Platinum ore main content.

Platinum ore

Part of Hall of Planet Earth.

platinum ore HERO

Exhibition Text

About 75 percent of the world’s platinum is mined from the Merensky Reef — a layer, usually only a few tens of centimeters thick, in the Bushveld Complex. This is the largest layered magma chamber known, in places more than 8 kilometers thick. How the thin layer of the Merensky Reef formed in such a gigantic body is not well understood.

Provided by Anglo American Platinum Corporation, Ltd., Johannesburg, South Africa

For Educators

Topic: Earth Science

Subtopic: Minerals and Resources

Keywords: Platinum, Magmas, Mineralogy

Audience: General