Kouakou Pérès Yao1, Gbele Ouattara2, and Marc Ephrem Allialy3
1 Laboratoire des Sciences Géographiques, du Génie Civil et des Géosciences, Ecole Supérieure des Mines et Géologie (ESMG). Institut National Polytechnique Felix HOUPHOUËT-BOIGNY (INP-HB). BP 1093 Yamoussoukro, Côte d’Ivoire
2 Département des Sciences de la Terre et des Ressources Minières (STeRMi), Laboratoire du Génie Civil, des Géosciences et Sciences géographiques, Institut National Polytechnique Félix Houphouët-Boigny, Yamoussoukro, Côte d'Ivoire
3 Université Félix HOUPHOUËT-BOIGNY, UFR STRM, Laboratoire de Géologie de Ressources Minérales et Energétiques, 22 BP 582 Abidjan 22, Côte d’Ivoire
Original language: English
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Abstract
This petrographic study conducted in the eastern part of the Yaouré trough aims to characterize lithological diversity and to specify the mineralogical and textural features of the geological units. The methodology combines field observations (mapping and macroscopic description of outcrops) with petrographic analyses in thin sections, allowing the identification of mineralogical composition, textures, and alterations. The results reveal a wide variety of volcanic rocks (dacites, basaltic andesites, pillow lavas, pyroclastics), metasedimentary rocks (quartzites, cherts, sandstones, carbonate tuffs, tourmaline bearing chloritoschists, cataclasites), and intrusive rocks (microgranites, granites, gabbros, diorites, granodiorites). Microscopic observations highlight a notable abundance of carbonate phases, associated with chloritization, sericitization, and silicification. These hydrothermal alterations, often linked to episodes of fracturing and fluid circulation, indicate an environment favorable to gold mineralization. The observed lithological organization, marked by effusive and explosive volcanic sequences intruded by late plutonic bodies, fits within the Birimian geological framework. It confirms the inclusion of the studied area in this domain and emphasizes a context conducive to the circulation of mineralizing fluids and the formation of gold deposits.
Author Keywords: Yaouré Greenstone Belt, Microscopic, Petrographic, Mineralogical, Hydrothermal Alteration, Gold Mineralization.
