Abstract
The core of detrital zircons from the southern Meiganga gold-bearing placers were analyzed by Laser Ablation Split Stream analytical techniques to determine their trace element abundances and U-Pb ages. The obtained data were used to characterize each grain, determine its formation condition, and try to trace the provenance. The Hf (5980 to 12,010 ppm), Y (27–1650 ppm), U (25–954 ppm), Th (8–674 ppm), Ti (2–256 ppm), Ta, Nb, and Sr (mainly <5 ppm), Th/U (0.06–2.35), Ti zircon temperature (617–1180 °C), ∑REE (total rare earth element) (98–1030 ppm), and Eu/Eu* (0.03 to <1.35) are predominant values for igneous crustal-derived zircons, with very few from mantle sources and of metamorphic origin. Crustal igneous zircons are mainly inherited grains crystallized in granitic magmas (with some charnockitic and tonalitic affinities) and a few from syenitic melts. Mantle zircons were crystallized in trace element depleted mantle source magmatic intrusion during crustal opening. Metamorphic zircons grown in sub-solidus solution in equilibrium with garnet “syn-metamorphic zircons” and in equilibrium with anatectic melts “anatectic zircons” during crustal tectono-metamorphic events. The U-Pb (3671 ± 23–612 ± 11 Ma) ages distinguish: Eoarchean to Neoproterozoic igneous zircons; Neoarchean to Mid Paleoproterozoic anatectic zircons; and Late Neoproterozoic syn-metamorphic grains. The Mesoarchean to Middle Paleoproterozoic igneous zircons are probably inherited from pyroxene-amphibole-bearing gneiss (TTGs composition) and amphibole-biotite gneiss, whose features are similar to those of the granites, granodiorites, TTG, and charnockites found in the Congo Craton, south Cameroon. The youngest igneous zircons could be grains eroded from Pan-African intrusion(s) found locally. Anatectic and syn-metamorphic zircons could have originated from amphibole-biotite gneiss underlying the zircon-gold bearing placers and from locally found migmatized rocks that are from the Cameroon mobile belt, which could be used as proxies for tracking gold.
Highlights
The southern Meiganga detrital zircon-gold bearing placers are composed of igneous and metamorphic zircons with different histories of crystallization and from mainly different sources
Mantle igneous zircons were crystallized from mantle source magmas during Early Neoarchean to Middle Paleoproterozoic times
The inherited igneous zircons of Mesoarchean to Middle Paleoproterozoic were probably sorted from pyroxene-amphibole-bearing and amphibole-biotite gneiss, with their features similar to those of rocks in the Congo Craton
Summary
As in many terrigenous sediments (alluvium, eluvium, colluvium, and terrace) of mostly unknown areas in this country, gold is extracted from supergene assemblages and terrigenous sediments primary sources (Figure 1). The clastic gold particles (very fine to coarse grained) are (alluvium, eluvium, colluvium, and terrace) of mostly unknown primary sources (Figure 1). The generally associated with some heavy minerals (e.g., zircon, magnetite, kyanite, ilmenite, clasticand gold particles (very to coarse grained) are generally with some heavy minerals tourmaline) [1,2].fine. These weathering-resistant mineralsassociated are very useful in provenance (e.g., zircon, magnetite, kyanite, ilmenite, and tourmaline) [1,2]. These weathering-resistant minerals studies, as they can register important information on their source rock petrogenesis, are very useful in provenance studies, reconstitution as they can register information on their source paleoenvironment, and tectonic [3,4,5,6,7,8,9].important
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