Laboratoire des Sciences Géographiques, du Génie Civil et des Géosciences, Institut National Polytechnique Félix HOUPHOUËT-BOIGNY, Yamoussoukro, Côte d’Ivoire
The Marabadiassa-Katiola volcano-plutono-sedimentary greenstone belt (Central Côte d’Ivoire) belongs to the Paleoprotozoic domain of the West African craton, known to contain significant gold mineralization like other regions of the country (Tongon, Yaouré, Ity, Sissingué,...). Our study was based on the description (macroscopic and microscopic) of rock samples collected in the field during our various missions and on the analysis of teleanalytical and aeromagnetic maps of the study area. The Marabadiassa-Katiola greenstone belt is formed of Birimian volcano-sedimentary units intruded by plutonites. These are mainly basalts, andesites, pyroclastics and volcaniclastics associated with phillitous or sandstones detrital sediments. The plutonism is marked by gabbros with a grainy or micro-grained texture in places, granites in the form of arena or in outcrop, sometimes alkaline or with two micas with small dark enclaves, diorites, granodiorites with a medium-grained texture with sometimes few dark enclaves or sometimes little deformed to basic dark enclaves or sometimes not deformed. All of these formations are affected by low-grade metamorphism of the greenschist facies. At the structural level, the area is part of the phases of regional tectonics that generated the sinistral shear corridors, thus causing a fracture network that can host mineralization. Several structural markers are found there, both ductile and brittle. These include foliation, fractures and faults, veins and dikes, sigmoidal tension cracks, and NE-SW-trending shear zones.