Silica sand deposits in the Monrovia area, Liberia

Rosenblum, Sam; Srivastava, S. P.

doi:10.3133/ofr70280

Cited by 3 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 1 publication

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The white sand ranges from fine to coarse grained, is subangular to rounded, and forms a veneer as much as 2 m (6.5 ft) thick. Similar white sand deposits near Monrovia have been studied in some detail by Rosenblum and Srivastava (1971) and \Vhite (1972).…”

Section: Beach Depositsmentioning

confidence: 81%

Geology of the Buchanan quadrangle, Liberia

Tysdal¹

1978

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Crystalline rocks of Precambrian age underlie the Buchanan quadrangle and are capped by Cretaceous and younger sedimentary rocks in the coastal area. The crystalline rocks, largely of metamorphic origin, include mainly gneisses of quartz diorite to granodiorite composition. Less common rock types are amphibolite, schist, quartzite, charnockite, and iron-formation. Most of the metamorphic rocks are of the amphibolite facies, but some near the coast belong to the granulite facies. Igneous rocks are predominantly diorite of the Cestos and Sehnkwehn batholiths. Two belts of Jurassic diabase dikes form prominent ridges that trend northwest across the quadrangle. Sedimentary rocks are mainly quartz sandstones, unconsolidated beach sands, and lagoonal deposits. The structure is dominated by northeast-and northwest-trending features. The northwest-trending Cestos shear zone is marked by a wide zone of mylonite that separates contrasting rock types. It is offset by northwesttrending faults that transect the quadrangle and are, at least locally, marked by narrow zones of shearing. The broad northwest-trending Todi shear zone near the coast separates granulite-facies metamorphic rock from amphibolite-facies rock to the northeast. Prominent folds in the quadrangle are broad and open; their wavelengths are measured in kilometers.

show abstract

Section: Beach Depositsmentioning

confidence: 81%

Geology of the Buchanan quadrangle, Liberia

Tysdal¹

1978

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Silica sand deposits have long been known along the coast, mainly between Monrovia and Marshall, a distance of about 45 km, extending inland up to 20 km (Rosenblum and Srivastava, 1970;Sangmor, 1976). Other deposits found along rivers in the interior have not been evaluated.…”

Section: Silica Sandmentioning

confidence: 99%

A review of the mineral potential of Liberia

Gunn

Dorbor

Mankelow

et al. 2018

Ore Geology Reviews

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The Republic of Liberia in West Africa is underlain mostly by Precambrian rocks of Archaean (Liberian) age in the west and of Proterozoic (Eburnean) age in the east. By analogy with similar terranes elsewhere in the world, and in West Africa in particular, the geology of Liberia is favourable for the occurrence of deposits of a wide range of metals and industrial minerals, including gold, iron ore, diamonds, base metals, bauxite, manganese, fluorspar, kyanite and phosphate.Known gold deposits, mostly orogenic in style, occur widely and are commonly associated with north-easttrending regional shear zones. Gold mining commenced at the New Liberty deposit in western Liberia in 2015, while significant gold resources have also been identified at several other sites in both Archaean and Proterozoic terranes. Liberia has large resources of itabirite-type iron ores, most of which are located in the Liberian terrane, and was the largest producer in Africa prior to the onset of civil war in 1989. Production of iron ore is currently restricted to a single mine, Yekepa, in the Nimba Range. Other important deposits, some of them previously mined, include Bong, the Western Cluster, Putu and Goe Fantro. There is a long history of alluvial diamond production in western and central Liberia, together with more than 160 known occurrences of kimberlite. Most of the known kimberlites occur in three clusters of small pipes and abundant dykes, located at Kumgbor, Mano Godua and Weasua, close to the border with Sierra Leone. Many of these are considered to be part of a single province that includes Jurassic age diamondiferous kimberlites in Sierra Leone and Guinea.Deposits and occurrences of a wide range of other metals and industrial minerals are also known. Several of these have been worked on a small scale in the past, mainly by artisanal miners, but most are poorly known in detail with sub-surface information available at only a few localities. By comparison with most other countries in West Africa, the geology of Liberia is poorly known and there has been very little systematic exploration carried out for most commodities other than gold, iron ore and diamonds since the 1960s and 1970s. Further detailed field and laboratory investigations using modern techniques are required to properly evaluate the potential for the occurrence of economic deposits of many minerals and metals in a variety of geological settings. Digital geological, geochemical, geophysical and mineral occurrence datasets, including new national airborne geophysical survey data, provide a sound basis for the identification of new exploration targets, but in almost every part of the country there is a need for new and more detailed geological surveys to underpin mineral exploration.

show abstract

“…Some white sand occurs between the raised beach ridges. The white sand deposits are potentially exploitable for silica sand (Rosenblum and Srivastava, 1970). Brown sand makes up the raised beach ridges and underlies the white sand deposits.…”

Section: Edina Sandstonementioning

confidence: 99%