Shecker
Well-known member
Ever hear of a a "step over" deposit? That is what the Merensky Reef in Africa is. A dike only a few inches in thickness but it can be traced for hundreds of miles. Untold people stepped over it for years, then someone fell over one of the few outcrops and recognized the host rock for platinum. The Merensky Reef has produced more platinum than anywhere else, but the ore itself averages less than .1 ounces per ton.
The Merensky Reef is an ultra basic complex becomes of feldspathoids (feldspar) minerals. So is the Stillwater Complex in Montana. The platinum group metals favor basic and ultra basic rock types, so the first step in any plan to search for pt/pd/rh must begin with a working knowledge of these rock types. Don't look for pgm's in quartz. While there are examples of pgm's occurring in quarts, they are as secondary minerals and occur generally in trace amounts only.
Also keep in mind that pgm ores are measured in parts per billion and rarely in parts per million (and extremely rarely in parts per thousand but they do exist).
And that reminds me of how and why I was thrown out of Los Alamos National Labs. I had found a ultra basic dike that vertically pushed its way up through several hundred feet of sedimentary rock. The host rock was serpentine. Work up by a chemical engineer indicated some high values in platinum and iridium. I knew that Los Alamos was involved in the K-T Boundary studies and the target they were looking for was Iridium.
So I tracked down the chef scientist involved in the neutron activation analysis of the samples. I called him and explained that I was looking for an analysis for Iridium from a possible K-T Boundary source. The Federal government was paying for it so they were happy to take my samples. To make a long story short about two weeks later I got a call back from the Lab. They were not happy. While they were measuring parts were billion and even parts per trillions, my samples had all return values of parts per thousands -- and in one sample parts per hundred.
My samples had completely blown the calibration of every instrument they had and they were NOT happy. I didn't know that nuclear physicists could pronounce cuss words like that.
Anyway, my point is this. The search for new mineral deposits always begins with personal research. Keep your mind open and keep the scientists cussing. And above all have fun. What is the search if it isn't fun.
Randy in Gunnison
The Merensky Reef is an ultra basic complex becomes of feldspathoids (feldspar) minerals. So is the Stillwater Complex in Montana. The platinum group metals favor basic and ultra basic rock types, so the first step in any plan to search for pt/pd/rh must begin with a working knowledge of these rock types. Don't look for pgm's in quartz. While there are examples of pgm's occurring in quarts, they are as secondary minerals and occur generally in trace amounts only.
Also keep in mind that pgm ores are measured in parts per billion and rarely in parts per million (and extremely rarely in parts per thousand but they do exist).
And that reminds me of how and why I was thrown out of Los Alamos National Labs. I had found a ultra basic dike that vertically pushed its way up through several hundred feet of sedimentary rock. The host rock was serpentine. Work up by a chemical engineer indicated some high values in platinum and iridium. I knew that Los Alamos was involved in the K-T Boundary studies and the target they were looking for was Iridium.
So I tracked down the chef scientist involved in the neutron activation analysis of the samples. I called him and explained that I was looking for an analysis for Iridium from a possible K-T Boundary source. The Federal government was paying for it so they were happy to take my samples. To make a long story short about two weeks later I got a call back from the Lab. They were not happy. While they were measuring parts were billion and even parts per trillions, my samples had all return values of parts per thousands -- and in one sample parts per hundred.
My samples had completely blown the calibration of every instrument they had and they were NOT happy. I didn't know that nuclear physicists could pronounce cuss words like that.
Anyway, my point is this. The search for new mineral deposits always begins with personal research. Keep your mind open and keep the scientists cussing. And above all have fun. What is the search if it isn't fun.
Randy in Gunnison
:twisted: . I wonder what it cost them to recalibrate thier equipment?
