Gravity Investigations Applied to the Geological Framework Study of the Mambasa Territory in Democratic Republic of Congo

Abstract

This study concerns the gravity survey carried out in the territory of Mambasa in the province of Ituri in DR Congo, with the aim of studying its subsurface framework. We applied Free-Air and Bouguer corrections to the gravity measurements in order to eliminate gravity variations of non-geological origin. As for the graphical representation of the results, the spatial interpolation tools were useful to us in the elaboration of Bouguer anomaly maps. Then, we classified the study zone into Bouguer anomaly zones based on intensity. Gravity highs could indicate basement uplifts due to compressional movements. These uplifts would have led to the formation of granite domes which could be associated with mineralization. The enormous gravity depression would, for its part, be synonymous with a ditch or the presence of very low-density geological formations. The gravity profiles drawn support the analyzes of the maps: the anomaly curves are very fluctuating and uneven, highlighting several gravity highs and depressions. These fluctuations are probably induced by the presence of faults which separate the different anomaly zones.