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Geochemistry and zircon U–Pb ages of the Paleoproterozoic ultramafic rocks of the Mbi Valley, Boali area, Central African Republic

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Abstract

This paper investigates the geochemistry of bulk rock and infers the petrogenesis of ultramafic rocks in the Boali Precambrian terrane in Mbi Valley, in the North of the Central African Republic (CAR). The studied rocks comprise coarse primary olivine and orthopyroxene relics (dominant phase), magnesio-hornblende, magnetite, and antigorite. Whole-rock analysis indicates low SiO2 (average of 43.14 wt%) and high MgO (19.84–26.98 wt%) contents and their Mg number (Mg#) ranges from 74 to 82. They display high Ni (526–865 ppm), Cr (1500–3680 ppm) contents. AFM (Na2O-K2O)-FeO-MgO) and ACM (Al2O3-CaO-MgO) ternary diagrams have revealed that the studied samples correspond to arc-related ultramafic cumulates. Chondrite-normalized REE plots display an increasing trend from La to Sm (CeN/SmN: 0.74–1.81), weak negative to no Eu (Eu/Eu* = 0.72–1.05) and strong negative Ce (Ce/Ce* = 0.33–0.98) anomalies. Primitive mantle normalized of multi-element diagrams exhibit LREE enrichment and large ion lithophile elements (LILE) relative to high field strength elements (HFSE), and notable negative anomalies in Nb. This suggests the generation of the parent melt by slab dehydration and wedge melting processes. In addition, incompatible trace element composition and ratios assumed that the source magma had an enhanced mantle source associated with a prominent influence of continental crust. Metasomatism of mantle wedge by plate-dehydrated, LILE-rich fluids and the incorporation of sediments derived from subduction explain the enhancement of the source. Integrated major and trace element compositions jointly with the tectonic reconstruction of this region and LA-ICP-MS U–Pb data on zircon constrain the emplacement age at ca. 2099 Ma in a continental margin arc setting involving subduction of an oceanic plate beneath the continental lithosphere, dehydration of the slab and mantle wedge melting. This result intimate that the remnants of Paleoproterozoic oceanic crust or subduction event and subsequent basins closure extended from the Congo craton in Cameroon to CAR and NE Brazil.

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Fig. 1

modified from Mapoka et al. (2010). ASZ: Cameroon Central Shear Zone = CCSZ; SF: Sanaga fault; SL: São Luis Craton; Pa: Patos shear zone; Pe: Pernambuco shear zone; TBF: Tibati-Banyo-Foumban fault. BOF: Bétaré Oya Fault. Red rectangle: study area

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Fig. 7

taken from Chin et al. (2018)

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Fig. 13

source in c: Average Pelitic Sediments (APS) (Taylor and McLennan 1985); N-MORB (Sun and McDonough 1989)

Fig. 14

source is marked beside the curves

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Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge financial support of SCAC (Service de la Coopération et d’Action Culturelle) Bangui and support from Professor Paul Asimow of California Institute of Technology, USA for providing EPMA data, and from Dr. Landy Soh Tamehe of the School of Geosciences and Info-Physics, Central South University, China for helping in zircon U–Pb data acquisition.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Earth Sciences, University of Dschang, P.O. Box 67, Dschang, Cameroon

    Evine Laure Njiosseu Tanko & Timoleon Ngnotue

  2. Department of Earth Sciences, University of Bangui, P.O. Box 908, Bangui, Central African Republic

    Prince Emilien Danguene & Jean Biandja

  3. Department of Mining Engineering and Mineral Processing, School of Mines and Petroleum Industries, University of Maroua, P.O. Box 08, Kaélé-Maroua, Cameroon

    Philomene Nga Essomba Tsoungui

  4. Department of Earth Sciences, University of Yaoundé I, P.O. Box 812, Yaoundé, Cameroon

    Sylvestre Ganno, Jonas Didero Takodjou Wambo, Bertin Guy Takam Tchoupe & Jean Paul Nzenti

  5. Department of Geology, HTTC, University of Bamenda, P.O. Box 39, Bambili, Bamenda, Cameroon

    Gus Djibril Kouankap Nono

  6. Institute for Geological and Mining Researches (IGMR), P.O. Box 4110, Yaoundé, Cameroon

    Boniface Kankeu

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Correspondence to Evine Laure Njiosseu Tanko.

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Tanko, E.L.N., Danguene, P.E., Tsoungui, P.N.E. et al. Geochemistry and zircon U–Pb ages of the Paleoproterozoic ultramafic rocks of the Mbi Valley, Boali area, Central African Republic. Acta Geochim 41, 515–535 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11631-022-00540-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11631-022-00540-3

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