TITLE:
Geochemistry of Magmatic Rocks of the Syama Belt, Southern Mali, West African Craton
AUTHORS:
Dasso Yollande Traoré, Seko Sanogo, Adama Youssouf Koné, Ismaïla N’Diaye, Mamadou Lamine Bouaré, Didier Béziat
KEYWORDS:
Syama Belt, Magmatic Rocks, MORB, Boualé-Mossi Domain, Southern Mali, West African Craton (WAC)
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Geology,
Vol.12 No.3,
March
22,
2022
ABSTRACT: Within southern Mali, the Syama belt constitutes a linear major structure-oriented N-S, which host several gold deposits (e.g., Syama and Tabakoroni) and prospect areas (e.g. Tellem). The Syama Belt is formed by magmatic rocks (basalts, lamprophyres, andesites, dacites and microgranites); sedimentary rocks (shales) and volcano-sedimentary rocks (pyroclastics). The magmatic rocks are divided into two main volcanic series: tholeiitic affinity rocks (basalts and lamprophyres) and calc-alkaline affinity (andesites) that are the most evolved. The field relationships between rocks of these two series suggest that the calc-alkaline series are younger the tholeiitic series. These tholeiitic series present the Mid-Ocean Ridge Basalt (MORB) affinity whereas the calc-alkaline series would be linked to an island arc-type. This coexistence is not an isolated case within the West African Craton (WAC). Otherwise, the Syama belt has all the characteristics of other belts, within which a number of gold deposits are developed, in the WAC.