Taoudeni Basin Research Articles

Marine Fe cycling linked to dynamic redox variability, biological activity and post-depositional mineralization in the 1.1 Ga Mesoproterozoic Taoudeni Basin, Mauritania

The concentration of redox sensitive trace metals (RSTEs) and their isotopic composition preserved in Precambrian marine sediments, are critical for the reconstruction of ocean–atmosphere oxygenation history. Particularly, the concentration of Fe, its redox speciation, and isotopic distribution, have gained widespread use for inferring the biogeochemical processes that controlled Fe cycling in Precambrian oceans linked to the reconstruction of Earth surface redox budget. However, questions remain about the biotic and abiotic processes involved in Fe cycling in these ancient oceans, including the impact of post-depositional alterative processes on the reliability of the Fe redox proxy. Here we present a multi-proxy mineralogical and geochemical study of the ∼1.1 Ga Atar and El Mreiti strata of the Taoudeni Basin in Mauritania, to better constrain pathways involved in Fe cycling, linked to Fe mineralogy, redox speciation, isotopic ratios during this time and metamorphism. We compare unmetamorphosed sedimentary deposits with facies metamorphosed by dolerite sill intrusion. The results reveal the occurrence of diagenetic Fe minerals in the basal unmetamorphosed samples associated with light δ56Fe signatures, reflecting dominant anoxic conditions that promoted microbial dissimilatory Fe reduction. Notably, δ56Fe composition of these rocks reveal several fluctuations in evolving seawater redox state from oxic to anoxic/sulfidic conditions associated with changes in sea level stand and periods of full bottom water oxygenation and redox stratification. Overall, Ce anomalies suggest a general up sequence increase in seawater oxygen content. Metamorphosed rocks display heterogeneous δ56Fe distribution, consisting of light and heavy signatures associated with secondary Fe-bearing minerals produced by metamorphic and metasomatic overprinting of carbonated rocks by hot circulating fluids. The results thus indicate metamorphic overprinting of primary seawater δ56Fe promoted by increased mobility of reactive Fe during post-depositional metamorphic transformation. They show that post-depositional metamorphic/metasomatic overprinting complicates direct reconstruction of seawater biogeochemical Fe cycling and redox state using δ56Fe systematics.

Systematic search of circular structures using satellite imagery to identify potential new impact structures in Mauritania

Mauritania, with its ancient (Archean to Paleoproterozoic) and desertic terrains and gentle relief, has been under-explored in terms of impact structures. To date, two confirmed impact craters, namely Tenoumer and Aouelloul, and four circular structures for which an impact origin has been suggested, are known in Mauritania. This work aims at a systematic exploration of circular structures in Mauritania and provide a comprehensive database to support their exploration and elucidate their origin. This approach includes multi-scale search on Google Earth images, and a preliminary assessment of their origin using available geological, geophysical, and geochemical data as well as Digital Elevation Models. A total of 50 new circular structures were detected during our survey, adding to four candidates previously identified. They are distributed throughout the territory with an important fraction of them being located in the Taoudeni basin. The diameters of these structures vary from 60 m to 7.5 km with a right-skewed distribution. A preliminary assessment of the possible origins of these circular structures is proposed and the most promising candidates for potential meteoritic impact sites are listed for future investigations.

Greenstones as a source of hydrogen in cratonic sedimentary basins

Abstract A model is presented for the generation of natural hydrogen from cratonic basement rocks and its migration into the sediments of overlying cratonic basins. It is based on the ‘discovery’ of hydrogen at Bourakebougou in the Taoudeni Basin of Mali. In the ‘Cratonic Greenstone Model’, hydrogen is generated by the serpentinization of olivine-rich, ultramafic rocks contained within Precambrian ‘greenstones’. The model requires a protolith (in greenstones), a supply of water (from groundwater), connecting faults to act as a plumbing system and an indurated sediment cover to retard hydrogen movement. Hydrogen is expelled into the overlying basin sediments, which form the host for hydrogen accumulations. The model describes a continental ‘hydrogen system’, which can form the basis for petroleum-type play-based hydrogen exploration in cratonic settings. Using play elements derived from the model, the Bourakebougou play fairway can be extended across the Taoudeni Basin >700 km northwards of the discovery.

Bulk composition and O–C isotope constraints on the petrogenesis of Richat carbonatites (Mauritania)

In the northwestern Mauritanian Taoudeni Basin, the famous Richat structure is the only occurrence known of carbonatite. Despite several studies on this unique geological feature, the mineralogy and petrogenesis of the Richat dome carbonatites are underdocumented.Major, trace element whole rocks and carbon-oxygen isotope data are reported for Cretaceous carbonatites from Richat dome in Mauritania. More than 45 carbonatite dykes have been mapped, they are oriented N°15-N°80. Based on color, four groups have been identified, dark, gray, red breccia, and brown carbonatites. They exhibit different mineralogical and texture characteristics. The studied carbonatites are mainly composed of dolomite, calcite, and ankerite, with lesser amounts of apatite and quartz. Accessory minerals such as pyrochlore, spinel, pyrite, chalcopyrite, magnetite, hematite, baryte, phlogopite, and zircon are also present. Other REE-bearing minerals (britholite, monazite, and bastnaesite) were revealed by X-ray diffraction.Three types of carbonatites are identified: magnesiocarbonatites (dominants), ferrocarbonatites and calciocarbonatite. The presence of spinel and pseudomorphed olivine, as well as high contents of Ni (380 ppm), Co (34 ppm), and Cr (840 ppm) in the dark and brown carbonatites, suggests that these rocks are the result of the low-degree partial melting of a spinel-bearing peridotite. Furthermore, the Zr/Hf (48–80) and Nb/Ta (26–48) ratios show significantly higher values than those observed in the primitive mantle, they are interpreted as formed by partial melting of the metasomatized mantle. The high values of δ18O in addition to the presence of baryte, ankerite, and quartz in the Richat carbonatites suggest that they are the result of secondary processes involving a low-temperature fluid-rock interaction.The carbonatites from the Richat dome are enriched in LREE (La = 258–1070 ppm) and LILE as Sr, Ba, Th, U, and depleted in HREE (Yb = 2–14 ppm) and HFSE such as Zr, Hf, Ti. These characteristics are like those of Cretaceous peri-atlantic alkaline carbonatites such as Barra do Itapirapua in Brazil, Ondurakorume and Kalkfeld in Namibian, lupangola in Angola, and Twihinate in Morocco. Reactivation of a deep pan-African NNE-SSW lineament would have been a fundamental factor in the formation of the Richat carbonatites.

Colliding cratons: linking the Variscan Orogeny in West Africa and North America

Abstract The Variscan Orogen was formed during the closure of the Rheic Ocean and the final collision between the North American and West African cratons in the Late Paleozoic. This collision led to the multistage building of the Mauritanide Belt to the east of the Variscan suture and to the building of the well-known Appalachian Belt to the west. Both led to opposite vergences in this part of the Variscan belt. The earliest records of the main collision episode begin at ∼360 Ma and end about 250 myr ago, while a late extensional phase lasted until ∼190 Ma. Three distinct stages are recognized in West Africa. The first stage ( c. 350–300 Ma) records the indentation of the Reguibat Shield into the central Appalachian margin of Laurentia. This indentation led to thrusting of the Souttoufide and Akjoujt ‘nappes’ onto the Reguibat Shield, to southward motion of the Senegalese block (SB), and to strike-slip motion in the Appalachians. The motion of the SB to the south is coeval with: (1) folding of the northern part of the Bové Basin, (2) north–south sinistral strike-slip motions in the central Mauritanides, and (3) the end of sedimentation in the Bové and Taoudeni Basins by the Late Devonian. The second stage ( c. 300–250 Ma) involves the eastward motion of the Western Thrust Block (WTB) against the SB and, likely, some of the westward thrusts in the Appalachians. This second ‘Variscan’ event includes: (1) closure of parts of the lower Diourbel Carboniferous basin, which is now concealed beneath the Senegalo-Mauritanian Basin, (2) thrusting to the east of the Simenti Group over the Koulountou Group in the Bassaride Belt, (3) thrusting to the east of the Wa-Wa Group, (4) thrusting of the Mauritanide Belt onto the Taoudeni Basin in the central Mauritanide Belt, and finally (5) thrusting of the Agualilet Group over the Akjoujt nappes and eastward motion of the western units over the Dhloat Ensour (Late Ordovician to early Devonian) autochthonous unit in the Souttoufides. West of the supposed ‘Variscan’ suture, Appalachian thrusting affected parts of Appalachian Belt. The third stage ( c. 250 to 190 Ma) began with the opening of Triassic rift basins in the Senegalo-Mauritanian basin and also in the north of Florida. As numerous previous correlations across the Variscan system do not include the West African part, our sythesis is intended to enhance these correlations.

Comments: The New “Gold Rush” Hunts for Subsurface Hydrogen

_ A gold strike was announced in late October. But in this case the gold was naturally occurring hydrogen in a former coal basin. Known as “white” or “gold” hydrogen, the reported discovery of naturally formed underground hydrogen was made in northeastern France’s Lorraine coal basin, a region between France and Germany. The last coal mine was shut down 20 years ago. Researchers at the French National Centre of Scientific Research (CNRS) were testing a probe designed to analyze gases dissolved in the water of deep underground rock formations, looking for methane, when they detected hydrogen concentrations at depths of 1100 m (14%) and 1250 m (20%). Their calculations estimated the deposits’ potential as between 6 and 250 million metric tons of hydrogen. This wasn’t their first discovery of underground hydrogen in the area. Philippe de Donato and Jacques Pironon made a similar finding “by chance” as part of the Regalor research project in collaboration with Française de l’Energie (FDE), an independent multienergy company, the University of Lorraine, and CNRS. FDE announced the discovery in a press release in May, saying the measurements of hydrogen were made in its previously drilled Folschviller wellsite in the carboniferous aquifer of the Lorraine basin. Launched in 2018, the project’s aim was to confirm an assessment carried out in 2012 by France’s IFPEN petroleum and new energies institute. After analyzing a sample of the soil under the basin, the institute concluded that it contained 370 billion m3 of methane, which represents 8 years of gas consumption in France. De Donato and Pironon said, “The work carried out within the framework of the Regalor project has made it possible to demonstrate that the fluids within the carboniferous formations of the Lorraine mining basin are very significantly enriched in hydrogen, with a measured concentration of 15% at 1093 m depth and estimated at 98% at 3000 m depth.” FDE said in May that it applied for an exclusive mining exploration permit for the exploration of natural hydrogen in the basin. The permit covers an area of 2254 km² in the Grand Est region. The company said a site for a pilot will be identified based on the results obtained and then built to initiate local production and recovery of natural hydrogen in the Grand Est Region. In its October investor update, FDE said measurements will be performed in three of its existing wells by the end of the year to determine the extent of the hydrogen deposit. Reservoirs have also been discovered in the US, Canada, Finland, the Philippines, Australia, Brazil, Oman, Turkey, and Mali. In Mali, the Bourakebougou water well, Bougou-1, was drilled in 1987 in the Taoudeni Basin (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2018.08.193), a large sedimentary system present mainly in Algeria, Mauritania, and Mali. The well was cemented after a gas explosion occurred during drilling operations at a measured depth of 112 m. Unplugged in 2011 for use as a pilot well for local hydrogen production, gas was reported comprising 98% hydrogen, 1% nitrogen, and 1% methane. Hydrogen was then produced as an energy resource to supply local electricity through a company named Petroma, renamed Hydroma. From 2017 to 2019, the company drilled 24 wells. Among the new breed of gold prospectors are several startup companies including Natural Hydrogen Energy, Koloma, Helios Aragon, Gold Hydrogen, HyTerra, and H2Au. Helios Aragon owns exploration permits in northern Spain’s Aragon region and will begin drilling the Monzon-2 appraisal well in 2024 at a cost of $12 million. Estimates for the well are 1.1 million tons of hydrogen, and the company claims the Monzon field holds 5 to 10 million tons within its permits and more than 100 million tons in the region. Natural Hydrogen Energy and HyTerra claim the “first wildcat well targeting natural hydrogen in Nebraska,” the Hoarty well at Project Geneva. HyTerra also holds leases in the Nemaha Ridge in Kansas. The cost advantages of subsurface hydrogen are frequently cited by the early prospectors. For example, the wells in Mali have the potential to generate hydrogen gas at a cost of 50 cents/kg (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2018.08.193), which is only one-tenth the cost of producing hydrogen via electrolysis using solar, wind, geothermal, or other renewable energy sources. If commercialization and economies of scale pan out, this may become the gold standard for hydrogen energy. For Further Reading The Curious Case of Geologic Hydrogen: Assessing its Potential as a Near-Term Clean Energy Source (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joule.2022.01.005) by E.M. Yedinak, US Department of Energy, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy. The Occurrence and Geoscience of Natural Hydrogen: A Comprehensive Review (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2020.103140) by V. Zgonnik, Natural Hydrogen Energy LLC.

Ediacaran cap carbonates with microbial build-ups capping barite-bearing methane seep networks in the Kaarta Mountains, Taoudeni Basin, Mali

Defining the variability and distribution of methane seeps and microbial activity in the aftermath of the Marinoan glaciation is a long-standing challenge in the field of Snowball models. Early diagenetic barite is commonly linked to tepee structures and associated breccias lacking microbial textures and fabrics, giving the impression that chemosynthetic microbes, or at least methane-tolerant microbes, did not participate in the carbonate production of their cap carbonate host. This apparent paradox has been an outstanding question in the lowermost Ediacaran cap carbonates of the Taoudeni Basin, NW Africa. In the Kaarta Mountains of Mali these carbonates exhibit, over short distances (<10 km), sharp facies-related environmental modifications with quiescent-dominated seafloor conditions, episodically interrupted by metre-scale disrupted substrates. The latter comprises fissure and fracture networks, occluded with tabular- and rosette-shaped barite cements, and sealed by decimetre-scale stromatolitic build-ups exhibiting intergrowths with barite needles. The strongly 13C-depleted carbon isotope values of the microbial carbonates (δ13C as low as −43.2 ‰ PDB) suggest the influence of methane, also preserved as fluid inclusions in barite crystals (documented with RAMAN spectroscopy) derived from a gas reservoir below the cap carbonate. Th of other fluid inclusions (Linkam microthermometry), ranging from 174 °C to 222 °C, provides minimum entrapment temperatures for barite precipitation. The microbially induced oxidation of methane and input of Ba-rich fluids were coupled to reduction of sulphate derived from seawater. The Sr/S isotope ratio and barite shape and size point to diagenetic barite crystals. The biomarkers yielded by the cap carbonate reflect a C29-dominant steroidal signature characteristic of stigmastanoid algal blooms. Although present-day microbial build-ups related to methane sources commonly occur in deep substrates and under anoxic bottom waters, the cap carbonate of the Kaarta Mountains is representative of shallower substrates, whereas its biomarkers point to deposition under episodic non-oxidising conditions.

A new triradial species from the Neoproterozoic formations of the Chenachene region, north-east of the Taoudeni basin (south-western Algeria)

Precambrian life remains enigmatic, the traces of life of this period discovered throughout the world, have been interpreted differently; the observations made in the Chenachene region will deepen the knowledge and enrich the debate on these fascinating organisms.The Chenachene area represents the north-eastern margin of the Taoudeni Basin, where the Reguibat Shield outcrops with Pleoproterozoic metamorphic, metasedimentary and granitic series, constituting the Eburnian basement of the Eglab, surmounted in major discontinuity by a Meso-Neoproterozoic and Paleozoic sedimentary cover little or no deformed. A trace fossil was collected in a coredrill from the Chenachene region, in the Cheikhia-Bir Amrane Group, with an absolute age obtained by Rb/Sr ranging from 775 to 650 Ma corresponding to the Cryogenian.The diagnosis of the collected specimen allows us to recognize similarities with the genus Rugoconites described by Glaessner and Wade in 1966 from Flinders Ranges, South Australia, with notable differences from the two species already described (R. enigmaticus and R. tenuirugosus), which allows us to present it as a new species: Rugoconites reguibatensis.The exceptional state of preservation of Rugoconites reguibatensis has permitted to characterize it and reconstitute it, presenting great morphological similarities with present-day jellyfish, this revive, once again, the debate on the Precambrian life and the disappearance of this fauna at the end of the Proterozoic.

Tracing the sedimentary provenance of the Mesoproterozoic rocks from Taoudeni Basin (∼ 1.1 Ga) Mauritania: Evidence from Sm/Nd and elemental geochemistry

The Mesoproterozoic era is a crucial period in Earth history characterized by muted oxygen levels in the atmosphere–ocean system. This period is well represented in the non-metamorphosed sedimentary rocks from the Taoudeni Basin, Mauritania. Few studies have been carried out to trace the sources of these sedimentary archives. Here, we examined the sedimentary rocks from the Atar (S4 drill core) and El Mreiti groups (S2 and S3 drill cores). This study focuses on whole-rock elemental geochemistry and Sm/Nd isotope compositions to provide insights into the provenance of the fine-grained siliciclastic sediments from the basal part of the Mesoproterozoic Atar and El Mreiti groups. Paleoweathering indices reveal a moderate degree of chemical weathering in the source areas, consistent with the low compositional maturity of the studied samples. The concentrations of the relatively immobile trace elements suggest mixing sources of sediment provenance, which is dominated by felsic source rocks for the Atar sediments. However, distinctively positive ƐNd(t) values coupled with high 143Nd/144Nd and Sm/Nd ratios and high ƒSm/Nd values of the sediments from the El Mreiti Group indicate derivation from juvenile and less evolved sources rocks. Further, the depleted mantle model ages (TDM) of the provenance protolith (1.95–2.31 Ga) support the argument that the El Mreiti sediments are dominantly sourced from the Paleoproterozoic terrane exposed in the eastern Reguibat Shield while the Atar Group were predominantly from the Archean basement rocks in the western Reguibat Shield. Moreover, Sm/Nd isotope and mixing model results support the major contributions of the felsic Archean rocks of the Reguibat Shield for the Atar Group samples. Although these strata, separated by ∼1000 km, have been described as stratigraphic equivalent, our study demonstrates distinct sediment sources between the Atar Group strata and those of El Mreiti, therefore, reinforcing the importance of sediment provenance in understanding the evolution and reconstruction of modern and ancient sedimentary systems.

The Assabet barcode: Mesoproterozoic detrital zircons in Neoproterozoic strata from Mauritania, West Africa

Detrital zircon data are reported from Mesoproterozoic to Ordovician strata from two tectonic domains in Mauritania: 14 samples from the Taoudeni Basin of the West African Craton and 15 samples from the Mauritanide orogen. Taoudeni Basin samples show four sequential, distinctive detrital zircon age distributions, which we refer to as “barcodes”. From old to young these are the Char, Assabet, Téniagouri, and Oujeft barcodes, each named for a constituent stratigraphic unit. Zircon age maxima are as follows, with the dominant ones in italics. The Char barcode, from Mesoproterozoic (<i>ca.</i> 1100 Ma) strata including the Char Group, yielded zircon age maxima at 2941, 2871, 2703, <i>2447</i>, <i>2076</i>, and <i>2041</i> Ma, all potentially traceable to sources in the West African Craton. The Assabet barcode is from strata, including the eponymous Assabet el Hassiane Group, that were deposited between <i>ca</i>. 883 and <i>ca.</i> 570 Ma; it has age maxima at 2137, 2053, 1769, 1510, <i>1212</i>, 1021, and 936 Ma and a pronounced minimum during Geon 16 (1699–1600 Ma). The Assabet9s Mesoproterozoic to early Neoproterozoic zircons cannot have come from the West African Craton or any of its surrounding orogens. The Téniagouri barcode, which takes its name from the Téniagouri Group, was deposited at <i>ca.</i> 569 Ma; it has dominant maxima at 1983, 1872, <i>1522</i>, <i>1215</i>, 1109, 988, and 601 Ma and resembles the Assabet barcode but with the addition of the youngest population. The Oujeft barcode, named for the Oujeft Group, is from strata deposited between 541 or slightly earlier and 444 Ma or younger, has age maxima at 2124, 2053, 1197, <i>624</i> and <i>579</i> Ma. The Téniagouri and Oujeft barcodes record input from Pan-African orogens. In the Mauritanide orogen, most of the metasedimentary rock units that were sampled yielded detrital zircon age spectra that match one of the Taoudeni Basin barcodes. These results imply new depositional age constraints based on barcode correlation and suggest affinities between Mauritanide strata and the West African Craton. Detrital zircon age distributions that broadly resemble the Assabet barcode occur in the Neoproterozoic of Morocco, Ghana, Greece, Russia, Brazil, and, in the Appalachian orogen of Canada and the United States, Avalonia and Ganderia. The recent Rodinia reconstruction of Evans (2021) restores these far-flung localities to a more compact area, with Avalonia, Ganderia, and other peri-Gondwanan terranes occupying an oblong area between Amazonia, Laurentia, Baltica, and West Africa. Our preferred explanation is that most of these places received detritus via the same continent-scale fluvial system as the West African craton. Among the craton9s nearest Rodinia neighbors in the Evans (2021) reconstruction for 900 Ma, Amazonia has known igneous rocks corresponding to all of the major Assabet age populations, and also a lull, though not a complete magmatic gap, during Geon 16. This is consistent with overall north-directed paleocurrents in the Assabet El Hassiane Group and its correlatives on the West African Craton.

Post-depositional transformations in sedimentary rocks and implications for paleoenvironmental studies: evidence from the Mesoproterozoic (∼1.1 Ga) of the Taoudeni Basin, Mauritania

<h3>ABSTRACT</h3> Recent ⁶⁰Fe results have suggested that the estimated distances of supernovae in the last few million years should be reduced from ∼100 pc to ∼50 pc. Two events or series of events are suggested, one about 2.7 million years to 1.7 million years ago, and another may at 6.5 to 8.7 million years ago. We ask what effects such supernovae are expected to have on the terrestrial atmosphere and biota. Assuming that the Local Bubble was formed before the event being considered, and that the supernova and the Earth were both inside a weak, disordered magnetic field at that time, TeV-PeV cosmic rays at Earth will increase by a factor of a few hundred. Tropospheric ionization will increase proportionately, and the overall muon radiation load on terrestrial organisms will increase by a factor of ∼150. All return to pre-burst levels within 10kyr. In the case of an ordered magnetic field, effects depend strongly on the field orientation. The upper bound in this case is with a largely coherent field aligned along the line of sight to the supernova, in which case TeV-PeV cosmic ray flux increases are ∼10⁴; in the case of a transverse field they are below current levels. We suggest a substantial increase in the extended effects of supernovae on Earth and in the “lethal distance” estimate; more work is needed. This paper is an explicit followup to Thomas et al. (2016). We also here provide more detail on the computational procedures used in both works.

Major Element Signatures of Silicate Dust Deposited on the West African Margin: Links With Transport Patterns and Provenance Regions

AbstractMineral dust deposition characteristics are poorly constrained, even in the Northeastern Tropical Atlantic Ocean, which is immediately downwind of the Saharan desert and the largest marine repository of aeolian dust in the world. Here, we report on a 2‐year (March 2013–February 2015) time series of deposited dust on the Senegalese margin. This record enables us to document the chemical variability (major elements) of the settling Saharan dust (&lt;30 µm silicate fraction, i.e., carbonate‐free) at a resolution varying from one week to one day, along with the deposition flux. This continuous time series reveals a greater geochemical diversity than previously reported, particularly during the dry winter‐spring season when continental trade winds sweep across vast regions of West Africa at low atmospheric levels before reaching the sampling site. By contrast, during major deposition events, which make up for most of the yearly flux, our record shows that Saharan dust chemical composition displays much narrower ranges. Trajectory analyses indicate that these relatively well‐defined chemical signatures are due to the limited number of provenance sectors involved during major deposition occurrences. The chemical characterization of the dust deposited during these events, hence, allows identifying the major element fingerprint of the related source regions, the most important one being a sizable area at the border of Algeria and Mali including the Tanezrouft desert north of the Taoudeni basin. Also, since these major events are associated with major Saharan outbreaks, they provide estimations of the prevailing elemental signatures for Saharan dust impacting the Northeastern Tropical Atlantic Ocean.

Investigation of unexplored kaolin occurrences in southern Mauritania and preliminary assessment of possible applications

AbstractNon-metallic raw materials are largely unexplored in many African countries. In an attempt to reduce this knowledge gap, kaolin occurrences in three promising regions of southern Mauritania were examined. The aim of the paper is to describe the occurrences and characterize the material in terms of mineralogy and potential technical use in the ceramics industry. The kaolins are geologically associated with various sedimentary rock units in either the Coastal Basin (Kaédi), the Mauritanide Belt (Hassi Abyad) or the Taoudeni Basin (Néma). Geochemical data show Al2O3contents of between 9% and 38% (corresponding to 23–96% kaolinite). Samples from the Hassi Abyad and Kaédi regions have greater kaolinite contents on average and were further investigated mineralogically. The kaolin from the Néma region contained less kaolinite (&lt;50 mass%). The region is also less accessible and hence is not considered further in this study. X-ray diffraction, X-ray fluorescence and infrared spectroscopy confirmed the geochemically calculated kaolinite contents of the kaolins and identified quartz, anatase and goethite as the remaining major mineral constituents. The degree of structural disorder of the kaolinites (determined by infrared spectroscopy) is generally greater in the Kaédi occurrences than at Hassi Abyad. Ceramic tests proved that all of these kaolin raw materials might be used for the production of ceramics, and some may even be used for fine ceramics. From an economic point of view, the Hassi Abyad deposit is interesting in terms of its quality and reserves, aspects that will be addressed in detail in a follow-up study.

Implications of Non-Carbonate Dolomite Minerals in the Formation of Red Soils in a Paleokarstic Context in the Taoudeni Basin in Burkina Faso

Uncertainties remain as to the ability of certain carbonate rocks to form the red soils covering them. These doubts, which have been the subject of debate for several decades, become real when carbonate rocks are pure and low in insoluble residues. In the carbonate rocks of the Taoudeni basin in Burkina Faso, brown-red to red soils develop, at the top of hillsides and in karstic cavities. No study in the region has yet shown the existence in these carbonate rocks of sufficient insolubles to form soils after decalcification. The objective of this study was therefore to identify and quantify the minerals of carbonate rocks in order to identify the origin of red soils. Petrographic, chemical (XRF) and mineralogical (XRD) investigations on dominant carbonate rocks features in the study area show that the rocks studied are mainly magnesian dolomites (Dolomite > 50% of carbonate minerals and Ca/Mg ratio 12%) in other dolomitic features. These insoluble silicates formed of quartz, potassium feldspar (orthoclase), clays (talc, phlogopite and kaolinite) and iron oxides constitute the main original material of reddened soils in karstic cavities.

New Evidence of ‘Anomalous' Vertical Movements along the Hinterland of the Atlantic NW African Margin

AbstractLow‐temperature thermochronology studies revealed major exhumation events affecting domains in the hinterland of the Central Atlantic margins, where Palaeozoic and/or Precambrian basement is exposed. Thus, domains traditionally assumed to be stable since at least the Variscan and juxtaposed to subsiding Meso‐Cenozoic basins, appear to be affected by km‐scale vertical movements during the Atlantic rifting and after the Early Jurassic breakup in the Central Atlantic. In this contribution, we investigate the extent and the magnitude of these motions along the NW African margin by presenting the first low‐temperature thermochronology data from west Mauritania. The analysed 22 samples were collected along the Mauritanides, a N‐S trending Variscan Belt separating the cratonic Taoudeni Basin in the east from the Atlantic coastal basin in the west. The obtained apatite fission track (AFT) ages range between 236 and 90 Ma, with mean track lengths between 11.22 and 12.81 μm and Dpar comprised between 1.6 and 2.1 μm. The uncorrected (U‐Th‐Sm)/He (AHe) ages vary between 261 and 33 Ma. Inverse thermal modelling of the AFT and AHe data indicates that the hinterland of the Mauritanian Atlantic margin experienced (i) burial between the Permian and the Late Triassic, (ii) km‐scale exhumation during Middle‐Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous, (iii) burial during the Palaeogene–early Miocene, and (iv) exhumation between mid‐Miocene and present‐day. We argue that these vertical movements are primarily driven by the tectonic evolution of the Atlantic rift and the subsequent geodynamic evolution of the Central Atlantic Ocean and the African plate.

Assessing Groundwater Mineralization Process, Quality, and Isotopic Recharge Origin in the Sahel Region in Africa

In the Sahel region in Africa, and in most arid regions, groundwater is the crucial source for water supply since surface water is scarce. This study aimed to understand a complex geochemical mechanism controlling the mineralization process in the Taoudeni Basin. A thousand randomly distributed groundwater samples acquired from different aquifers were used for this research. The results show that the majority of the samples observed are of the Ca2+-Mg2+-HCO3− and Na+-HCO3− types depending on the different aquifers. Mg2+ and Ca2+ may react with HCO3− precipitating as calcite and dolomite. The Na+-HCO3− groundwater type is mainly derived from the ion exchange process. This type indicates a paleo-marine depositional environment or that it passes through paleo-marine channels. Calcium of the standard Ca2+-HCO3− groundwater type exchanges with the sodium. Groundwater is characterized by the water-rock interactions that indicate the chemical alteration of the rock-forming minerals influencing its quality by a dissolution. The δ2H and δ18O stable isotopes designate the evaporation importance in the basin and recharge with recent rain. The bicarbonate-type presence in groundwater suggests that it is young and fresh water. Multivariate statistical methods, notably Principal Component Analysis and Hierarchical Cluster Analysis, confirm affinities among the aquifers and identify three main clusters grouped into two water types. Cluster 1 consists of Infra-Cambrian and Quaternary aquifers, whereas cluster2 includes the Precambrian basement and Permian-Triassic aquifers.

1.1-billion-year-old porphyrins establish a marine ecosystem dominated by bacterial primary producers

The average cell size of marine phytoplankton is critical for the flow of energy and nutrients from the base of the food web to higher trophic levels. Thus, the evolutionary succession of primary producers through Earth's history is important for our understanding of the radiation of modern protists ∼800 million years ago and the emergence of eumetazoan animals ∼200 million years later. Currently, it is difficult to establish connections between primary production and the proliferation of large and complex organisms because the mid-Proterozoic (∼1,800-800 million years ago) rock record is nearly devoid of recognizable phytoplankton fossils. We report the discovery of intact porphyrins, the molecular fossils of chlorophylls, from 1,100-million-year-old marine black shales of the Taoudeni Basin (Mauritania), 600 million years older than previous findings. The porphyrin nitrogen isotopes (δ15Npor = 5.6-10.2‰) are heavier than in younger sedimentary sequences, and the isotopic offset between sedimentary bulk nitrogen and porphyrins (εpor = -5.1 to -0.5‰) points to cyanobacteria as dominant primary producers. Based on fossil carotenoids, anoxygenic green (Chlorobiacea) and purple sulfur bacteria (Chromatiaceae) also contributed to photosynthate. The low εpor values, in combination with a lack of diagnostic eukaryotic steranes in the time interval of 1,600-1,000 million years ago, demonstrate that algae played an insignificant role in mid-Proterozoic oceans. The paucity of algae and the small cell size of bacterial phytoplankton may have curtailed the flow of energy to higher trophic levels, potentially contributing to a diminished evolutionary pace toward complex eukaryotic ecosystems and large and active organisms.

Raman microspectroscopy, bitumen reflectance and illite crystallinity scale: comparison of different geothermometry methods on fossiliferous Proterozoic sedimentary basins (DR Congo, Mauritania and Australia)

Sedimentary rocks containing microfossils are crucial archives to reconstitute early life evolution on Earth. However, the preservation of microfossils within rocks depends on several physico-chemical factors. Among these factors, the thermal evolution of the host rocks can be decisive. Here, we investigated carbonaceous shale samples containing exquisitely preserved organic-walled microfossils assemblages from three Proterozoic shallow marine sedimentary sequences: the Mbuji-Mayi Supergroup (Democratic Republic of Congo, Congo Basin), the Atar/El Mreïti Group (Mauritania, Taoudeni Basin) and the Kanpa Formation (Australia, Officer Basin). Thermal maturity of these rock samples is evaluated with Raman geothermometry, Raman reflectance, solid bitumen reflectance, illite crystallinity and Thermal Alteration Index. The comparison of results coming from these different techniques validates the use of Raman reflectance on Proterozoic carbonaceous material and especially for poorly-ordered carbonaceous material. We show that extracted kerogen (microfossils and amorphous organic material) is more accurate to estimate the thermal maturity of low-grade temperature Proterozoic sequences than kerogen in thin section. All techniques provide consistent range of temperatures except for Raman geothermometry, giving slightly higher estimates. Raman reflectance appears to be a fast, robust and non-destructive tool to evaluate the thermal maturity of poorly-organized carbonaceous material from Proterozoic rocks.

A palaeoecological model for the late Mesoproterozoic – early Neoproterozoic Atar/El Mreïti Group, Taoudeni Basin, Mauritania, northwestern Africa

Reconstructing the spatial distribution of early eukaryotes in palaeoenvironments through Proterozoic sedimentary basins provides important information about their palaeoecology and taphonomic conditions. Here, we combine the geological context and a reconstruction of palaeoenvironmental redox conditions (using iron speciation) with quantitative analysis of microfossil assemblages (eukaryotes and incertae sedis), to provide the first palaeoecological model for the Atar/El Mreïti Group of the Taoudeni Basin. Our model suggests that in the late Mesoproterozoic – early Neoproterozoic, the availability of both molecular oxygen and nutrients controlled eukaryotic diversity, higher in oxic shallow marginal marine environments, while coccoidal colonies and benthic microbial mats dominated respectively in anoxic iron-rich and euxinic waters during marine highstands or away from shore where eukaryotes are lower or absent.

Microfossils from the late Mesoproterozoic – early Neoproterozoic Atar/El Mreïti Group, Taoudeni Basin, Mauritania, northwestern Africa

The well-preserved Meso-Neoproterozoic shallow marine succession of the Atar/El Mreïti Group, in the Taoudeni Basin, Mauritania, offers a unique opportunity to investigate the mid-Proterozoic eukaryotic record in Western Africa. Previous investigations focused on stromatolites, biomarkers, chemostratigraphy and palaeoredox conditions. However, only a very modest diversity of organic-walled microfossils (acritarchs) has been documented. Here, we present a new, exquisitely well-preserved and morphologically diverse assemblage of organic-walled microfossils from three cores drilled through the Atar/El Mreïti Group. A total of 48 distinct entities including 11 unambiguous eukaryotes (ornamented and process-bearing acritarchs), and 37 taxonomically unresolved taxa (including 9 possible eukaryotes, 6 probable prokaryotes, and 22 other prokaryotic or eukaryotic taxa) were observed. Black shales preserve locally abundant fragments of organic-rich laminae interpreted as benthic microbial mats. We also document one of the oldest records of Leiosphaeridia kulgunica, a species showing a circular opening interpreted as a sophisticated circular excystment structure (a pylome), and one of the oldest records of Trachyhystrichosphaera aimika and T. botula, two distinctive process-bearing acritarchs present in well-dated 1.1Ga formations at the base of the succession. The general assemblage composition and the presence of three possible index fossils (A. tetragonala, S. segmentata and T. aimika) support a late Mesoproterozoic to early Neoproterozoic (Tonian) age for the Atar/El Mreïti Group, consistent with published lithostratigraphy, chemostratigraphy and geochronology. This study provides the first evidence for a moderately diverse eukaryotic life, at least 1.1billion years ago in Western Africa. Comparison with coeval worldwide assemblages indicates that a broadly similar microbial biosphere inhabited (generally redox-stratified) oceans, placing better time constraints on early eukaryote palaeogeography and biostratigraphy.