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The Bushveld Complex Drilling Project

Project Acronym: BVDP | State: Moratorium | Expedition ID: 5067

With on the order of 1 million km3 of igneous rocks, the Bushveld Complex by itself constitutes a Large Igneous Province. Its size alone poses first-order questions about how such vast volumes of magma are generated from the mantle. However, apart from its size, the Bushveld has several other features that make it remarkable.

  1. Unlike most Large Igneous Provinces, the Bushveld Complex is largely plutonic and represents the roots of such systems...
  2. The Bushveld Complex is bimodal in composition, with subequal proportions of mafic and felsic igneous rocks...
  3. The Bushveld Complex contains fabulous mineral wealth, with resources of strategic and high-tech metals...

Keywords: Africa, South Africa, Bushveld, Deep Biosphere, Layered Intrusions, Lips, Ore Formation

Cores are stored at CGS, National Core Library at Donkerhoek, South Africa

Project Management

Project Details

Project Description

Title:
The Bushveld Complex Drilling Project (BVDP) (BVDP)
Proposed in:
2019
Current State:
Operational Phase
Proposal abstract:
n.a.
Geologic age:
Late Archean
Number of drillsites (drillholes):
n.a.
Drilled length:
10735.13 m (11 wellholes/hole attempts/hole deepenings/sidetracks total)
Cored length:
10721.35 m
Core recovered, length:
506.55 m
Core recovered length / Cored length:
4.7%
Core recovered / Drilled length:
4.7%
Expedition #
5067
Location
Africa, South Africa, Bushveld, South Africa
Coordinates
-26.0000, 30.0000
Status
Operational Phase

Project Location

Project Timeline

Drilling Operations

Drilling in Burgersfort 04/2024 - 08/2025 (Site 3)

Curation of 9 km of Donated Cores

Full Proposal Approved

First Full Proposal Submitted

Workshop Held

7 - 9 September 2014 in Johannesburg, South Africa

Workshop Proposal Approved