EFOX · The formation and evolution of monomineralic oxide layers in mafic intrusions
„Хоризонт 2020“ — Действия „Мария Склодовска-Кюри“
- Период
- 2016-04-01 → 2018-11-11
- Финансиране от ЕС
- 183 455 €
- Участници
- 1
- Схема
- MSCA-IF-EF-ST
Линиите свързват координатора с партньорите.
Накратко на български
Оксидните слоеве в големи скални образувания, като тези в Южна Африка, се анализират чрез микроструктура и геохимия на минерали като хромит и магнетит. Това помага да се разберат механизмите за образуване на залежи от ценни метали като платина, титан и хром.
Кратко обяснение, генерирано от езиков модел по текста на CORDIS. Оригиналът е по-долу.
Резултати накратко
The formation and evolution of monomineralic oxide layers in mafic intrusions
Layered mafic intrusions represent a major source of precious metals such as platinum group elements (PGE), Ti, V, and Cr. These precious metals are hosted in particular in chromitite (mainly composed of mineral chromite, FeCr2O4) and magnetitite (mainly composed of mineral magnetite (Fig. 1). Fe3O4) layers. The EFOX project focused on untangling the big unknown as for how these thick oxide layers formed and understanding their sub-solidus evolution (i.e. events that occurred after crystallisation of main forming minerals). I proposed an innovative approach by applying detailed microstructural analyses coupled with mineral geochemistry, to study oxide layers of the largest layered intrusion in the world, the Bushveld Complex, South Africa. The Bushveld Complex is divided into 5 zones, but the two most important are the chromitite hosting Critical zone (CZ) and magnetitite hosting Upper zone (UZ). The main objectives are: A. Characterisation of the original microstructure in the oxide layers; B. Determination of the extent to which the original microstructure has been modified; C. Constraining the physical and chemical effects oxide layer formation had on the under- and overlying layers; D. Determination of the mechanisms by which oxide layers form in layered mafic intrusions, using the predicted criteria listed above.
Текст от CORDIS, на английски · Данни: CORDIS, © Европейски съюз
Цел на проекта
The world’s greatest resources of platinum-group elements, Cr and V are found in almost monomineralic, metre-scale, layers of Cr- and Fe-Ti oxides that formed during solidification of large bodies of basaltic magma trapped in the Earth’s crust (i.e. mafic layered intrusions). The largest and most economically important oxide layers are found in a vast layered intrusion in South Africa, known as the Bushveld Complex. The critical economic importance of these oxide layers means that they have been the subject of intense study for decades, but most of this work has been focussed on their composition. We have almost no understanding of the physical processes that result in the formation of layers dominated by a single mineral, especially given how very dense these oxides are compared to the other minerals crystallising from the magma. We also know nothing about the extent to which their microstructure and composition may change once the layers have been formed. Developing an understanding of how these layers form and evolve will provide a robust scientific framework to support further economic exploitation of these mineral resources. I propose a research program that is aimed at understanding the physical processes controlling deposition, post-accumulation compaction and recrystallization of layers of dense oxide particles. The approach involves a combination of detailed microstructural and geochemical profiles across individual oxide layers from the Bushveld intrusion to understand crystal sorting and compaction in layers deposited on the magma chamber floor. The results of our study will provide an understanding of the physics of the formation and evolution of dense oxide layers, providing much-needed constraints on existing models, based primarily on geochemical observations, of these economically important features.
Оригинален текст от CORDIS (на английски).
Участници
- THE CHANCELLOR MASTERS AND SCHOLARS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE · CAMBRIDGEКоординаторОбединеното кралство
Връзки
Данни: CORDIS, © Европейски съюз