Geology of the Tabakoto gold deposit, Kédougou-Kéniéba Inlier, West African Craton, Mali
The Tabakoto gold deposit is part of the highly endowed west-Malian gold belt, which hosts several world-class deposits. Located in the Paleoproterozoic Kédougou-Kéniéba Inlier (KKI) of the West African Craton (WAC), the deposit is contained in Birimian metasedimentary rocks of the Kofi series that...
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2024-01-01
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| author | Diallo Mahamadou Salvi Stefano Baratoux Lenka Béziat Didier Vanderhaeghe Olivier Labou Ibrahima Baratoux David Ly Saïdou |
| author_facet | Diallo Mahamadou Salvi Stefano Baratoux Lenka Béziat Didier Vanderhaeghe Olivier Labou Ibrahima Baratoux David Ly Saïdou |
| author_sort | Diallo Mahamadou |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The Tabakoto gold deposit is part of the highly endowed west-Malian gold belt, which hosts several world-class deposits. Located in the Paleoproterozoic Kédougou-Kéniéba Inlier (KKI) of the West African Craton (WAC), the deposit is contained in Birimian metasedimentary rocks of the Kofi series that are intruded by magmatic dikes. The Tabakoto deposit is characterized by multiple overlapping stages of magmatic dike intrusions and hydrothermal alteration during distinct regional-scale deformation events. The metasedimentary rocks are characterized by a S0/1 foliation delineated by the alternation of metagreywacke and meta-argillite. This foliation is affected by upright folds with N-S trending axial planes marked by a S2 schistosity and cross-cut by conjugate steep-dipping dextral NE-SW and sinistral NW-SE trending faults. These structures record regional-scale E-W shortening, first associated with crustal thickening and then with N-S stretching, evolving from ductile to brittle deformation. The gold-bearing V2 quartz-pyrite veins developed in dikes and metasedimentary units, are parallel to the S2 schistosity of the DT2 deformation event. These veins contained reduced phases such as pyrrhotite, loellingite and scheelite as well as bismuth. The second gold-bearing V3a quartz-carbonate veins are located in the NE-SW and NW-SE trending faults of the DT3 deformation event. The latter veins are marked by sodic alteration followed by carbonate (i.e., dolomite-ankerite ± calcite ± siderite) and phyllic (i.e., chlorite-muscovite-sericite) alterations. In the quartz-pyrite veins, gold occurs as inclusions in pyrite, arsenopyrite, and pyrrhotite, whereas in quartz-carbonate shear veins, gold is present in microfractures cross-cutting pyrite and arsenopyrite and at the contact between grains of pyrite and arsenopyrite, and of arsenopyrite and pyrrhotite. The litho-structural and mineralogical features of the Tabakoto deposit portray a polyphase mineralization with (i) an intrusion-hosted orogenic gold system, where the metabasltic to metarhyolitic dikes acted as suitable emplacement for fluids flow and (ii) a hydrothermal fluid circulation under ductile to brittle conditions. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-a6f17873e87b4fdf92dc21c4cf17f03e |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1777-5817 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
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| spelling | doaj-art-a6f17873e87b4fdf92dc21c4cf17f03e2025-01-06T11:03:22ZengEDP SciencesBSGF - Earth Sciences Bulletin1777-58172024-01-011952410.1051/bsgf/2024024bsgf240002Geology of the Tabakoto gold deposit, Kédougou-Kéniéba Inlier, West African Craton, MaliDiallo Mahamadou0https://orcid.org/0009-0003-9488-554XSalvi Stefano1Baratoux Lenka2Béziat Didier3Vanderhaeghe Olivier4Labou Ibrahima5Baratoux David6Ly Saïdou7Laboratoire de Cartographie et Ressources Minérales, Département de Géologie et MinesGéosciences Environnement Toulouse, Université de Toulouse III, CNRS & IRDGéosciences Environnement Toulouse, Université de Toulouse III, CNRS & IRDGéosciences Environnement Toulouse, Université de Toulouse III, CNRS & IRDGéosciences Environnement Toulouse, Université de Toulouse III, CNRS & IRDEcole nationale supérieure des Mines et de la Géologie (ENSMG) Ex_IST, Université Cheikh Anta DIOP de DakarGéosciences Environnement Toulouse, Université de Toulouse III, CNRS & IRDLaboratoire de Cartographie et Ressources Minérales, Département de Géologie et MinesThe Tabakoto gold deposit is part of the highly endowed west-Malian gold belt, which hosts several world-class deposits. Located in the Paleoproterozoic Kédougou-Kéniéba Inlier (KKI) of the West African Craton (WAC), the deposit is contained in Birimian metasedimentary rocks of the Kofi series that are intruded by magmatic dikes. The Tabakoto deposit is characterized by multiple overlapping stages of magmatic dike intrusions and hydrothermal alteration during distinct regional-scale deformation events. The metasedimentary rocks are characterized by a S0/1 foliation delineated by the alternation of metagreywacke and meta-argillite. This foliation is affected by upright folds with N-S trending axial planes marked by a S2 schistosity and cross-cut by conjugate steep-dipping dextral NE-SW and sinistral NW-SE trending faults. These structures record regional-scale E-W shortening, first associated with crustal thickening and then with N-S stretching, evolving from ductile to brittle deformation. The gold-bearing V2 quartz-pyrite veins developed in dikes and metasedimentary units, are parallel to the S2 schistosity of the DT2 deformation event. These veins contained reduced phases such as pyrrhotite, loellingite and scheelite as well as bismuth. The second gold-bearing V3a quartz-carbonate veins are located in the NE-SW and NW-SE trending faults of the DT3 deformation event. The latter veins are marked by sodic alteration followed by carbonate (i.e., dolomite-ankerite ± calcite ± siderite) and phyllic (i.e., chlorite-muscovite-sericite) alterations. In the quartz-pyrite veins, gold occurs as inclusions in pyrite, arsenopyrite, and pyrrhotite, whereas in quartz-carbonate shear veins, gold is present in microfractures cross-cutting pyrite and arsenopyrite and at the contact between grains of pyrite and arsenopyrite, and of arsenopyrite and pyrrhotite. The litho-structural and mineralogical features of the Tabakoto deposit portray a polyphase mineralization with (i) an intrusion-hosted orogenic gold system, where the metabasltic to metarhyolitic dikes acted as suitable emplacement for fluids flow and (ii) a hydrothermal fluid circulation under ductile to brittle conditions.https://www.bsgf.fr/articles/bsgf/full_html/2024/01/bsgf240002/bsgf240002.htmlmalikédougou-kéniéba inliertabakoto gold deposithydrothermal alterationmineralizationorogenic gold |
| spellingShingle | Diallo Mahamadou Salvi Stefano Baratoux Lenka Béziat Didier Vanderhaeghe Olivier Labou Ibrahima Baratoux David Ly Saïdou Geology of the Tabakoto gold deposit, Kédougou-Kéniéba Inlier, West African Craton, Mali BSGF - Earth Sciences Bulletin mali kédougou-kéniéba inlier tabakoto gold deposit hydrothermal alteration mineralization orogenic gold |
| title | Geology of the Tabakoto gold deposit, Kédougou-Kéniéba Inlier, West African Craton, Mali |
| title_full | Geology of the Tabakoto gold deposit, Kédougou-Kéniéba Inlier, West African Craton, Mali |
| title_fullStr | Geology of the Tabakoto gold deposit, Kédougou-Kéniéba Inlier, West African Craton, Mali |
| title_full_unstemmed | Geology of the Tabakoto gold deposit, Kédougou-Kéniéba Inlier, West African Craton, Mali |
| title_short | Geology of the Tabakoto gold deposit, Kédougou-Kéniéba Inlier, West African Craton, Mali |
| title_sort | geology of the tabakoto gold deposit kedougou kenieba inlier west african craton mali |
| topic | mali kédougou-kéniéba inlier tabakoto gold deposit hydrothermal alteration mineralization orogenic gold |
| url | https://www.bsgf.fr/articles/bsgf/full_html/2024/01/bsgf240002/bsgf240002.html |
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