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Hydrogeochemistry as a Tool for Platinum Group Element (PGE) Exploration — A Case Study from Sittampundi Anorthosite Complex, Southern India

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Journal of the Geological Society of India

Abstract

The use of surface and ground water for exploration of platinum group elements (PGE) has been studied in the Sittampundi anorthosite complex, Tamil Nadu, south India, where PGE mineralization is known to occur in basic and ultrabasic rocks. Groundwater interacting with mineralized rocks creates a geochemical signature which can be linked to the occurrence and distribution of PGE, especially Pd because of its leachability and relatively high mobility in aqueous environment. Forty surface and ground water samples collected from the area were analyzed for PGE and several other major, minor and trace elements using high resolution inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (HR-ICP-MS) to investigate the distribution patterns of individual PGE and other elements for the purpose of evaluating the utility of hydrogeochemistry as a tool for PGE exploration studies. Ground and surface water chemistry reflected the chemical composition of host lithology, particularly the basic-ultrabasic rocks of the region, with the dispersion of PGE and high anomalous concentrations of Pd, Ru and Rh along with several other metals such as Zn, V, Cr and Ni indicating PGE mineralization. The results of this study suggest that groundwater chemistry has significant potential as a PGE exploration tool with advantages such as rapid and low-cost sampling, high contrast anomalies and a uniform sampling medium.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank the Director, CSIR-NGRI, for the support and encouragement. One of the authors (VB) thanks the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), New Delhi, India, for financial support in the form of an Emeritus Scientist Scheme. The anonymous reviewer is thanked for critical comments and suggestions which has improved the text of this manuscript. This work was partially supported by Department of Science and Technology, New Delhi, (ESS/16/332/2007) and Ministry of Earth Sciences, New Delhi vide project number MoES/P.O.(Geosciences)/4/2013 at CSIR-NGRI.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. CSIR-National Geophysical Research Institute, Hyderabad, 500 007, India

    Vysetti Balaram, Manavalan Satyanarayanan, Denduluri Venkata Subba Rao & Subramaniam Nirmal Charan

  2. Department of Geology, Periyar University, Salem, 636 011, India

    Kuppan Anabarasu

  3. Oil & Natural Gas Corporation, Rajahmundary, 533 106, India

    Ali Mohammed Dar

  4. Kiwis Eco Laboratories Pvt Ltd, Quthbullapur Mandal, Hyderabad, Telangana, 500 090, India

    Chigullarevu Tirumala Kamala

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  1. Vysetti Balaram
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Balaram, V., Satyanarayanan, M., Anabarasu, K. et al. Hydrogeochemistry as a Tool for Platinum Group Element (PGE) Exploration — A Case Study from Sittampundi Anorthosite Complex, Southern India. J Geol Soc India 94, 341–350 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12594-019-1321-7

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