Mapping curie point depth of the west African Craton from satellite magnetic data and its implication for diamond exploration

The main objective of this work is to map the Curie depth of the West African Craton (WAC) using satellite magnetic data with the aim to provide first order evaluation, within this vast territory, for the spatial association between Curie-depth surface and known kimberlite locations. Taking into account Clifford's rule, the first and foremost exploration guideline for diamond exploration is the existence of a sufficiently thick lithosphere that expected to have a low surface heat flow. The Curie depth is closely related to the surface heat-flow conditions and lithosphere thickness. In actual fact, the only few regions that have sufficient density of surface heat flow measurements corroborate the association of these conditions with the diamond resources. To better explore in an efficient way the spatial relationship between the Curie depth and known diamondiferous primary sources within the WAC, we used GIS-based weights of evidence method to provide a quantitative analysi

Is there a hidden near surface salt diapir in the Guelma Basin, north-east of Algeria?

The diapiric province of north-eastern Algeria and Tunisia extends NE–SW over several hundreds of kilometres. Available, geophysical and geological investigations were focused on the study of known diapiric outcrop. In contrast to the existing work, our study is focused on to identify a new hidden near surface salt diapir in the Guelma Basin, north-east of Algeria. Integrated geophysical study comprising aeromagnetic, gravimetric and DC resistivity data calibrated with existing well information provides new insights into the geometry of the geologic structure of Guelma Basin. Spatial correlation between magnetic low, strong gravity minimum and resistivity high reveal a hidden near surface salt diapir. The Guelma salt diapir is topped by a local topographic high which follows exactly the underlying salt body. Joint gravity-magnetic modelling indicates that salt is deeply rooted and has a dome-like shape. The Guelma salt diapir was triggered by normal faulting and is directly controlled by regional extensio