Structurally-controlled Gold Mineralization in the Southern Zuru Schist Belt NW Nigeria: Application of Remote Sensing and Geophysical Methods
2023; Elsevier BV; Volume: 211; Linguagem: Inglês
10.1016/j.jappgeo.2023.104969
ISSN1879-1859
AutoresNaheem Banji Salawu, Kamaldeen Olakunle Omosanya, Akinola Bolaji Eluwole, Aliyu Saleh, Leke Sunday Adebiyi,
Tópico(s)Earthquake Detection and Analysis
ResumoA significant number of gold occurrences are hosted by hydrothermal alteration zones in the Zuru Schist Belt, Northwestern Nigeria. The aim of this study is to identify the spatial correlation between faults, sheared, hydrothermally altered zones, and gold mineralized areas using geophysical and remote sensing data. The main structural trends of the schist belt as interpreted from the application of total gradient amplitude and local wavenumber techniques on the aeromagnetic data are in the E-W and NE-SW directions. These trends align with the locations of gold mineralization and key pathfinders such as faults in the Anka-Yauri-Iseyin shear zone. In the radiometric data, magnetic faults occurred in areas with elevated potassium enrichment within the Anka-Yauri-Iseyin shear zone and present evidence for structurally controlled hydrothermal processes. The mapped Anka-Yauri-Iseyin shear zone from the aeromagnetic data further coincides with morphological features such as ridges, valleys, and highlands, signifying that the shear zone is represented by topographical linear indicators. Importantly, the integrated approach and results presented in this work show that the Southern Zuru Schist Belt is fragmented by a NE-SW oriented AYI shear complex. Faults and hydrothermally altered zones in the AYI shear complex are new target areas for direct exploration of gold in the study area.
Referência(s)