-temperature magmatic hydrothermal mineralizing environment. The prospectivity map was generated by fuzzy logic modeling and a selection of targeting criteria (or spatial proxies) based on a conceptual mineral system highlighting critical processes responsible for the formation of the polymetallic mineralization. The spatial proxies include proximity to differentiated granites (as heat and metal-rich fluid sources), Rb geochemical map (fluid-focusing mechanism such as fractionation process), principal component maps (PC 4 Y–Th and PC 14 Sn–W, fluid pathways for both high- and low-temperature mineralization) and proximity to roof rocks (traps for fluids). Logarithmic functions were used to rescale rasterized evidential maps into continuous fuzzy membership scores in a range of [0, 1]. The evidential maps were combined in two-staged integration matrix using fuzzy AND, OR and gamma operators to produce the granite-related polymetallic Sn–F–(REE) prospectivity map. The conceptual mineral system model and corresponding prospectivity model developed in this study yielded an encouraging result by delineating the known mineral deposits and occurrences of Sn–F–(REE) mineralization that were not used to assign weights to the evidential maps. The prospectivity model predicted, on average, 77% of the known mineral occurrences in the BIC (i.e., 56 of 73 Sn occurrences, 12 of 15 F occurrences and 6 of 8 REE occurrences). Based on this validation, 13 new targets were outlined in this study.