At one time I was attached to a research project that studied the drill core from a deep stratigraphic borehole drilled into the layered mafic/ultramafic rocks of the northern Bushveld Complex. Drilling to a depth of 2945.5 m was carried out over a period of ten months, and completed in late 1991. The core recovered from the drilling phase of the project represents a continuous record of magmatic stratigraphy, starting from the roof granites, through the Upper Zone, and ending about midway into the Main Zone. Continue reading
Bushveld Complex
Facies of the Merensky Reef
Mention reef facies to most geologists and they might conjure up a mental image of a carbonate reef complex. But to geologists working in the Bushveld Complex, reef facies is a descriptive term used to account for the variation a single mineralized horizon exhibits within the layered ultramafic-mafic sequence. One such horizon is that of the Merensky Reef, which has been laterally subdivided into different facies based on modal characteristics and textural appearance of the reef itself. The inherent complexities of these reef facies are revealed by detailed logging of numerous diamond drill cores through stratigraphic intervals. Continue reading