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Gold/Mining/Energy : Platinum Group Metals (PGMs) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Just G who wrote (41)	3/29/1999 2:14:00 PM
From: DRT	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 529

Here are a few pointers on what to look for (from someone who knows PGMs far better than I): 1. Are the major ore forming processes at work? - magma mixing leading to sulphide liquation (sulphide droplets), sulphide suspension (convection to allow sulphide droplets time to scavenge PGE's from the melt, crystal settling to concentrate droplets, and deuteric alteration (volatile flushing) to up grade further. 2. The size of an intrusion is critical (the larger the intrusion the greater the potential for PGMs to concentrate in a deposit). 3. The intrusion must be of suitable host rock (mafic to ultramafic) and preferably layered: crystal settling processes are extremely important as an ore forming process. You need sulphides coming out of solution due to wall rock contamination or magma mixing to precipitate. A consistent gabbro (mafic) does not have an ore forming process at work. Look for gabbronorite, anorthositic gabbros which may indicate magmas of favourable composition. Deuteric alteration may or may not be important but usually acts to concentrate PGM's further. My read on MMIN is it may not be economic given the depth - particularly, if Amplats operations in the Bushveld complex are the benchmark (consistent grades of 5-6 g/t at depth). DRT