Gold and PGM Contents in a Subvolcanic Deccan Picrite of Saurashtra, Gujarat

Some samples from a chrome spinel-bearing intrusive picrite within olivine rich Deccan basalts at Limbdi in Saurashtra show anomalous high contents of gold (148-231 ppb), platinum (15-125 ppb) and palladium (17-311 ppb). Other samples bear an avenge of ∼6 ppb of gold, ∼31 ppb of platinum and ∼42 ppb of palladium. Sulphide mineralisation in the picrite is of extremely fine grain size, with low to moderate whole-rock contents of sulphur varying between 0.08 to 0.53 %. Higher values of gold and platinum are found in the western olivine-rich portion of the intrusive, while at surface level platinum/palladium ratio decreases due east with increase in palladium. This intrusive with higher average contents of precious metals could be a potentid target for exploration. Such high contents of gold, platinum and palladium are hitherto unreported from Deccan volcanic province.