Centenary of the Discovery of Platinum in the Bushveld Complex

The earliest authenticated scientific report of the occurrence of platinum in rocks from the Bushveld Complex, South Africa, appears to be that of William Bettel on 10th November 1906. Thereafter, prospecting of the chromite-rich rocks for platinum proved frustrating. It is argued that the resurgenc...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Johnson Matthey technology review 2006-07, Vol.50 (3), p.130-133
Main Author: Cawthorn, R. Grant
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Chromite
Grain size
Platinum
Rocks
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Summary:The earliest authenticated scientific report of the occurrence of platinum in rocks from the Bushveld Complex, South Africa, appears to be that of William Bettel on 10th November 1906. Thereafter, prospecting of the chromite-rich rocks for platinum proved frustrating. It is argued that the resurgence of interest by Dr Hans Merensky in 1924 resulted from his realisation that newly panned platinum had a grain size different from that in the chromite layers and indicated a different source rock, which he promptly located as the Merensky Reef .
ISSN:0032-1400
2056-5135
1471-0676
DOI:10.1595/147106706X119746