The Intiédougou located in the Houndé Birimian greenstone belt has been the subject of several mining and geoscience studies that have led to the discovery of mineralized gold targets. One of these mineraliz...The Intiédougou located in the Houndé Birimian greenstone belt has been the subject of several mining and geoscience studies that have led to the discovery of mineralized gold targets. One of these mineralized targets has prompted work that raises the issue of control factors for the gold mineralization of the prospect. The methodology used in this study combines a study of core drill hole data located in the area and laboratory studies. The Intiédougou sector is based on andesito-basaltic, andesitic interstratified volcanoclastite rocks and Tarkwaïen type detrital sedimentary rocks caught in a vice in the volcano-sedimentary unit. Lithostructural analysis of the sector shows that the subvolcanic rocks bearing gold mineralization are subjected to heterogeneous ductile to brittle deformations and affected by hydrothermalism evolving at stages marked by large fissure fillings. These hydrothermal phases evolve in the zones of expansion created by the brittle deformations that have contributed to the deposits of different types of gold-enriched sulphides. These different phases of hydrothermal destabilization generally of low degree accompany the tardi to post-eburnean brittle tectonics. This deformation system is favorable to the establishment of gold mineralization in the form of vein bodies. The overimposition of deformed and altered areas suggests a genetic relationship between deformation and hydrothermal activity. In conclusion, the mineralization of Intiédougou in vein styles, set up in a volcanic arc environment with a paragenesis of gold-pyrite deposit ± chalcopyrite would be controlled by the structural aspect and accompanied by hydrothermal alteration.展开更多
The semi-arid Sahel regions ofWest Africa rely heavily on groundwater from shallow to moderately deep (<100 m b.g.l.) crystalline bedrock aquifers for drinking water production.Groundwater quality may be affected b...The semi-arid Sahel regions ofWest Africa rely heavily on groundwater from shallow to moderately deep (<100 m b.g.l.) crystalline bedrock aquifers for drinking water production.Groundwater quality may be affected by high geogenic arsenic (As) concentrations (>10 μg/L) stemming from the oxidation of sulphide minerals (pyrite,arsenopyrite) in mineralised zones.These aquifers are still little investigated,especially concerning groundwater residence times and the influence of the annual monsoon season on groundwater chemistry.To gain insights on the temporal aspects of As contamination,we have used isotope tracers (noble gases,3H,stable water isotopes (2H,18O)) and performed hydrochemical analyses on groundwater abstracted from tube wells and dug wells in a small study area in southwestern Burkina Faso.Results revealed a great variability in groundwater properties (e.g.redox conditions,As concentrations,water level,residence time) over spatial scales of only a few hundred metres,characteristic of the highly heterogeneous fractured underground.Elevated As levels are found in oxic groundwater of circum-neutral pH and show little relation with any of the measured parameters.Arsenic concentrations are relatively stable over the course of the year,with little effect seen by the monsoon.Groundwater residence time does not seem to have an influence on As concentrations,as elevated As can be found both in groundwater with short (<50 a) and long (>10^3 a) residence times as indicated by 3He/4He ratios spanning three orders of magnitude.These results support the hypothesis that the proximity to mineralised zones is the most crucial factor controlling As concentrations in the observed redox/pH conditions.The existence of very old water portions with residence times >10^3 years already at depths of <50 m b.g.l.is a new finding for the shallow fractured bedrock aquifers of Burkina Faso,suggesting that overexploitation of these relatively low-yielding aquifers may be an issue in the future.展开更多
文摘The Intiédougou located in the Houndé Birimian greenstone belt has been the subject of several mining and geoscience studies that have led to the discovery of mineralized gold targets. One of these mineralized targets has prompted work that raises the issue of control factors for the gold mineralization of the prospect. The methodology used in this study combines a study of core drill hole data located in the area and laboratory studies. The Intiédougou sector is based on andesito-basaltic, andesitic interstratified volcanoclastite rocks and Tarkwaïen type detrital sedimentary rocks caught in a vice in the volcano-sedimentary unit. Lithostructural analysis of the sector shows that the subvolcanic rocks bearing gold mineralization are subjected to heterogeneous ductile to brittle deformations and affected by hydrothermalism evolving at stages marked by large fissure fillings. These hydrothermal phases evolve in the zones of expansion created by the brittle deformations that have contributed to the deposits of different types of gold-enriched sulphides. These different phases of hydrothermal destabilization generally of low degree accompany the tardi to post-eburnean brittle tectonics. This deformation system is favorable to the establishment of gold mineralization in the form of vein bodies. The overimposition of deformed and altered areas suggests a genetic relationship between deformation and hydrothermal activity. In conclusion, the mineralization of Intiédougou in vein styles, set up in a volcanic arc environment with a paragenesis of gold-pyrite deposit ± chalcopyrite would be controlled by the structural aspect and accompanied by hydrothermal alteration.
基金provided by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) through the "Programme 3E" (contract no.81016359)the Information Management System on Geogenic Contaminants, GAP (contract no.81025383)
文摘The semi-arid Sahel regions ofWest Africa rely heavily on groundwater from shallow to moderately deep (<100 m b.g.l.) crystalline bedrock aquifers for drinking water production.Groundwater quality may be affected by high geogenic arsenic (As) concentrations (>10 μg/L) stemming from the oxidation of sulphide minerals (pyrite,arsenopyrite) in mineralised zones.These aquifers are still little investigated,especially concerning groundwater residence times and the influence of the annual monsoon season on groundwater chemistry.To gain insights on the temporal aspects of As contamination,we have used isotope tracers (noble gases,3H,stable water isotopes (2H,18O)) and performed hydrochemical analyses on groundwater abstracted from tube wells and dug wells in a small study area in southwestern Burkina Faso.Results revealed a great variability in groundwater properties (e.g.redox conditions,As concentrations,water level,residence time) over spatial scales of only a few hundred metres,characteristic of the highly heterogeneous fractured underground.Elevated As levels are found in oxic groundwater of circum-neutral pH and show little relation with any of the measured parameters.Arsenic concentrations are relatively stable over the course of the year,with little effect seen by the monsoon.Groundwater residence time does not seem to have an influence on As concentrations,as elevated As can be found both in groundwater with short (<50 a) and long (>10^3 a) residence times as indicated by 3He/4He ratios spanning three orders of magnitude.These results support the hypothesis that the proximity to mineralised zones is the most crucial factor controlling As concentrations in the observed redox/pH conditions.The existence of very old water portions with residence times >10^3 years already at depths of <50 m b.g.l.is a new finding for the shallow fractured bedrock aquifers of Burkina Faso,suggesting that overexploitation of these relatively low-yielding aquifers may be an issue in the future.
