Magnetic modeling of the Bushveld Igneous Complex

Magnetic modeling of the 2.06 Ga Bushveld Complex presents special challenges due a variety of magnetic effects. These include strong remanence in the Main Zone and extremely high magnetic susceptibilities in the Upper Zone, which exhibit self-demagnetization. Recent palaeomagnetic results have resolved a long standing discrepancy between age data, which constrain the emplacement to within 1 million years, and older palaeomagnetic data which suggested ~50 million years for emplacement. The new palaeomagnetic results agree with the age data and present a single consistent pole, as opposed to a long polar wander path, for the Bushveld for all of the Zones and all of the limbs. These results also pass a fold test indicating the Bushveld Complex was emplaced horizontally lending support to arguments for connectivity. The magnetic signature of the Bushveld Complex provides an ideal mapping tool as the UZ has high susceptibility values and is well layered showing up as distinct anomalies on new high resolution magnetic data. However, this signature is similar to the highly magnetic BIFs found in the Transvaal and in the Witwatersrand Supergroups. Through careful mapping using new high resolution aeromagnetic data, we have been able to map the Bushveld UZ in complicated geological regions and identify a characteristic signature with well defined layers. The Main Zone, which has a more subdued magnetic signature, does have a strong remanent component and exhibits several magnetic reversals. The magnetic layers of the UZ contain layers of magnetitite with as much as 80-90% pure magnetite with large crystals (1-2 cm). While these layers are not strongly remanent, they have extremely high magnetic susceptibilities, and the self demagnetization effect must be taken into account when modeling these layers. Because the Bushveld Complex is so large, the geometry of the Earth’s magnetic field relative to the layers of the UZ Bushveld Complex changes orientation, creating complications in the modeling. Anisotropic magnetic susceptibility may be related to demagnetization in the Bushveld Complex due to well defined, relatively thin layers. Aeromagnetic data are useful for imaging layered intrusions because they often contain highly magnetic layers. However, care must be taken to incorporate the effects of strong susceptibilites (AMS,demagnetisation) and remanence.