TITLE:
Sedimentological Characterization of Alluvial Gold Deposits of Betrare-Oya and Its Surroundings (Cameroon Eastern Region)
AUTHORS:
Daniel Mackaire Eloung Nna, Paul Desiré Ndjigui, Joseph Quentin Yene Atangana, Alexis Jacob Nyangono Abolo, Constantin Maurice Ndongue
KEYWORDS:
Betare-Oya and Its Surroundings, Alluvial Gold Deposits, Granulometry, Morphoscopy, Heavy Minerals, Polished Sections
JOURNAL NAME:
International Journal of Geosciences,
Vol.11 No.12,
December
24,
2020
ABSTRACT: Sedimentological methods such as granulometry,
morphoscopy and heavy minerals analysis have been carried out to characterize
alluvial gold deposits of Betare-Oya and its surroundings, with the aim to
determine their origin and conditions in which they are formed and also to
determine the mineralogical content of these deposits, their nature and
distribution. It came out from this study the following: The alluvial deposits
studied are sand, constituting of coarse fraction (grains), medium grains in
abundant and fine grains. The average values of sorting index (S0) and
coefficient of asymmetry (A) are respectively 2.53 and 0.73. These values indicate
that the sand is poorly arranged and poorly sorted with a better classification
or arrangement in the coarse fraction (grains). These are sediments that are
deposited together by high competent currents. It would therefore probably be
torrential deposits and or streams from short transport. Unused grains are
dominating (80.5%) which translate a proximal source of the sediments. So it
would be probably from the dismantling of the surrounding landforms. The heavy
minerals studied revealed the presence of the following minerals; zircon, gold,
sphene, green hornblende, tourmaline, rutile, augite, hypersthene, sillimanite,
glau-cophane, biotite, staurotide, and the opaque. These minerals belong to the
cortege of plutonic and metamorphic rocks from a single proximal distributing province.