Norilsk-Talnakh Ni-Cu-Platinum Group Element Deposit – A Special Issue

September 1st, 2020

Recently, a special publication of Economic Geology was published with focus on the Norilsk-Talnakh Ni-Cu-Platinum Group Element deposits. This issue covers everything known and unknown about the largest resource of Ni-Cu-PGE in the world.

The CSIRO magmatic sulfides team included a few publications in this special issue, summarised below.

Silicate and Oxide Mineral Chemistry and Textures of the Norilsk-Talnakh Ni-Cu-Platinum Group Element Ore-Bearing Intrusions 

The pyroxene within the Norilsk and Kharaelakh orebodies have poikilitic clinopyroxene. These pyroxene are one of the first phases to crystallise, trapping early phases such as plagioclase, olivine and chromite within their cores. This allowed the textural and chemical evolution of these orebodies too be recorded.
The “upper taxitic” regions of the Norilsk orebodies have abundant spinel associated with relic gas bubbles. We determine which came first the bubble or the chromite and discuss the textures and formation mechanisms for these PGE-rich (sulfide poor) regions of this deposit.