Isotope dilution with high pressure asher acid digestion for the determination of platinum group elements in chromitite from katpal chromite mine in the Sukinda Ultramafic Complex, Eastern India

Abstract

Chromitite samples were collected from a core from the Katpal chromite mine of Sukinda chromite field for characterization of mineralogy especially the platinum group minerals (PGM). Isotope dilution with High Pressure Asher (HPA-ID) technique has been used in this study to evaluate its ability to determine compositions from small quantities of sample (two grams of sample). Enrichment of Iridium group of platinum elements (IPGE) (Ir ~ 1717 ng/g; Ru ~ 20 ng/g) at depth of ~ 35-80 m in the investigated core suggests the presence of a strong potential zone for IPGE mineralization. The obtained data suggests similarities with the ‘Reef-type’ mineralization.