Granitoids of the Magba shear zone, West Cameroon, Central Africa: Evidences for emplacement under transpressive tectonic regime

Abstract

The Magba Shear Zone is made up of granites, migmatites, orthogneiss, metagabbro, mafic dyke and mylonites with coarse grained texture, porphyroblastic, granoblastic, cataclastic and mylonitic texture respectively. Structural features and kinematic indicators testify the syntectonic emplacement of Magba granitoids and also provide detailed information on the relative timing of deformation as follows: (1) D1 of tangential movement immediately followed by (2) the D2 phase which is heterogeneous simple shear in dextral transpressive context with a NW-SE direction (3) D3 tectonic phase is marked by sinistral transpressive tectonic and superposed folding with a NE-SW kinematic direction. Combined ductile NE-SW shear movements and NWSE compressional movements defined a transpressional tectonic regime during the D3 deformation (4) A brittle stage D4 is controlled by transcurrent tectonics and responsible for the emplacement of faults, and joints. The Magba granites would have intruded along sub-vertical mid-crustal feeder channels and were emplaced as a sheet or sheets along the shear zone during the early stage of the C3 shearing, followed by gabbro and mafic dyke at the late stage. Strike-slip dilatancy pumping under transpressive tectonic is suggested as a possible mechanism for the emplacement of the Magba granites.