Abstract:
Parental magma composition to layered ultramafic to mafic intrusions are commonly studied
using rocks occurring along their contact with the surrounding country rock. These include
sills, dykes and/or rare chill margins. In comparison to the well-studied ~2.05 Ga Bushveld
Complex layered intrusion, no study is available on the parental magma composition of the
Molopo Farms Complex layered intrusion in southern Botswana. With a size, approximately
1/3rd of the Bushveld Complex, mafic to ultramafic rocks of the Molopo Farms Complex are
suggested to have formed from the same magma that formed the Bushveld rocks. Of the
different drill cores available, the base of MF38 intersects the country rock. Two other drill
cores, MF9 and MF11, were also logged for comparison. MF38 preserves remobilized country rock at the base, followed up by mafic (norite) to ultramafic (peridotite-pyroxenite)
rocks. The norite is quench textured with elongate, skeletal, compositionally zoned
orthopyroxene crystals, and contain phlogopite. Significantly, the orthopyroxene mineral
chemical composition is similar to that reported for chill margins from the Bushveld
Complex. Together with the remobilized country rock beneath, norite at the base of MF38 is
interpreted to represent a marginal facies unit. Close similarity with whole-rock geochemical
characteristics of chill margin and B1 compositions from the Bushveld Complex argues for
the marginal facies norite to represent the earliest known parental magma composition to
the Molopo Farms Complex. In contrast to the typical cumulate textured ultramafic rocks, a medium-grained phlogopite-bearing pyroxenite occurs higher up the stratigraphy in MF38,
and is considered compositional equivalent to B1UM from the Bushveld Complex. Geochemical exercise also indicates that the gabbronorites from MF9 preserve compositions
equivalent to B3, considered parental to differentiated end members of the Bushveld
Complex. No compositional equivalent to B2 from the Bushveld Complex was observed in
the Molopo Farms Complex rocks. Considering the fact that the Molopo Farms Complex is
less thick than the Bushveld Complex, and it preserves mafic and ultramafic rocks showing
similarity to the earliest magma (B1, B1UM and chill margins) as well as the most
differentiated of the Bushveld magma (B3), it is argued that the Molopo Farms Complex
evolved faster and likely did not form rocks of the Bushveld Complex, which hosts the
chromite-bearing layers (known for PGE mineralization). Instead, it is argued that the Molopo Farms Complex is a better target for Cu-Ni sulphide mineralization. The studied
samples, including the marginal facies unit, hosts a sulphide assemblage of pyrrhotite,
pentlandite and chalcopyrite with traces of pyrite and sphalerite, the association similar to
that typically found in layered mafic to ultramafic rocks.
Jacob, K (2024). Marginal facies and compositional equivalents of Bushveld Parental sills from the Molopo farms complex layered intrusion, Botswana: petrogenetic and mineralization implications. Afribary. Retrieved from https://track.afribary.com/works/marginal-facies-and-compositional-equivalents-of-bushveld-parental-sills-from-the-molopo-farms-complex-layered-intrusion-botswana-petrogenetic-and-mineralization-implications
Jacob, Kaavera "Marginal facies and compositional equivalents of Bushveld Parental sills from the Molopo farms complex layered intrusion, Botswana: petrogenetic and mineralization implications" Afribary. Afribary, 30 Mar. 2024, https://track.afribary.com/works/marginal-facies-and-compositional-equivalents-of-bushveld-parental-sills-from-the-molopo-farms-complex-layered-intrusion-botswana-petrogenetic-and-mineralization-implications. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.
Jacob, Kaavera . "Marginal facies and compositional equivalents of Bushveld Parental sills from the Molopo farms complex layered intrusion, Botswana: petrogenetic and mineralization implications". Afribary, Afribary, 30 Mar. 2024. Web. 23 Nov. 2024. < https://track.afribary.com/works/marginal-facies-and-compositional-equivalents-of-bushveld-parental-sills-from-the-molopo-farms-complex-layered-intrusion-botswana-petrogenetic-and-mineralization-implications >.
Jacob, Kaavera . "Marginal facies and compositional equivalents of Bushveld Parental sills from the Molopo farms complex layered intrusion, Botswana: petrogenetic and mineralization implications" Afribary (2024). Accessed November 23, 2024. https://track.afribary.com/works/marginal-facies-and-compositional-equivalents-of-bushveld-parental-sills-from-the-molopo-farms-complex-layered-intrusion-botswana-petrogenetic-and-mineralization-implications