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Origin, tectonic environment and age of the Bibole banded iron formations, northwestern Congo Craton, Cameroon: geochemical and geochronological constraints

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 September 2021

Arlette Pulcherie Djoukouo Soh ,
Sylvestre Ganno Open the ORCID record for Sylvestre Ganno [Opens in a new window] ,
Lianchang Zhang ,
Landry Soh Tamehe ,
Changle Wang ,
Zidong Peng ,
Xiaoxue Tong  and
Jean Paul Nzenti
Arlette Pulcherie Djoukouo Soh
Affiliation:
Department of Earth Sciences, University of Yaounde 1, PO Box 812 Yaounde, Cameroon Key Laboratory of Mineral Resources, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing100029, China
Sylvestre Ganno*
Affiliation:
Department of Earth Sciences, University of Yaounde 1, PO Box 812 Yaounde, Cameroon
Lianchang Zhang
Affiliation:
Key Laboratory of Mineral Resources, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing100029, China Innovation Academy for Earth Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing100029, China
Landry Soh Tamehe
Affiliation:
Department of Earth Sciences, University of Yaounde 1, PO Box 812 Yaounde, Cameroon School of Geosciences and Info-Physics, Central South University, Changsha410083, China
Changle Wang
Affiliation:
Key Laboratory of Mineral Resources, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing100029, China Innovation Academy for Earth Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing100029, China
Zidong Peng
Affiliation:
Key Laboratory of Mineral Resources, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing100029, China Innovation Academy for Earth Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing100029, China
Xiaoxue Tong
Affiliation:
Key Laboratory of Mineral Resources, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing100029, China Innovation Academy for Earth Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing100029, China
Jean Paul Nzenti
Affiliation:
Key Laboratory of Mineral Resources, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing100029, China
*
Author for correspondence: Sylvestre Ganno, Email: sganno2000@gmail.com
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Abstract

The newly discovered Bibole banded iron formations are located within the Nyong Group at the northwest of the Congo Craton in Cameroon. The Bibole banded iron formations comprise oxide (quartz-magnetite) and mixed oxide-silicate (chlorite-magnetite) facies banded iron formations, which are interbedded with felsic gneiss, phyllite and quartz-chlorite schist. Geochemical studies of the quartz-magnetite banded iron formations and chlorite-magnetite banded iron formations reveal that they are composed of >95 wt % Fe2O3 plus SiO2 and have low concentrations of Al2O3, TiO2 and high field strength elements. This indicates that the Bibole banded iron formations were not significantly contaminated by detrital materials. Post-Archaean Australian Shale–normalized rare earth element and yttrium patterns are characterized by positive La and Y anomalies, a relative depletion of light rare earth elements compared to heavy rare earth elements and positive Eu anomalies (average of 1.86 and 1.15 for the quartz-magnetite banded iron formations and chlorite-magnetite banded iron formations, respectively), suggesting the influence of low-temperature hydrothermal fluids and seawater. The quartz-magnetite banded iron formations display true negative Ce anomalies, while the chlorite-magnetite banded iron formations lack Ce anomalies. Combined with their distinct Eu anomalies consistent with Algoma- and Superior-type banded iron formations, we suggest that the Bibole banded iron formations were deposited under oxic to suboxic conditions in an extensional basin. SIMS U–Pb data indicate that the Bibole banded iron formations were deposited at 2466 Ma and experienced metamorphism and metasomatism at 2078 Ma during the Eburnean/Trans-Amazonian orogeny. Overall, these findings suggest that the studied banded iron formations probably marked the onset of the rise of atmospheric oxygen, also known as the Great Oxidation Event in the Congo Craton.

Keywords

GeochemistrySIMS U–Pb datingDepositional environmentGreat Oxidation EventBibole BIFsCongo Craton
Type
Original Article
Information
Geological Magazine , Volume 158 , Issue 12 , December 2021 , pp. 2245 - 2263
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press

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