Petrographic and Geochemical Characteristics of the Metabasites of the SASCA Domain (Yonaké, Mani- Béréby and Dehié Sectors), South-West Côte d'Ivoire

Abstract

The petrographic and geochemical study of six (6) metabasites located in the Archean-Paleoproterozoic transition domain (SASCA domain, SouthWest Côte d'Ivoire) identified dolerites and gabbros. The thin sections revealed two textures: the doleritic texture (dolerite) and the granoblastic texture (gabbro). The dolerites are composed of plagioclase wands, pyroxene and olivine. Gabbros have a composition of pyroxene (clinopyroxene), green hornblende, plagioclase, biotite and rare quartz. Geochemical analysis, especially the major elements, corroborated the gabbroic character of the metabasites. Trace elements and rare earths helped to constrain the origin of the metabasites by showing: (i) their belonging to a tholeiitic series, (ii) a mantle source contaminated by the continental crust, and (iii) their emplacement in the field of intraplate or volcanic arc basalts.