ON THE DISTRIBUTION AND DISPERSION OE ' PLATINUM IN THE SOILS OF THE TULAMEEN ULTRA . MAFIC COMPLEX , SOUTHERN BRITISH COLUMBIA
INTRODUCTION Exploration for platinum in British Columbia is hampered by a lack of data on its distribution and behavior in the surficial environment. To obtain some of the information required and suggest practical guidelines for exploration, this study, involving systematic sampling and analysis of soils and other media in the vicinity of a platinum deposit in the Tulameen district of southwestern British Columbia, was initiated in 1988 (Fletcher. 19x9). Preliminary results of work in progress are described. Tulameen River, approximately 25 kilometres west of Prince-The field area, on Grasshopper Mountain north of the ton, is divided into the main study area, on the southern slope of the mountain, and a second, smaller area near the summit (Figure 6.2-I). The lower part is accessible by pack trail from the Tulameen River road. Several kilometres of recently constructed drill road on the north and west sides of g e o l o g y , Tulameen ultramafic c o m p l e x. B. C. Figure 6-2-1, Location of the study areas and generalized (1) Nicola Group (2) syenogabhrn. (3) dunite. (4) olivine clinopyroxenite,(5) homblendr~linopqmxenite. (6)rnyloni-tic rocks. (7) Eagle granodiorile (modified after Nixon and Rublee. 1988). Grasshopper Mountain connect with the Lawless 'Creek forestry road and provide access from both the village of Tulameen and the Coquihalla Highway. BEDROCK GEOLOGY dissected dunite core of the Tulameen ultramafic complex, a Grasshopper Mountain is the northern segment o' the Late Triassic zoned Alaskan-type ultramafic-gabbroic intrusion within metasedimentary and metavolcanic rocks c,f the Upper Triassic Nicola Group. Geology of the complex, described by Findlay (1969) and Nixon and Rublea (1988). comprises a dunite core surrounded by crudely concentric shells of olivine clinopyroxenite, hornblende c h o p r o x-enite and gabbroic rocks ((Figure 6-2-1). The focus of the current study is within the dunite :ore. The dunite is typically Fine grained, extensively sepen-tinized, and weathers buff-brown on exposed surfaces "lati-num mineralization is restricted to chromite-rich dunite (Nixon e t a /. is best exposed in the summit region and in the sub\ertical randomly distributed massive to discontinuous pods, segre-gations. schlieren and disseminated grains. Schlierel are randomly distributed thrcmughout the dunite and are thought to represent foliation-concordant remnants of former cumu-late layers (Nixon and Rublee, 1988:1. Several cons of central region of the cor'? (Bohme, 19x7). but till-covered mineralization have beer1 defined within the well-exposed areas are largely untested. platinum-iron alloys and platinum antimonides …
ALASKAN-TYPE ULTRAMAFIC ROCKS IN BRITISH COLUMBIA : NEW CONCEPTS OF THE STRUCTURE OF THE TULAMEEN COMPLEXY
Alaskan-type ultramafic rocks in British Columbia are potential hosts forcommerciallyexploitabledeposits ofplatinummetals(Rublee, 1986;Evenchicketa/., 1986)aswellas other commodities (for example, chrome, nickel, cobalt, asbestos and jade). In 1987 the British Columbia Geological Survey initiated a program designed to investigate the mineral potential of these intrusions through detailed geologic mapping and lithogeochemical sampling specifically for platinum group elements. In the first year of this project, a concerted effort is being made to more thoroughly understand one of these intrusions, the Tulameen ultramafic complex in southern British Columbia. The Tulameen complex warrants careful attention as it has been the largest producer of platinum in the province and bas been taken as a typical example of a zoned Alaskan-type ultramafic intrusion (Findlay, 1963, 1969; Evenchick et a / . , 1986). The general structure of Alaskan-type complexes is characterized by a crudely concentric outward zonation of rock types ranging from olivine-bearing to hornblende-rich or magnetite-rich clinopyroxenites about a steeply dipping dunite core (Taylor, 1967). Lesser proportions of hornblendite and mafic pegmatite usually occur as isolated masses toward the periphery of the intrusion. Typical cumulate minerals include forsteritic olivine, diopsidic augite, chromite and magnetite; orthopyroxene is characteristically absent, indicating an alkalic affinity. Gabbroic rocks associated with the intrusion are commonly tholeiitic, and in this respect the syenogabbros and syenodiorites of the Tulameen complex are unusual (Findlay, 1969).
Arab Uprisings and the Outstanding Return to Democracy: Tunisia as a Model
In the wake of the Middle Eastern crises, the Tunisian case in focus has been doted as a unique phenomenon being that it was the Genesis of the revolution that ultimately spread across the Middle East like wild fire, but has eventually heralded a new dawn as democracy has incidentally returned to the Empire. This literature therefore looks closely at the extent to which the ‘DignityRevolution’ has been instrumental in the Middle East uprisings, which have brought an end to dynastic autocracies. The literature zeros in on the Tunisian uprising which has attracted global concerns, sympathy and has sparked interests in the international arena. The literature finds that the people hold colossal prospect in the uprising and its resultant effect, as it paved the way for the revolutionist to generate, gather and disseminate information on the condition of the entire region to the international community. The people in this context were of utmost importance and played a very crucial role in the creation of awareness, mobilization of protesters and utmost determining the direction of the uprising and also ensuring a speedy return to democratic rule. The paper submits that the role of the people in ensuring that the ruins of the uprising is not left littering around and democracy restored is highly commendable and should be a model for all other Arab countries involved in the revolution.