The main objective of this proposal is to improve the quantitative modeling of compaction and silicate liquid and gas infiltration and application of this modeling to layered intrusions. More specifically, this research will employ improved and more complex gas speciation models to study the effect of fluid migration and the formation of sulfide-hosted platinum-group element (PGE) deposits in layered intrusions. A second aspect of this work will be to expand quantitative modeling to include Cr components in pyroxene and applications to understanding the formation of chromitite layers in these intrusions. This latter work will include field, petrographic and geochemical study of chromites from the Bushveld Complex in South Africa to "ground truth" results and predictions from the modeling work.
The broader impacts of this work will be in the support of education and training of a graduate student and possibly of interested undergraduates doing independent research projects. Computer programs that result from this study will be made available for any interested party to use in both teaching and research. It will have implications also for the petrogenesis and exploration of economic mineral deposits (PGE and Cr) in layered intrusions.
