The Unusualness of Platinum Ore; How Reef Deposits Form

Platinum ore bodies are some of the stangest to exist on the planet. For example, a massive deposit of platinum and palladium in Montana stretches for approximately 25 miles or 40 kilometers in length, yet its width and height are only about 6.9 feet or 2.1 meters. This video will discuss several potential mechanisms on how such platinum group "reef deposits" can form, with three theories briefly being mentioned. Thumbnail Photo Credit: Chip Clark, Image provided by the Smithsonian Institution & the United States Geological Survey, Posted on Flickr at https://www.flickr.com/photos/jsjgeol..., Public Domain. This image was then overlaid with text in addition to GeologyHub made graphics (the image border & the GeologyHub logo). If you would like to support this channel, consider using one of the following links: (Patreon:   / geologyhub  ) (YouTube membership:    / @geologyhub  ) (Gemstone & Mineral Etsy store: http://prospectingarizona.etsy.com) (GeologyHub Merch Etsy store: http://geologyhub.etsy.com) Google Earth imagery used in this video: ©Google & Data Providers This video is protected under "fair use". If you see an image and/or video which is your own in this video, and/or think my discussion of a scientific paper (and/or discussion/mentioning of the data/information within a scientific paper) does not fall under the fair use doctrine, and wish for it to be censored or removed, contact me by email at [email protected] and I will make the necessary changes. Various licenses used in sections of this video (not the entire video, this video as a whole does not completely fall under one of these licenses) and/or in this video's thumbnail image: Public Domain: https://creativecommons.org/publicdom... CC BY 2.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... CC BY 3.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... CC BY 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... Sources/Citations: [1] Chistyakova, S., Latypov, R., Hunt, E.J. et al. Merensky-type platinum deposits and a reappraisal of magma chamber paradigms. Sci Rep 9, 8807 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-45..., CC BY 4.0. [2] Nicholas Arndt, C.M. Lesher, G.K. Czamanske. Mantle-derived magmas and magmatic Ni-Cu-(PGE) deposits. Economic Geology, 100th Aniversary volume, pp.5-24, 2005. ffhal-00016864f [3] Zientek, M.L., 2012, Magmatic ore deposits in layered intrusions—Descriptive model for reef-type PGE and contact-type Cu-Ni-PGE deposits: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2012–1010, 48 p. [4] T. F. D. Nielsen, J. C. Ø. Andersen, M. B. Holness, J. K. Keiding, N. S. Rudashevsky, V. N. Rudashevsky, L. P. Salmonsen, C. Tegner, I. V. Veksler, The Skaergaard PGE and Gold Deposit: the Result of in situ Fractionation, Sulphide Saturation, and Magma Chamber-scale Precious Metal Redistribution by Immiscible Fe-rich Melt , Journal of Petrology, Volume 56, Issue 8, August 2015, Pages 1643–1676, https://doi.org/10.1093/petrology/egv049 0:00 Platinum Ore 1:45 Sulfide Minerals 2:36 Cumulates 3:54 Opinion