Geology, Ecology, and Landscapes (Jul 2024)

Spatial analysis of gold occurrences in the Zuru Schist Belt, northwest Nigeria

  • Babatunde Joseph Fagbohun,
  • Ayotunde Allen Omitogun,
  • Femi Joshua Ayoola,
  • Oluseyi Adunola Bamisaiye

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1080/24749508.2024.2373484

Abstract

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The Zuru Schist Belt in Northwest Nigeria is one of the auriferous schist belts occurring in the western half of Nigeria. The gold mineralization largely hosted within Neoproterozoic metasedimentary rocks is considered orogenic. In an attempt to understand the pattern of occurrence of gold mineralization, their spatial distribution and association with regional structures, spatial analysis including point pattern, fractal, Fry, and distance distribution analyses were carried out to determine and quantify spatial pattern, spatial association, and regional structural control. Point pattern analysis reveals that the gold occurrences in the Zuru Schist Belt have a clustered pattern. Fractal analysis shows that the structures that controlled the distribution of gold occurrences can be divided into two categories: those that operated at a spatial scale of below 8 km, and those that operated at around 8 km and more. Fry analysis shows that the gold occurrences in the Zuru Schist Belt are aligned in a NNE-NE direction. This is parallel with the NNE-NE striking faults, establishing these faults as the main controlling structures. Fry plot of orientations of translated pairs within an 8 km distance shows that in addition to NNE-NE striking faults, folds with ESE trending axial trace and NW striking faults also exert some control on these known gold occurrences. The influence of these structures on the gold occurrences is further established by the result of distance distribution analysis. The results of spatial analysis using point pattern, fractal, Fry, and distance distribution analyses established the NNE-NE striking faults as the major structures that controlled the distribution of gold occurrences in the belt, and NW striking faults as important structures at a local scale. In addition to NW striking faults, this study further identified folds with axial trace oriented in ESE as additional secondary control structures for gold mineralization in the Zuru Schist Belt.

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