Abstract
The Atok Platinum Mine is situated in the northeastern portion of the Bushveld Igneous Complex. From the top, the succession consists of mottled anorthosite, spotted norite, porphyritic pyroxenite with two chromitite seams, pegmatoid, and banded footwall norite. Platinum mineralization is usually confined to the porphyritic pyroxenite in and between the chromitite seams. Platinum values correlate closely with the nickel, copper, and chromium contents of the ore.Braggite and cooperite are the most abundant platinum group minerals, with smaller quantities of laurite, sperrylite, moncheite, paolovite, a new mineral atokite (Pt,Pd) 3 Sn, and compounds of Pd with Sn, Sb, and As. The platinum group minerals are preferentially associated with the sulfide minerals.It is thought that platinum mineralization is connected with the pegmatoid, which may represent a late differentiate rich in volatiles, that a sulfide liquid acted as a collector of platinum group metals, and that chromite acted as a precipitant.
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