Abstract
We 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 (2σ). 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.
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Acknowledgments
This study was performed during a Senior Research Fellowship of Tchameni Rigobert (RT) at “Laboratoire Géoressources de l’Université de Lorraine, France,” funded by AUF (Agence universitaire de la Francophonie) under the Project No. 51011SU201. RT is grateful to Pr Jacques Pironon for his supervision. The authors are thankful to Pierre Barbey whose comments and suggestions have helped improve the original manuscript and Olivier Rouer for his assistance during the electron microprobe analyses. We are also grateful to Valderez Ferreira and Jean Luc Bouchez for comments and suggestions made on an earlier version of this paper.
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Tchameni, R., Sun, F., Dawaï, D. et al. Zircon dating and mineralogy of the Mokong Pan-African magmatic epidote-bearing granite (North Cameroon). Int J Earth Sci (Geol Rundsch) 105, 1811–1830 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00531-015-1276-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00531-015-1276-x