The Role of Halide Melts in Platinum-Group Element Mobility

The proposed study will use novel experimental and microanalytical techniques to quantify the solubility of the platinum-group elements (PGE) in molten salt phases in magmatic intrusions. The study will represent the first measurements of PGE concentrations in volatile inclusions in a natural deposit (the Bushveld Complex), and the first experimental determination of PGE solubility in a volatile phase at magmatic conditions. This research will evaluate a long-standing uncertainty among geoscientists about the importance of volatiles in PGE deposit formation and will provide the resource industry with a geochemical tool that can be applied to locating highly-concentrated, magmatic reserves of PGE.