Rooiberg
Bushveld Complex, Limpopo, South Africa
Other hydrothermalSn
- Type
- Cassiterite veins and replacements in roof metasediments
Tin field in the Rooiberg fragment, in the roof of the Bushveld granites (about 2.05 Ga): exogranitic mineralisation, long the main tin mine of South Africa. The analysed cassiterites come from the A mine, Blaauwbank, Vellefontein and Leeuwpoort; Rooiberg tin was carried more than 900 km before colonisation (Stephens et al., 2025). Indicative coordinates.
δ124Sn in ‰ (per mil) Values of the same system
Standard : NIST SRM 3161a
| Value | Range | n | Mineral or matrix | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.59 ± 0.41 ‰ | −0.05 / 1.14 ‰ | 9 | cassiterite Mean and standard deviation recalculated from 9 samples, Table 2. Ore age used by the authors: 2050 Ma. | Mathur et al. (2025), Global Sn isotope compositions of cassiterite identify the magmatic… |
206Pb/204Pb isotope ratio, no unit Values of the same system
Standard : Non précisé dans la publication
| Value | Range | n | Mineral or matrix | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18.021 / 49.015 | 5 | tin metal from prills drilled out of prehistoric smelting slags (Smelterskop, Elandsberg Ledge) Range of the 5 tin prills of Table 1 (SKRT1, Sea 5K, Sa-13A, Sa-14A, Sa-11A). Cassiterite lead is radiogenic and spreads along an isochron, with no representative central value: Pb-Pb age of 2052 ± 34 Ma, that of the Lebowa granite (2057 ± 3 Ma). The associated tuyeres and slags have distinct ratios: the tin did not pick up their lead during smelting. | Molofsky et al. (2014), A novel approach to lead isotope provenance studies of tin and br… | |
| 16.87 ± 1.231 | 15.465 / 17.758 | 3 | arsenical copper ore (Blaauwbank, Vellefontein) Mean and standard deviation recalculated from 3 samples, Table 2 (BBD M1, BBD M3, VEL M1). The text speaks of three ores from a single copper deposit, the table of two localities. With the smelted copper of the valley, these ores give an isochron at 2061 ± 24 Ma (MSWD 893), within the age of the Lebowa granite. | Molofsky et al. (2014), A novel approach to lead isotope provenance studies of tin and br… |
207Pb/204Pb isotope ratio, no unit Values of the same system
Standard : Non précisé dans la publication
| Value | Range | n | Mineral or matrix | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15.737 / 19.777 | 5 | tin metal from prills drilled out of prehistoric smelting slags (Smelterskop, Elandsberg Ledge) Range of the 5 tin prills of Table 1 (SKRT1, Sea 5K, Sa-13A, Sa-14A, Sa-11A). Cassiterite lead is radiogenic and spreads along an isochron, with no representative central value: Pb-Pb age of 2052 ± 34 Ma, that of the Lebowa granite (2057 ± 3 Ma). The associated tuyeres and slags have distinct ratios: the tin did not pick up their lead during smelting. | Molofsky et al. (2014), A novel approach to lead isotope provenance studies of tin and br… | |
| 15.5 ± 0.166 | 15.31 / 15.618 | 3 | arsenical copper ore (Blaauwbank, Vellefontein) Mean and standard deviation recalculated from 3 samples, Table 2 (BBD M1, BBD M3, VEL M1). The text speaks of three ores from a single copper deposit, the table of two localities. With the smelted copper of the valley, these ores give an isochron at 2061 ± 24 Ma (MSWD 893), within the age of the Lebowa granite. | Molofsky et al. (2014), A novel approach to lead isotope provenance studies of tin and br… |
208Pb/204Pb isotope ratio, no unit Values of the same system
Standard : Non précisé dans la publication
| Value | Range | n | Mineral or matrix | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 37.745 / 49.581 | 5 | tin metal from prills drilled out of prehistoric smelting slags (Smelterskop, Elandsberg Ledge) Range of the 5 tin prills of Table 1 (SKRT1, Sea 5K, Sa-13A, Sa-14A, Sa-11A). Cassiterite lead is radiogenic and spreads along an isochron, with no representative central value: Pb-Pb age of 2052 ± 34 Ma, that of the Lebowa granite (2057 ± 3 Ma). The associated tuyeres and slags have distinct ratios: the tin did not pick up their lead during smelting. | Molofsky et al. (2014), A novel approach to lead isotope provenance studies of tin and br… | |
| 37.819 ± 2.045 | 35.485 / 39.295 | 3 | arsenical copper ore (Blaauwbank, Vellefontein) Mean and standard deviation recalculated from 3 samples, Table 2 (BBD M1, BBD M3, VEL M1). The text speaks of three ores from a single copper deposit, the table of two localities. With the smelted copper of the valley, these ores give an isochron at 2061 ± 24 Ma (MSWD 893), within the age of the Lebowa granite. | Molofsky et al. (2014), A novel approach to lead isotope provenance studies of tin and br… |
Deposits of the same type
- Leeuwpoort South Africa
- Tsumeb Namibia
- Brandberg West Namibia
- Rutongo Rwanda
- Jos Plateau (tin province) Nigeria
- Deh Hosein Iran
- Bolkardağ Turkey
- Hisarcık Turkey
Cite this page
IsoFind Atlas (2026). Rooiberg, isotope signatures. https://www.isofind.tech/isotopes/en/deposits/rooiberg/ (accessed 2026-10-13).
@misc{isofind2026rooibergisotopesignatures,
title = {Rooiberg, isotope signatures},
author = {{IsoFind Atlas}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://www.isofind.tech/isotopes/en/deposits/rooiberg/},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-13}
}Updated : 2026-10-13