Use of Airborne Geophysics for Potential Fe-Ti-V Oxides Mineralization in Metagabbros: An Example within the Paleoproterozoic Basement of Ribeira Belt, Southeast Brazil

Abstract

The use of aerogeophysics applied to mineral exploration constitutes an important tool in investigation of metalliferous deposits. In this sense, the present study was motivated by a 720-ppm vanadium anomaly, associated with metagabbroic rocks inserted in the context of the Paleoproterozoic basement of the Ribeira Belt, south of Minas Gerais state, Brazil. This work aims to characterize metagabbros with potential for Fe-Ti-V oxides, through the integration between geological and geophysical data. As a result of the fieldwork a lithostratigraphic zoning was proposed to characterize contact relationships of the metagabbro with the enclosing rocks, where the main zone marks the presence of the metagabbro garnet, considered target of prospective campaign for investigation of the ore. Subsequently, geological data were correlated to magnetic and radiometric images, resulting in a new geological map that shows the arrangement of metagabbroic bodies and structural aspects. In addition, it provides subsidies for selection of potential enrichment areas for minerals carrying vanadium, magnetite, and ilmenite. The correlations between geology and geophysics were quite coherent, helping understand the structure, local geology, and distribution of the metagabbro garnet, considered a prospective guide for mineralization of Fe-Ti-V oxides in the research area.