Geophysical Data Processing for the Delineation of Tectonic Lineaments in South Cameroon

Quentin Marc Anaba Fotze,Yves Shandini,Albert Eyike Yomba,Jean Marie Tadjou,Anatole Eugene Djieto Lordon,Charles Antoine Basseka

doi:10.5539/esr.v8n2p1

Abstract

The processing of aeromagnetic and gravity data of the Northern part of Congo Craton (South Cameroon region), between latitudes 2&deg;30&rsquo;-3&deg;30&rsquo; N and longitudes 12&deg;-13&deg; E, permitted the determination of the structural features ccurring within the Precambrian basement (Ntem Complex) southwards and the Pan-African belt (Yaounde Group) northwards. The maxima of the Horizontal Gradient within the study area, were obtained using the Blakely and Simpson method (1986). Those maxima were used to trace the magnetic lineaments of the study area. Furthermore, the Total Horizontal derivative of the Tilt derivative applied on the residual grid of Bouguer anomaly guaranteed the enhancement of linear structures which were automatically extracted using the CET Grid Analysis algorithm. The superimposition of both magnetic and gravity lineaments allowed us to display the structural framework of the area, whose major trending directions are E-W, ENE-WSW, and NE-SW. These major lineament directions are likely to be linked to one or more than a single tectonic event such as the ENE-WSW/NE-SW trends, considered as the subduction direction of the Congo craton beneath the Pan-African belt. These trends may be linked to the Eburnean orogeny and are also said to be connected to the Central African Shear Zone (CASZ). The geophysical lineaments identified in the study are defined as potential targets along which mineralization may have been formed, considering the economic potential of the area.

Highlights

The study area is located in the South region of Cameroon, at the transition zone between the Congo craton and the Pan-African mobile belt
The horizontal gradient map shows highly graded linear anomalies suggesting high magnetic susceptibility bodies in the southern part, which may be related to igneous and metaigneous rocks rich in ilmenite and magnetite (Ntem Complex); those linear signatures mostly trend in the ENE-WSW and NE-SW directions
The directions identified on Horizontal Gradient method (HG) map correlate well with the ones highlighted by Ndougsa-Mbarga et al, (2012) and Feumoe et al, (2012) using the HG and the First Vertical Derivative respectively in the southeast; the ENE-WSW and NE-SW always being predominant

Summary

Introduction

The study area is located in the South region of Cameroon, at the transition zone between the Congo craton and the Pan-African mobile belt. The area was subjected to a major tectonic event, i.e. the collision between the stable cratonic area and the mobile belt (Toteu et al, 2004; Shandini et al, 2011; Basseka et al, 2011; Feumoe et al, 2012; Ndougsa-Mbarga et al, 2012). Feumoe et al, (2012) used the maxima of the First Vertical esr.ccsenet.org

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