Geochemical and Petrographic Characterization of the Transition Boundary between the MG2 package to MG3 package at Dwarsrivier Chrome Mine, Bushveld Complex, South Africa

Magister Scientiae - MSc (Earth Science)This study area is situated within the Eastern Bushveld complex at Dwarsrivier chrome mine, which is approximately 30 km from Steelpoort and 60km from Lydenburg in the Mpumalanga province. The primary aim of the project is to identify the petrological and geochemical characteristics that can be used to distinguish the various rock types of feldspathic pyroxenites, chromitites, anorthosites and chromitite pyroxenites and determine whether the various rock types are from the MG2 package and MG3 package were formed from a single or multiple magma pulses. The geochemical and mineralogical variation studies were carried out using cores from borehole DWR74 and DWR172 located on the farm Dwarsrivier 372 KT. Using the combination of various multivariate statistical techniques (factor, cluster and discriminant analysis) multi element diagrams and trace element ratios, the outcome of the study demonstrated that each of the four rock types can be sub-divided into two groups