Geophysical investigation for mineral prospect in Igbeti-Moro area, southwestern Nigeria

Abstract EN

To establish significant geologic features associated with marble, gabbro, and muscovite mineralization in the IgbetiMoro area of southwestern Nigeria, high-resolution aeromagnetic data were subjected to data enhancement processes and interpretation.

The reduced-to-magnetic equator (RTE) anomaly map was subjected to various normalized (vertical, tilt and total horizontal) derivatives for lineament enhancement, edge detection of analytic signal (AS) amplitude and depth estimation techniques of source parameter imaging (SPI), averaged power spectrum and Euler deconvolution at different spectral indices.

The range of RTE residual magnetic intensity from 338.3 nT to -2.4 nT (low), 9.9 to 27.7 nT (intermediate) and 32.1 to 208.0 nT (high) suggests contrasting basement lithologies in the area (viz; granite-gneiss) and the intrusion of quartz and amphibolite schists.

The prominent NE – SW lineament revealed regional structural grains such as fractures and faults in these rocks associated with emplacement of the quartz-schist and muscovite-schist.

This would have formed contemporaneously with isoclinal fold and host marble, gabbro, amphibolites, and muscovite mineralogy at a shallow depth range from 0 to 200 m in the western, north-central and northeastern parts of the area.

The significant geologic features and their geometry of occurrences have been established as a prospect for solid minerals in the area.

However, a geochemical investigation is encouraged to determine the economic value of the minerals.