Abstract
Banded Iron Formations (BIFs) were formed by contemporaneous events of active sediments supply and the venting of a hydrothermal fluid source at the Mid-Ocean-Ridge. BIFs within the Ntem Complex at the northern edge of the Congo Craton are intercalated with metasandstones and siltstones. SHRIMP U-Pb analysis on detrital zircons obtained from these metasediments gave variable ages from over 3000 Ma to 1000 Ma with the maximum age of deposition clustered around 1200 Ma and the peak of deposition at 1800 Ma. This age range suggested that the sub-basin was opened sometime in the Archean and remained active up till the Neoproterozoic. Zircons with Archean ages have a provenance linked to the charnockitic suite and the high-K granites within the Ntem Complex. The Paleoproterozoic ages are attributed to clastic inputs from the neigbouring Nyong Series west of the Ntem Complex. Also the peak of deposition in the Proterozoic could probably be explained by the globally recognized intense crust-forming processes in the Early Proterozoic time. The provenance of the younger Neoproterozoic ages is tied to various lithologies within the northern mobile belts of the Adamawa-Yade massifs and correlates with Neoproterozoic sedimentation ages in the Yaoundé, Lom and Poli series. The Neoproterozoic ages obtained are comparable to those obtained from metasediments of the Amazonian Craton and provide evidence of Pre-Gondwana assemblage of the Congo and the S?o Francisco Cratons.
Highlights
Banded Iron Formations (BIFs) consist of alternating Si-rich and Fe-rich layers [1,2]
Mineralogical and whole rock geochemical data suggest that the metasediments of the Ntem complex range from mature to immature and the clastics are supplied from sources with various lithologic units
Several geochronology studies have confirmed the Archean age of the Ntem Complex [19,20,28,32,56]
Summary
Banded Iron Formations (BIFs) consist of alternating Si-rich and Fe-rich layers [1,2]. [9] has described textural characteristics such as the allochems in iron formations which are largely granules (clastics) and point to a continental input while the matrix which is mostly chemical iron-rich muds and microcrystalline quartz (chert) is precipitated from the ocean. Chombong et al / Natural Science 5 (2013) 835-847 mation components These arguments in favour of Si and Fe derived from the continent warrant a succinct understanding of the age and nature of the provenance areas during the formation of BIFs. In the Ntem Complex (Congo craton) BIFs are associated with metasediments that have not been investigated they can provide information on the evolution of the basin and age of the rocks from which the sediments were derived.
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