No abstract

No abstract

The work is a vivid description of the structural relationship between brittle deformation of the Precambrian basement in the southern continental part of the Cameroon Line and intrusive Paleozoic and Mesozoic basalt dykes swarms. A multidisciplinary approach that involves a combination of remote sensing techniques and field studies show that the major trend of brittle structures correspond to well-known regional structures: N70˚E (Adamawa Shear Zone), N135˚E (upper Benue trend) and N30˚E (Cameroon Volcanic Line) corresponding to E-W and N-S directions respectively. Basalt dykes are associated to NE-SW, E-W and NW-SE oriented fractures. An integration of the available information on brittle structures and basalt dykes directions suggest an emplacement of the Mesozoic and Paleozoic basalt dykes structurally controlled by Precambrian structures that were originated through Riedel's fracture kinematic model with dextral strike-slip Adamawa Shear Zone as the main shear zone during late stage of the Pan-African collision. Spatially, the restriction of the basalt dykes to the corridor of the Adamawa Shear Zone indicate that a rejuvenation of Precambrian faults may very well be the origin of the dykes with possibility that they may have been reworked several times during the Phanerozoic eon.

The BayonNeoproterozoic plutonic complex located in Western Cameroon intrudes gneisses of Paleo to Neo Proterozoic age. The complex is composed of gabbro, monzogabbro and monzonites frequently crosscut by trachytic and granitic veins. /Lu N = 14 -27) with none or negligible Eu anomalies. The monzonite shows also moderate fractionatedpatterns (La N /Lu N = 20 -27) with fairly positive Eu anomalies. All the studied rocks show flat HREE features. The primitive mantle-normalized element patterns are almost homogeneous with negative anomalie in Ta, Nb, Th, P and Ti. Sm/Nd-wr-Cpx-Pl ages of the complex are 580 ± 13 Ma; 553 ± 32 Ma for the monzogabbro and 547 ± 26 Ma for the monzonite. The Nd/Sr isotopic compositions show that the Bayon plutonic rocks were generated by partial melting of subcontinental lithospheric mantle. The depleted mantle Nd model age TD M of 1.6 -1.7 Ga indicates that the studied rocks originated by partial melting of Mesoproterozoic mantle.

No abstract