ICDPInternational Continental Scientific Drilling Program

In April, 2021 BVDP scientists at the University of the Free State in Bloemfontein began logging...

In April, 2021 BVDP scientists at the University of the Free State in Bloemfontein began logging 6000 -meters of donated drill cores from the Bushveld complex, marking the start of the first phase of operation. These drill cores cover the upper two-thirds of the 9 km-thick Bushveld layered intrusion and their donation by Impala Platinum Ltd. is a major contribution to the success of the project. Research projects from Germany and South Africa have been funded to commence work on the drill cores once the logging and documentation is completed. One goal is to identify breaks in the variation of density and mineral composition with height that may mark episodes of recharge into the magma chamber. Another is to develop methods to combine EDXRF (energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence), hyperspectral and LIBS (laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy) scanning to achieve rapid 2-D quantification of mineral modes, textures and composition.

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