Zircon dating and mineralogy of the Mokong Pan-African magmatic epidote-bearing granite (North Cameroon)

International audienceWe present the mineralogy and age of the magmatic epidote-bearing granite composing most of the Mokong pluton, in the Central Africa orogenic belt (North Cameroon). This pluton intrudes Neoproterozoic (~830 to 700 Ma) low- to high-grade schists and gneisses (Poli-Maroua group), and is crosscut or interleaved with bodies of biotite granite of various sizes. The pluton is weakly deformed in its interior, but solid-state deformation increases toward its margins marked by narrow mylonitic bands trending NNE-SSW. The magmatic epidote granitic rocks are classified as quartz monzodiorite, granodiorite, monzogranite, and syenogranite. They are medium- to coarse-grained and composed of K-feldspar + plagioclase + biotite + amphibole + epidote + magnetite + titanite + zircon + apatite. In these granites, the pistacite component [atomic Fe+3/(Fe3+ + Al)] in epidote ranges from 16 to 29 %. High oxygen fugacity (log ƒO2 - 14 to -11) and the preservation of epidote suggest that the magma was oxidized. Al-in hornblende barometry and hornblende-plagioclase thermometry indicate hornblende crystallization between 0.53 and 0.78 GPa at a temperature ranging from 633 to 779 °C. Zircon saturation thermometry gives temperature estimates ranging from 504 to 916 °C, the latter being obtained on samples containing inherited zircons. U/Pb geochronology by LA-ICP-MS on zircon grains characterized by magmatic zoning yields a concordia age of 668 ± 11 Ma (2 σ). The Mokong granite is the only known occurrence magmatic epidote in Cameroon, and is an important milestone for the comparison of the Central Africa orogenic belt with the Brasiliano Fold Belt, where such granites are much more abundant

Causes and triggers of deep-seated hillslope instability in the tropics – Insights from a 60-year record of Ikoma landslide (DR Congo)

peer reviewedStudying the causes and triggers of landslides is essential to understand the key process of hillslope evolution and the hazards they generate. Such understanding is crucial in tropical areas where landslide impacts are high and on the rise, and the dearth of accurate processes characterisation is large. Here we investigate the timing and the mechanisms of relatively slow-moving deep-seated landslides in weathered tropical environments through the analysis of a landslide located in the Kivu Rift (DR Congo). This landslide, developed in weathered basalt, shows obvious deformation features at its surface indicating large deformations during recent years, making it a unique natural laboratory in an underexplored area. High-resolution topographic data, historical aerial photographs, satellite imagery and careful field investigations are used to detail the landslide mechanisms and investigate failure development over a 60-year record. By confronting rainfall time series and earthquake sequences with the different deformation episodes, we show that the relation between instability triggers and slope failure is not straightforward; e.g., the largest instability occurred at the end of a dry season during a period of relatively low seismicity. Instead of direct influence of external triggers, we show that some phases of instability may be caused by the intrinsic evolution of the hillslope associated with weathered-related weakening of the slope strength through time. Our results question the relative weight of the commonly recognized causes and triggers of slope instability in this area. Analysis of landslide causes and triggers provided here should help improve the understanding of how surface processes influence the pace of hillslope evolution. It also contributes to a more accurate evaluation of the landslide hazard in the area and across other regions where similar environmental conditions are met. © 201