Potgietersrus, South Africa
Scientists are studying one of the most interesting raw material provinces in the world ”.
South African and German researchers are on the verge of conducting scientific drilling at the Bushveld Complex, the largest mining area in the world. Its goal is to clarify several unresolved scientific issues related to the formation of the unique rock body and associated mineral deposits.
According to Freddie Roelofse, associate professor at the Department of Geology at the University of the Free State, two drill holes are being drilled in the project, including one 600 meter deep hole north of
and an 3 kilometer deep hole northwest of Burgersfort.
Bushveld South Africa
The Bushveld complex is located in the South African provinces of Limpopo, Mpumalanga, northwest South Africa and Gauteng and hosts much of the global platinum group elements, chromium and vanadium resources, and large deposits of copper, nickel, gold, tin, iron, fluorite and limestone ,
"By 2006, more than 200 million ounces of platinum had been mined from the Bushveld Complex, and an estimated 1 billion ounces at depths of 5 kilometer to 6,8 kilometers," said a press release from the university. "At current production rates, the complex is unlikely to be mined for the next 700 years, as much of the ore deeper than a kilometer is still intact."
In addition to the South African mining industry, the surrounding communities will benefit from these activities as one of the research priorities is the potential for groundwater abstraction from rocks to improve access to the resource.
The drilling crew will also be able to measure the water temperature in the wells to determine the geothermal energy potential of the complex.
Mining / ISE - September 2019
