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Geology receives funding to explore most valuable mineral provinces on Earth

21 June 2019 | Story Leonie Bolleurs | Photo Pixabay

Drilling rig — Two boreholes will be drilled for the Bushveld Complex Drilling Project, including a 600 m deep hole to the north of Mokopane and a 3 km deep hole northwest of Burgersfort.

An international group of researchers coordinated by scientists of the GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, the University of the Witwatersrand, the University of the Free State, and the Friedrich-Alexander University, recently received funding to the value of US$1,5 million from the International Continental Scientific Drilling Program (ICDP). They will conduct scientific drilling in the Bushveld Complex, regarded as the most valuable mineral provinces on Earth.

The Bushveld Complex, located in the Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North-West and Gauteng provinces, hosts the majority of global platinum-group element, chromium, and vanadium resources, in addition to major deposits of copper, nickel, gold, tin, iron, fluorite, and dimension stone.

According to Prof Freddie Roelofse, Associate Professor in the Department of Geology, the project aims to clarify several unresolved scientific questions related to the genesis of this unique body of rocks and its associated mineral deposits.

“Two boreholes will be drilled as part of the project, including a 600 m deep hole to the north of Mokopane and a 3 km deep hole northwest of Burgersfort,” said Prof Roelofse.

The value of the project

The mineral resources hosted by the Bushveld Complex represent a globally important source of metals that are critical to the global and South African economies.

Dr Roelofse also pointed out that one of the focus areas of the research to be conducted, relates to the potential for groundwater extraction from rocks of the Bushveld Complex. “This research has the potential to improve access to water for communities living on the rocks of the Bushveld Complex,” he said.

The drilling team will also be able to measure the temperature of the water in the boreholes in order to determine the geothermal energy potential of the Bushveld Complex.

Community involvement

A critical part of the project is an outreach programme aimed at schools and communities surrounding those areas where drilling will take place. According to Dr Roelofse, the programme is aimed at explaining the scientific and economic importance of the unique rocks forming the Bushveld Complex.

“With the project, we also aim to increase the community’s awareness with respect to the responsible and sustainable utilisation of the mineral resources hosted by the rocks on which they live.”

Major beneficiaries

One of the major beneficiaries in the drilling phase of this project will be the South African drilling industry, which will benefit through international collaboration with the ICDP. “We also trust that South African mining companies, particularly those operating within the platinum industry, will benefit from this research through a renewed interest in the mineral potential of the Bushveld Complex,” Prof Roelofse said.

Despite more than a century’s research on the Bushveld Complex, many unanswered questions relating to the formation of the complex and its mineral wealth remains.

“This project is aimed at clarifying some of these unresolved issues, including improving our understanding of the magma chamber processes operational within the Bushveld Complex, the source of the magmas and their interaction with the rocks that they intruded, the origin of the abundant ore deposits within the complex, and the geophysical properties of the rocks. We also hope to learn more about the hydrogeological characteristics of the Bushveld Complex at depth, its geothermal energy potential, and its microbial ecosystems,” said Prof Roelofse.

News Archive

UFS council elects Nwaila and Hancke

2005-03-15

Dr Charles Nwaila, Superintendent-General of Education in the Free State, was elected Vice-chairperson of the UFS Council and Judge Faan Hancke was re-elected as Chairperson today.

According to the Rector and Vice-Chancellor, Prof Frederick Fourie, the election of Dr Nwaila is an important achievement for the UFS as Dr Nwaila is a well known leader in education in the Free State.

Dr Nwaila pledged to work constructively with the UFS council and management to ensure that the UFS benefits all people of the province and the country.

The appointments are valid for a term of three years from 1 June 2005 to 31 May 2008.

The elections took place at the quarterly meeting of the UFS Council where a number of other key transformation steps were approved.

The Council approved a Strategic Plan for the UFS which reflects a renewed focus on transformation of the institution, calling it an important roadmap for the future of the UFS.

According to Prof Fourie, the Strategic Plan tried strike a balance between continuity and change, addressing the need to remain an excellent university in an ever-changing context and environment.

Prof Fourie said transformation had many aspects and dimensions and could not be reduced to an issue of numbers.

The Strategic Plan identifies five strategic priorities and corresponding challenges in the next phase of transformation.

The priorities are:

quality and excellence
equity, diversity and redress
financial sustainability
regional co-operation and engagement.
outward thrust

Prof Fourie said that besides the five strategic priorities the plan also reflected concrete actions and interventions to address them.

He said the renewed focus on transformation is embedded in the priorities and specific actions that are identified.

The Council congratulated the management for the roadmap and for the achievements that have already been achieved in terms of transformation.

In order to draft a comprehensive Transformation Plan that will give substance to certain aspects of the UFS Strategic plan – or roadmap – the Council approved the establishment of a Transformation Plan Team.

The team will consist of about 16 people, which includes the two coordinators, Prof Teuns Verschoor, Vice-Rector: Academic Operations, and Dr Ezekiel Moraka, Vice-Rector: Student Affairs.

According to Prof Verschoor, the team was chosen and approved by the Executive Management earlier for the individual contributions that they could make.

While the individuals do not represent particular constituencies on campus they are a very diverse group of persons in terms of race, gender and various sections of the campus and the satellite campuses.

Prof Fourie, said there was an urgency and importance attached to the work of the Transformation Plan Team.

He said that while the team must produce a plan within a tight deadline, the task must be carried out very well, which could mean different stages in the work of the team.

According to the Rector, the UFS must take the lead in best practice transformation, while not underestimating the complexity of the issues facing the UFS.

The full list of names will be finalized soon.

MEDIA RELEASE
Issued by: Mnr Anton Fisher
Director: Strategic Communication
Cel: 072 207 8334
Tel: (051) 401-2749
11 Maart 2005

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