Ensembles structuraux et principales phases de déformations panafricaines dans la zone mobile du Nord Cameroun, région de Poli

Deux cycles de migmatisation et deux phases majeures de déformation donnent à la zone mobile ses principales caractéristiques structurales. La première migmatisation (environ 650 m.a. ? ), affectant les séries de Poli, est liée à la mise en place des granites orientés de Bakonwa, concordants et diffus. Suit une phase de serrage qui contribue à verticaliser les structures régionales de gneiss, puis des cisaillements. Intervient ensuite une seconde migmatisation, avec la mise en place des granites de Wangai, discordants. Ces granites préludent à la mise en place des intrusions granitiques circonscrites post-orogéniques

Petrography and geochemistry of the Ngaoundéré Pan-African granitoids in Central North Cameroon: Implications for their sources and geological setting.

The Nagoundéré Pan-African granitoids in Central North Cameroon belong to a regional-scale massif, which is referred to as the Adamawa-Yade batholith. The granites were emplaced into a ca. 2.1 Ga remobilised basement composed of metasedimentary and meta-igneous rocks that later underwent medium- to high-grade Pan-African metamorphism. The granitoids comprise three groups: the hornblende–biotite granitoids (HBGs), the biotite ± muscovite granitoids (BMGs), and the biotite granitoids (BGs). New Th–U–Pb monazite data on the BMGs and BGs confirm their late Neoproterozoic emplacement age (ca. 615 ± 27 Ma for the BMGs and ca. 575 Ma for the BGs) during the time interval of the regional tectono-metamorphic event in North Cameroon. The BMGs also show the presence of ca. 926 Ma inheritances, suggesting an early Neoproterozoic component in their protolith. The HBGs are characterized by high Ba–Sr, and low K2O/Na2O ratios. They show fairly fractionated REE patterns (LaN/YbN 6–22) with no Eu anomalies. The BMGs are characterized by higher K2O/Na2O and Rb/Sr ratios. They are more REE-fractionated (LaN/YbN = 17–168) with strong negative Eu anomalies (Eu/Euasterisk operator = 0.2–0.5). The BGs are characterized by high SiO2 with K2O/Na2O > 1. They show moderated fractionated REE patterns (LaN/YbN = 11–37) with strong Eu negative anomalies (Eu/Euasterisk operator = 0.2–0.8) and flat HREE features (GdN/YbN = 1.5–2.2). In Primitive Mantle-normalized multi-element diagrams, the patterns of all rocks show enrichment in LILE relative to HFSE and display negative Nb–Ta and Ti anomalies. All the granitoids belong to high-K calc-alkaline suites and have an I-type signature. Major and trace element data of the HBGs are consistent with differentiation of a mafic magma from an enriched subcontinental lithospheric mantle, with possible crustal assimilation. In contrast, the high Th content, the LREE-enrichment, and the presence of inherited monazite suggest that the BGs and BMGs were derived from melting of the middle continental crust. Structural and petrochemical data indicate that these granitoids were emplaced in both syn- to post-collision tectonic settings

Geodynamic evolution of the Pan-African belt in central Africa with special reference to Cameroon

13 page(s

Petrology of high-pressure granulite facies metapelites and metabasites from Tcholliré and Banyo regions: Geodynamic implication for the Central African Fold Belt (CAFB) of north-central Cameroon

International audienceThe Tcholliré and Banyo high-pressure granulites occur mainly as highly strained small lenses, bands or elongated bodies interbedded with gneisses and migmatites in the Central African Fold Belt (CAFB) in north-central Cameroon. They were previously attributed to Palaeoproterozoic but are now shown to be Pan-African. These granulites are made up of two occurrences of metapelites with garnet-kyanite-sillimanite-cordierite-biotite-quartz-plagioclase and metabasites containing garnet-clinopyroxene-orthopyroxene-hornblende-quartz-plagioclase.Eight samples were analysed in detail by electron microprobe for mineral chemistry.Parageneses in both metapelites and metabasites highlight three main stages witnessed by prograde, peak and retrograde mineral assemblages. The prograde stage is preserved as well-defined inclusion trails of kyanite, biotite, plagioclase, quartz, and rutile within porphyroblasts of garnet in metapelites; or with more or less clinopyroxene, hornblende, plagioclase, quartz, ilmenite, rutile and apatite, within porphyroblasts of garnet in metabasites. The peak stage, displaying heterogranular granoblastic texture is characterised by porphyroblastic garnet-kyanite-K-feldspar-biotite in metapelites and garnet-clinopyroxene-plagioclase-quartz in metabasites. This was followed by decompression and cooling during the retrograde stage marked by aggregate of sillimanite prisms presumably after kyanite and cordierite corona around garnet in metapelites and by symplectites or vermicular structures of orthopyroxene-plagioclase and orthopyroxene corona around garnet in metabasites. Geothermobarometric study shows that granulite facies metapelites and metabasites from both Tcholliré and Banyo regions recrystallised under peak pressure-temperature conditions of 13–14 kbar and 800–900 °C. They experienced similar clockwise P-T path with nearly isothermal decompression.Our results provide evidence for a substantial crustal thickening during the Pan-African continent–continent collision but show that there is no significant isothermal decompression as commonly observed in recent collisional orogens. The reconstructed P-T paths are in some ways reminiscent of the ones reported in Precambrian “mixed-hot orogens”

Archaean crustal accretion at the northern border of the Congo Craton (South Cameroon). The charnockite-TTG link

International audienc

An overview of the geology and major ore deposits of Central Africa: Explanatory note for the 1:4,000,000 map “Geology and major ore deposits of Central Africa”

International audienceThis paper is prepared within the frameworks of IGCP Project 470 and the associated BRGM scientific project “Africa 1999–2004” to accompany the 1:4,000,000 scale map “Geology and major ore deposits of Central Africa, presented at the 20th Colloquium of African Geology in Orleans in June 2004. It incorporates geological and metallogenic data from eight countries in Central Africa (Angola, Cameroon, Chad, Central African Republic, Congo Brazzaville, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Equatorial Guinea and Zambia). The map is a harmonised and geo-referenced preliminary map, based on a GIS at 1:2,000,000 scale, and focusses on the spatial and temporal distribution of selected major deposits