Compilation of West African mineral deposits: Spatial distribution and mineral endowment

Markwitz, V.; Hein, Kim A.A.; Miller, John

doi:10.1016/j.precamres.2015.05.028

Cited by 59 publications

(65 citation statements)

References 106 publications

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“…The West African Craton comprises Archaean and Palaeoproterozoic rocks underlying about 4.5 million km 2 in West Africa (Markwitz et al, 2016). Much of the craton is covered by younger lithological units, but large areas in the north and south of the craton are exposed.…”

Section: Regional Geology Of West Africamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These granitoids have widely variable isotopic compositions, reflecting varied crust and mantle sources (Eglinger et al, 2017). The Baoulé-Mossi domain is highly mineralised, most notably for gold (Markwitz et al, 2016;Goldfarb et al, 2017).…”

Section: Regional Geology Of West Africamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The basin is filled with Neoproterozoic to DevonianCarboniferous sedimentary rocks and recent cover sediments. Other major, largely undeformed sedimentary basins include the Bové basin, the Volta basin, the Tindouf basin and the Senegal-Mauritanian coastal basin (Markwitz et al, 2016;Villeneuve, 2005).…”

Section: Regional Geology Of West Africamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The West African craton hosts a wide range of mineral deposits, which have recently been comprehensively reviewed by Markwitz et al (2016). The Archaean rocks of the Kénéma-Man domain are particularly known for BIF-hosted iron ore deposits within the greenstone belts.…”

Section: Mineral Deposits In West Africamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…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%

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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: Regional Geology Of West Africamentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Regional Geology Of West Africamentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Regional Geology Of West Africamentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Mineral Deposits In West Africamentioning

confidence: 99%