Great Dyke (Main Sulfide Zone)
Mashonaland West and neighbouring provinces (550 km linear intrusion), Zimbabwe
Magmatic (Ni-Cu-PGE, carbonatites)PGE (Pt, Pd) - Cu, Ni
- Type
- Stratabound PGE in a layered mafic-ultramafic intrusion (2.58 Ga)
The world's second largest platinum-group element reserve after the Bushveld. The linear intrusion, 550 km long, formed 2.58 Ga ago. The economic mineralisation lies in the Main Sulfide Zone, a tabular layer in pyroxenites at the top of the ultramafic sequence. Active mines are Hartley (Ngezi), Mimosa, Unki and Bohmke Reef.
δ34S in ‰ (per mil) Values of the same system
Standard : V-CDT
| Value | Range | n | Mineral or matrix | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.1 / 1 ‰ | pyrite, pyrrhotite and pentlandite (Hartley) A narrow, slightly positive δ34S range, characteristic of a mantle source with negligible crustal contamination. Distinct from the Bushveld Platreef (+9 to +14.2 ‰), which shows strong assimilation of sedimentary sulfate. | Li et al. 2008, Sulfur isotope variation in pyrite-pyrrhotite-pentlandite of the Great Dy… | ||
| −0.3 / 0.3 ‰ | whole rock (Maier study, 2015) An even narrower whole-rock range, centred on zero, consistent with a pure mantle signature (0 ± 5 ‰, Ohmoto and Goldhaber, 1997). Very little crustal contamination of the parent magma. | Maier et al. 2015, Sulfur isotope variations across the Great Dyke |
Deposits of the same type
- Bushveld, Platreef South Africa
- Bushveld, UG2 chromitite South Africa
- Bushveld, Merensky Reef South Africa
- Rössing Namibia
- Pechenga Russia
- Jinchuan China
- Bayan Obo China
- Norilsk-Talnakh Russia
Cite this page
IsoFind Atlas (2026). Great Dyke (Main Sulfide Zone), isotope signatures. https://www.isofind.tech/isotopes/en/deposits/great-dyke-zone-sulfuree-principale/ (accessed 2026-10-06).
@misc{isofind2026greatdykemainsulfidezoneisoto,
title = {Great Dyke (Main Sulfide Zone), isotope signatures},
author = {{IsoFind Atlas}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://www.isofind.tech/isotopes/en/deposits/great-dyke-zone-sulfuree-principale/},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-06}
}Updated : 2026-10-06