 In 1865 , chromites were identified in the Bushveld region of South Africa , followed by the discovery of platinum in 1906 . The largest known primary reserves are in the Bushveld complex in South Africa . The large copper – nickel deposits near Norilsk in Russia , and the Sudbury Basin , Canada , are the two other large deposits . In the Sudbury Basin , the huge quantities of nickel ore processed make up for the fact platinum is present as only 0 @.@ 5 ppm in the ore . Smaller reserves can be found in the United States , for example in the Absaroka Range in Montana . In 2010 , South Africa was the top producer of platinum , with an almost 77 % share , followed by Russia at 13 % ; world production in 2010 was 192 @,@ 000 kg ( 423 @,@ 000 lb ) . 
