Abstract
In the area of study, 4718 gravity data have been processed. Distribution of the resulting anomalies confirms the continuity towards the south of the three characteristic gravity domains already identified north of the parallel 9 °N. Positive anomaly belts underline the presence of magmatic rocks in the foreland of the chain. The tectonic overload characterizing its external zone is mirrored by a very strong overcompensation. A main gradient zone (the regional gradient) is superimposed on a suture zone of allochtonous basic massifs. The internal zone is characterized by a very important undercompensation connected with heavy deep structures. Numerous gravity discontinuities line the three previous sets (foreland, external and internal zones), revealing the great structural complexity of the region. Nevertheless this complexity is frequently concealed or attenuated by smoothing and offset phenomena which are expressed through more regular anomalies and profiles.The present study strengthens the hypothesis of a continental collision chain for the Dahomeyides and emphasizes the hypotheses of micro-continent aggregation together with a progressive rise of the southern part of the studied sector during the Pan-African tectogenesis.
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