BIF-hosted iron mineral system: A review

Hagemann, Steffen; Angerer, Thomas; Duuring, Paul; Rosière, Carlos Alberto; Silva, Rosaline Cristina Figueiredo e; Lobato, Lydia Maria; Hensler, Ana-Sophie; Walde, Detlef Hans-Gert

doi:10.1016/j.oregeorev.2015.11.004

Cited by 132 publications

(53 citation statements)

References 83 publications

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“…The Archaean rocks of the Kénéma-Man domain are particularly known for BIF-hosted iron ore deposits within the greenstone belts. The largest is the Simandou deposit in south-east Guinea, while other economically important BIF deposits are found in the Mount Nimba Range, which extends from Guinea into Liberia and Côte d'Ivoire, and at Tonkolili in the Sula Mountains of Sierra Leone (Hagemann et al, 2016;Markwitz et al, 2016). These greenstone belts may also host structurally-controlled gold mineralisation, although most gold resources are found in the Baoulé-Mossi domain, which is one of the world's great gold provinces, with both orogenic gold mineralisation and palaeoplacers (Markwitz et al, 2016;Goldfarb et al, 2017).…”

Section: Mineral Deposits In West Africamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…BIF-hosted deposits are responsible for the world's largest and highest grade iron ore districts, such as those in Western Australia, Brazil, USA, India and South Africa. In West Africa the largest deposit at Simandou in Guinea, which contains about 1120 Mt of iron, remains undeveloped (Hagemann et al, 2016). Sierra Leone is currently the largest producer of iron ore in the region with average annual production of approximately 8.4 million tonnes between 2011 and 2015, although there has been considerable variation year-on-year within that period (BGS, 2017).…”

Section: Iron Orementioning

confidence: 99%

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A review of the mineral potential of Liberia

Gunn

Dorbor

Mankelow

et al. 2018

Ore Geology Reviews

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The Republic of Liberia in West Africa is underlain mostly by Precambrian rocks of Archaean (Liberian) age in the west and of Proterozoic (Eburnean) age in the east. By analogy with similar terranes elsewhere in the world, and in West Africa in particular, the geology of Liberia is favourable for the occurrence of deposits of a wide range of metals and industrial minerals, including gold, iron ore, diamonds, base metals, bauxite, manganese, fluorspar, kyanite and phosphate.Known gold deposits, mostly orogenic in style, occur widely and are commonly associated with north-easttrending regional shear zones. Gold mining commenced at the New Liberty deposit in western Liberia in 2015, while significant gold resources have also been identified at several other sites in both Archaean and Proterozoic terranes. Liberia has large resources of itabirite-type iron ores, most of which are located in the Liberian terrane, and was the largest producer in Africa prior to the onset of civil war in 1989. Production of iron ore is currently restricted to a single mine, Yekepa, in the Nimba Range. Other important deposits, some of them previously mined, include Bong, the Western Cluster, Putu and Goe Fantro. There is a long history of alluvial diamond production in western and central Liberia, together with more than 160 known occurrences of kimberlite. Most of the known kimberlites occur in three clusters of small pipes and abundant dykes, located at Kumgbor, Mano Godua and Weasua, close to the border with Sierra Leone. Many of these are considered to be part of a single province that includes Jurassic age diamondiferous kimberlites in Sierra Leone and Guinea.Deposits and occurrences of a wide range of other metals and industrial minerals are also known. Several of these have been worked on a small scale in the past, mainly by artisanal miners, but most are poorly known in detail with sub-surface information available at only a few localities. By comparison with most other countries in West Africa, the geology of Liberia is poorly known and there has been very little systematic exploration carried out for most commodities other than gold, iron ore and diamonds since the 1960s and 1970s. Further detailed field and laboratory investigations using modern techniques are required to properly evaluate the potential for the occurrence of economic deposits of many minerals and metals in a variety of geological settings. Digital geological, geochemical, geophysical and mineral occurrence datasets, including new national airborne geophysical survey data, provide a sound basis for the identification of new exploration targets, but in almost every part of the country there is a need for new and more detailed geological surveys to underpin mineral exploration.

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Section: Mineral Deposits In West Africamentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Iron Orementioning

confidence: 99%

A review of the mineral potential of Liberia

Gunn

Dorbor

Mankelow

et al. 2018

Ore Geology Reviews

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“…When reviewing the BIF‐hosted iron mineral system, Hagemann et al . () suggested that a BIF with an average of about 30–35% Fe is the necessary prerequisite for the formation of a significant high‐grade (>55% Fe) BIF‐hosted deposit. However, the processes responsible for the upgrade of the BIF protore to high‐grade iron ore are still unclear.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Precambrian BIF-hosted iron ore deposits are the most profitable sources of iron, making them very attractive exploration targets (Duuring et al, 2012). When reviewing the BIF-hosted iron mineral system, Hagemann et al (2016) suggested that a BIF with an average of about 30-35% Fe is the necessary prerequisite for the formation of a significant high-grade (>55% Fe) BIF-hosted deposit. However, the processes responsible for the upgrade of the BIF protore to high-grade iron ore are still unclear.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This is reflected in the significant amount of scientific contributions over the past 14 years (e.g. Beukes et al, 2002;Dalstra et al, 2002;Morris, 2002;Rosière & Rios, 2004;Hagemann et al, 2005Hagemann et al, , 2016Lascelles, 2006;Spier et al, 2008;Smith & Beukes, 2016 and references therein). Two end-member epigenetic models have been proposed for the enrichment of a BIF protore.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Geochemical Constraints on the Origin of Banded Iron Formation‐Hosted Iron Ore from the Archaean Ntem Complex (Congo Craton) in the Meyomessi Area, Southern Cameroon

et al. 2018

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Banded iron formations (BIFs) are the most significant source of iron in the world. In this study, we report petrographic and geochemical data of the BIF from the Meyomessi area in the Ntem Complex, southern Cameroon, and discuss their genesis and the iron enrichment process. Field investigations and petrography have revealed that the studied BIF samples are hard; compact; weakly weathered; and composed of magnetite, subordinate quartz, and geothite. The geochemical composition of the whole rock reveals that iron and silica represent more than 98 wt% of the average composition, whereas Al2O3, TiO2, and high‐field strength elements (HFSE) contents are very low, similar to detritus‐free marine chemical precipitates. The total iron (TFe) contents range from 48.71 to 65.32 wt % (average of 53.29 wt %) and, together with the low concentrations of deleterious elements (0.19 wt % P on average), are consistent with medium‐grade iron ores by global standards. This interpretation is confirmed by the SiO2/Fe2O3total versus (MgO + CaO + MnO)/Fe2O3total discrimination plot in which most of the Meyomessi BIF samples fall in the field of medium‐grade siliceous ore. Only one sample (MGT94) plots in the high‐grade magnetite–geothite ore domain. The high Fe/Ti (376.36), Fe/Al (99.90), and Si/Al (29.26) ratios of the sample are consistent with significant hydrothermal components. The rare earth elements (REE) contents of the studied BIF samples are very low (∑REE: 0.81–1.47 ppm), and the Post‐Archaean Australian Shale (PAAS)‐normalized patterns display weak positive Eu anomalies (Eu/Eu*: 1.15–1.33), suggesting a syngenetic low‐temperature hydrothermal solutions, similar to other BIF worldwide. However, the Meyomessi BIFs show high Fe contents when compared to the other BIFs. This indicates an epigenetic mineralization process affected the Meyomessi BIF. From the above results and based on the field and analytical data, we propose that the genetic model of iron ores at the Meyomessi area involves two stages of the enrichment process, hypogene enrichment of BIF protore by metamorphic and magmatic fluids followed by supergene alteration as indicated by the presence of goethite in the rocks.

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Banded Iron Formation in the Egyptian Nubian Shield

El-Habaak

2020

Regional Geology Reviews

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BIF-hosted iron mineral system: A review

Cited by 132 publications

References 83 publications

A review of the mineral potential of Liberia

A review of the mineral potential of Liberia

Geochemical Constraints on the Origin of Banded Iron Formation‐Hosted Iron Ore from the Archaean Ntem Complex (Congo Craton) in the Meyomessi Area, Southern Cameroon

Banded Iron Formation in the Egyptian Nubian Shield

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