Textures of orthopyroxenites from the Burgersfort bulge of the eastern Bushveld Complex, Republic of South Africa
A suite of 30 samples was collected from the Burgersfort bulge area of the eastern Bushveld Complex for a detailed quantitative textural study. The studied section represents a stratigraphic column approximately 1,000 m thick, of mainly orthopyroxenites from the lower zone (LZ) and lower critical zone. Crystal size distribution (CSD) plots and quantitative fabric analyses reveal a history of crystal aging and compaction, as evident from the loss of smaller-sized crystals and the development of foliation with little evidence of mineral lineation. Compared with the thicker section from Jagdlust (∼80 km north), the LZ orthopyroxenites at Burgersfort are consistently finer grained. Foliation is equally well developed at both locations and is consistent with a relatively thin compaction zone at the top of the mush column. Grain size is largely a function of local cooling history with a grain size growth exponent estimated to be between 2.0 and 3.4. © Springer-Verlag 2006.
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- Energy
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- 0403 Geology
- 0402 Geochemistry
Citation
Published In
DOI
ISSN
Publication Date
Volume
Issue
Start / End Page
Related Subject Headings
- Energy
- 4019 Resources engineering and extractive metallurgy
- 3705 Geology
- 3703 Geochemistry
- 0499 Other Earth Sciences
- 0403 Geology
- 0402 Geochemistry