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The hydrothermal Waterberg platinum deposit, Mookgophong (Naboomspruit), South Africa. Part II: Quartz chemistry, fluid inclusions and geochronology

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 April 2018

Alfons M. van den Kerkhof ,
Graciela M. Sosa ,
Thomas Oberthür ,
Frank Melcher ,
Tobias Fusswinkel ,
Andreas Kronz ,
Klaus Simon  and
István Dunkl
Alfons M. van den Kerkhof*
Affiliation:
Geowissenschaftliches Zentrum der Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Goldschmidtstrasse 1–3, D-37077 Göttingen, Germany
Graciela M. Sosa
Affiliation:
Geowissenschaftliches Zentrum der Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Goldschmidtstrasse 1–3, D-37077 Göttingen, Germany
Thomas Oberthür
Affiliation:
Bundesanstalt für Geowissenschaften und Rohstoffe (BGR), Stilleweg 2, D-30655 Hannover, Germany
Frank Melcher
Affiliation:
Institute of Geology and Economic Geology, University of Leoben, Peter-Tunner-Straße 5, A-8700 Leoben, Austria
Tobias Fusswinkel
Affiliation:
Institute of Applied Mineralogy and Economic Geology, RWTH Aachen University, Wüllnerstraße 2, D-52062 Aachen, Germany
Andreas Kronz
Affiliation:
Geowissenschaftliches Zentrum der Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Goldschmidtstrasse 1–3, D-37077 Göttingen, Germany
Klaus Simon
Affiliation:
Geowissenschaftliches Zentrum der Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Goldschmidtstrasse 1–3, D-37077 Göttingen, Germany
István Dunkl
Affiliation:
Geowissenschaftliches Zentrum der Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Goldschmidtstrasse 1–3, D-37077 Göttingen, Germany
*
*E-mail: akerkho@gwdg.de
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Abstract

The historic Waterberg platinum deposit, ~15 km WNW of Mookgophong (formerly Naboomspruit), Limpopo Province, South Africa, is a rare fault-bound hydrothermal vein-type quartz-hematite-platinum-group mineralization. As a continuation of the geochemistry and ore mineralogy studies (Part I, Oberthür et al., 2018), this paper concentrates on the ore-bearing quartz and on the age constraints of ore formation. The state-of-the-art methods used include cathodoluminescence microscopy, electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) of trace elements, stable isotope (δ18O) analysis and fluid-inclusion studies. U-Pb and (U-Th)/He radiometric age determination gave ages of 900–1075 Ma suggesting platinum-group element (PGE) mineralization as a result of upwelling fluids with connection to the Bushveld complex during Kibaran tectonic movements along the Thabazimbi–Murchison Lineament. Felsic fragments containing Qtz-1 were cemented by different quartz generations (Qtz-2 to Qtz-4) and enable the characterization of the changing physicochemical parameters during multistage mineralization and cooling. The PGE minerals are associated with the earliest hydrothermal stage represented by botryoidal radial-fibrous quartz aggregates (Qtz-2a) which formed on brecciated felsite. The other quartz types are essentially barren. Cathodoluminescence studies of quartz indicate very high Al, Fe and K concentrations as confirmed by EPMA and LA-ICP-MS, whereas Ti is always very low. The varying Al concentrations in the quartz mainly indicate pH fluctuations, the high Fe3+ points at high oxygen fugacity. Micro-inclusions of iron oxide are associated with Pt ore (Fe, Pt, Pd, Au, W, Sb, As), rutile, kaolinite and muscovite. The hydrothermal activity must have been characterized by low saline (<10 wt%) H2O–NaCl solutions. These fluids mixed with original high-saline NaCl ± CaCl2 ± CO2 brines in the brecciated felsite (Qtz-1). According to the quartz-hematite geothermometer the ore depositional temperatures were ~370–330°C (Qtz-2a), whereas the successive quartz veins formed during cooling towards ~295°C. The transport of PGE must have been facilitated by strongly oxidizing chloride complexes of relatively low salinity and moderate acidity.

Keywords

Waterberg platinum depositquartz-hematite-PGE mineralizationfluid inclusionscathodoluminescencetrace elements in quartzoxygen isotopeshematite geochronology
Type
Article
Information
Mineralogical Magazine , Volume 82 , Special Issue 3: Special Issue dedicated to the work and memory of Professor Hazel M. Prichard (1954–2017) , June 2018 , pp. 751 - 778
Copyright
Copyright © Mineralogical Society of Great Britain and Ireland 2018 

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Footnotes

Associate Editor: Brian O'Driscoll

This paper is published as part of a thematic set in memory of Professor Hazel M. Prichard

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