Contribution to Mineral Exploration Along the Cameroon Volcanic Line in Bafmeng Area, Nw Cameroon: Constraints from Stream Sediments Geochemistry
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Available online at http://www.journalijdr.com ISSN: 2230-9926 International Journal of Development Research Vol. 07, Issue, 06, pp.13415-13421, June, 2017 ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE Open Access CONTRIBUTION TO MINERAL EXPLORATION ALONG THE CAMEROON VOLCANIC LINE IN BAFMENG AREA, NW CAMEROON: CONSTRAINTS FROM STREAM SEDIMENTS GEOCHEMISTRY 1,2*TAKOJIO NGUEMO Rose Eugenie, 3KOUANKAP NONO Gus Djibril, 3WOTCHOKO Pierre, 2OKOMO ATOUBA Lise Carole, 2KANKEU Boniface, 2BASSAHAK Jean, 2HELL Joseph Victor, 4CHENYI VOHNYUI Marie-Louise and 3EKOUELLE BELLA Aroon Jules 1*Department of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Sciences, University of Yaoundé I, P.O.Box 812 Yaoundé, Cameroon 2*Institute for Geological and Mining Research, P.O. Box 4110; Yaoundé, Cameroon 3Department of Geology, HTTC, University of Bamenda, P.O. Box 39 Bambili; Bamenda, Cameroon 4Department of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Sciences, University of Dschang, P.O. Box 67 Dschang, Cameroon ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT Article History: Oku’s stratovolcano to which Bafmeng area belongs to, is the second largest summit of the Received 19th March, 2017 Cameroon Volcanic Line and it has ne ver been investigated regarding their mineral potential. Received in revised form Stream sediments geochemistry of the Bafmeng area were carrying out with the aim to elucidating 14th April, 2017 the mineral potential of Mount Oku. The data obtained by Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Accepted 26th May, 2017 Spectrometry were statistically treated. Amongst major elements Fe, Al, Mn, Mg and Ti were the th Published online 30 June, 2017 most representative and their highest values are 35.5%, 2.01%, 8.63%, 11.7%, 3.8% respectively. Base metal such as Cu, Zn, Sn have slightly high contents with their respective maximum values of Key Words: 22.7ppm, 517ppm and 4ppm. Lithium has a contents ranging from 2.5ppm to 7.2ppm. A highest Cameroon Volcanic Line, value of 950ppm was recorded for Ni, 426ppm for Cr and 76.7ppm for Co. Regarding the Rare Oku, Bafmeng, Earth Elements, Ce and La were the most presents yielding the maximum contents of 500ppm and Stream Sediment, 150ppm respectively. Radioactive elements such as U, Th, Pb show very low contents. Stream Mineralization. sediments of Bafmeng area underwent little transportation and moderate chemical weathering. Little anthropogenic activities are carrying on in the localities, therefore enrichment of stream sediments in some elements are directly linked to the high contents of those elements in the country rocks, thus the follow up is recommend to define prospects in Bafmeng area. *Corresponding author: Copyright ©2017, TAKOJIO NGUEMO Rose Eugenie et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Citation: TAKOJIO NGUEMO Rose Eugenie et al. 2017. “Contribution to mineral exploration along the Cameroon Volcanic Line in Bafmeng area, NW Cameroon: Constraints from stream sediments geochemistry”, International Journal of Development Research, 7, (06), 13415-13421. INTRODUCTION This megastructure extends on the continent by volcanic massives and more than sixty plutono-anorogenic complexes extending from Mount Koupé to Waza. The North Equatorial The Cameroon Volcanic Line is a 1,600 km long chain of Pan-African Fold Belt, which is the substratum of the volcanoes trending N030°E. It includes islands in the Gulf of Cameroon Volcanic Line, is the result of the collision between Guinea and mountains that extend along the border region of the Congo-Sao Francisco craton and the West African craton eastern Nigeria and western Cameroon, from Mount (Toteu et al., 1987). In NW Cameroon, the panafrican Cameroon in the South towards Lake Chad in the North formations are partially covered by volcanic lava. Bafmeng (Burke 2001). The Cameroon Volcanic Line is known as a area which is the NW slope of Mount Oku, subject of our major structure in Central Africa. It is an alignment of oceanic study belongs to these two great geological complexes, and and continental volcanic mountain and anorogenic plutonic there were, encountered various petrographic types of volcanic complexes. 13416 TAKOJIO NGUEMO Rose Eugenie et al. Contribution to mineral exploration along the cameroon volcanic line in bafmeng area, nw cameroon: constraints from stream sediments geochemistry and plutonic. These magmatic units of Mount Oku have never The 11 stream sediments samples were sent to the commercial been investigated regarding their mineral potential despite the laboratory ALS (Australia Laboratory Services) to perform full fact that major mineral deposit are of magmatic origin. elements geochemistry. There, the samples were first dried at Assessing the stream sediments in Mount Oku can be useful to 600°C, crushed and milled to fine powder. Five grams of each evaluate the potential of the area, thus contribute to mineral sample were then decomposed by aqua regia digestion in a exploration within the Cameroon Volcanic Line. graphite heating block. After cooling, the resulting solution was diluted with deionizer water, mixed and analyzed by GEOLOGICAL SETTING OF THE STUDY AREA Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectrometry The Cameroon Volcanic Line is an alignment of N30°E of (ICP-AES) followed by Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass oceanic and continental volcanic massifs constituting thus the Spectrometry (ICP-MS). The analytical results were corrected for interelement spectral interferences. two sectors of this chain. The oceanic sector is entirely volcanic and consists of four islands (Bioko, Sao tomé, Results and interpretation of stream sediments Principé and Annobon,) and two recently discovered large geochemistry marine mountains (Burke, 2001) between bioko and principé, and between principé and sao tomé. The continental sector Eleven (11) samples of stream sediments were analyzed for consists of the south to the north by the Mount Etindé, multi elements. Full data are presented in Table 1. Cameroun, Manengouba, Bamboutos, Bamenda, Oku massifs Major Elements Adamaoua / bui plateau and Mount Mandara (Fitton, 1980,1983,1987; Dunlop 1985, Halliday et al., 1998, Njilah, Major elements analyzed are: Al, Ca, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, P, 1991, A. Marzolli et al.2000). Fitton (1983, 1987). The Ti. They are presented in table 2 with their respective basic magmatic activity along this line started arround 65Ma (Njilah statistics. The basic statistics presented in Tables 2 show that et al., 1991). Oku's stratovolcano is the second largest summit the major preponderant elements present are iron, magnesium of the Cameroon Volcanic Line (3011m) after Mount and manganese. Their concentrations range from 6.24% Cameroon, it is formed of Nyos, Nkambe, Babanki, the (EKC05) to 35.5% (EKC11), from 0.39 (EKC02) to 11.7% volcanic district of Wum and Oku. Previous work carried out (EKC11) and from 0.687% (EKC03) to 8.63%, (EKC10 ) shows that Mount Oku first emitted basalts (31 ± 2 Ma 1 respectively. The other major elements have relatively low Ma: Gouhier et al., 1974, Dunlup, 1983, Njilah, 1991) contents compared to the first three (Fe, Mg, Mn); Aluminum followed by trachytes (22, 3Ma: Njilah, 1991), voluminous (Al) has a content in the range of 0.48% (EKC01) to 2.01% rhyolitic ignimbrites and lastly basaltic pyroclastics. Previous (EKC01). Their respective average concentrations are 17.90%, work show that lavas in the Oku massif range from basic lavas 4.17% 1.07%. Titanium at concentrations between 0.267% to acid lavas (trachytes and rhyolites). K-Ar Dating performed (EKC01) -3.8% (EKC05) and its average concentration is by Njilah (2004) gives the ages of the volcanic rocks of Mount 0.79%. It should be noted that calcium (0.05-0.75%) and Oku are 25Ma to Present, which permits to distinguish three phosphorus (0.018-0, 134%) have very low contents in the volcanic series: EKC11 samples for their minima and in the EKC08 for their maximum with a mean concentrations of 0.38% and 0.11% The lower series ranging from 23 to 17.51 Ma, consisting respectively. Sodium and potassium, which have contents of lava flows from the basic lavas and some fragments of between (0.028-0.215%) and (0.04-0.21%) respectively, the partially digested granite basement. correspond to their maximum in EKC10 and their minimum in The average series ranging from 17.51 to 14 Ma, EKC05 (Table 1). Their respective average contents are includes the lava flows covered by trachytes and 0.088% and 0.11%. rhyolites intercalated by pyroclastic flows. The upper series ranging from 14 to 0.83 Ma constitutes Iron abundance indicates a primary origin due to the alteration the most recent phase, characterized by phreatic and of country rocks rich in ferromagnesian minerals such as phreatomagmatic eruptions forming the maars. biotites, moscovites and amphiboles. The magnesium abundance in the concentrates reflects the ultramafic nature of The Bafmeng area is situated on the western slope of Mount some rocks in the area and could be derived from basalts rich Oku in the North-West Region of Cameroon and extends in pyroxenes and olivines. Manganese is relatively abundant in between Latitude 6°19'26''N and 6°26'12''N and the Longitude stream sediments, as it is often found as an accessory mineral 10°10'31''E and 10°17'30''E. It belongs to the Menchum in olivine, pyroxene, and amphibole. Aluminum which has an hydrographic basin, it is drained by numerous streams and average concentration of 1.07% could originate from rivers (Tsoshishe, Mele and Nyi) which take their sources in aluminosilicate minerals such as feldspars (microcline, the rhyolitic and trachytic domes of Mbolom, Emo and Isse. orthose, plagioclase) and muscovite from the Bafmeng granitic The mountains of this region are almost homogeneous and rocks. The presence of titanium could be related by its affinity show a dendritic hydrographic network (Figure 1). with iron to form titanohematite compounds such as Ilmenite.