STRUCTURAL CONTROLS ON GOLD MINERALIZATION IN THE PALAEOPROTEROZOIC MAKO VOLCANIC BELT, SENEGAL

Orogenic gold deposits have strong structural controls on their location and geometry at all scales. However, it is unclear how structures link across different scales to control mineralization, what time scales are involved, or whether multiple deformation/mineralization events are necessary to create a large deposit. This project aims to improve our understanding of structural controls on gold deposits in four dimensions. The Paleoproterozoic of West Africa is a world-class Au province, with resources of c. 9896 tons. The Mako Volcanic Belt is located in the Kédougou-Kéniéba inlier in eastern Senegal. The belt comprises a package of volcanic and volcaniclastic rocks intruded by 2.2 to 2.0 Ga plutonic complexes. Two significant subparallel lineaments, the Main Transcurrent Shear Zone (MTZ) and the Sabodala-Sofia Structure (SSS) host economic gold mineralisation. The MTZ hosts the 2.6 Moz Massawa Au deposit. The SSS hosts 2.3 Moz Sabodala deposit and the Sofia satellite ore body.