The geology of the Taparko gold deposit, Birimian greenstone belt, Burkina Faso, West Africa |
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| Authors: | F Bourges P Debat F Tollon M Munoz J Ingles |
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| Institution: | (1) Géologie Environnement Conseil, 30 rue de la République, 09200 Saint Girons, France, FR;(2) Laboratoire de Minéralogie, UMR 5563, Université Paul Sabatier, 39 Allées Jules Guesde, 31400 Toulouse, France, FR |
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| Abstract: | The Taparko gold deposit, located in the eastern branch of the Proterozoic Birimian Bouroum-Yalogo greenstone belt (Burkina
Faso) consists of a network of quartz veins developed in a N 170° trending shear zone (250 m wide, 4 km long) superimposed
on the regional Birimian structural pattern. The quartz vein network is composed of: (a) a dominant array of quartz veins
(type 1), parallel to the shear zone and comprising strongly deformed dark quartz exhibiting foliation, layering, ribbon,
tension gashes, etc.; (b) oblique and subparallel related veins (type 2) of gray to white weakly deformed quartz crosscutting
the dominant quartz veins resulting in breccia structures; and (c) shallow dipping veins (type 3), cross-cutting veins types
1 and 2 and filled by undeformed white buck structure quartz. Cross-cutting relationships and different quartz types in different
veins and within individual veins imply a concomitant filling of the veins during the progressive deformation. Initial sinistral
transcurrent shearing evolved with time to sinistral reverse shearing. Metallic minerals occur only in type 1 and 2 veins
and were deposited in two stages, with native gold being related to second stage sulfides. Gold (and chalcopyrite) precipitated
preferentially upon the surfaces of fractured pyrite grains in low-pressure sites (pressure shadow zones) around and/or within
the sulfide grains (along subsequently annealed fractures). The formation of the South Taparko deposit can be divided into
a succession of events: (a) during the first event, N 170°-directed sinistral transcurrent shearing resulted in a N 20° mylonitic
foliation and fractured rock which allowed H2O-, CO2- and SiO2-rich fluids to circulate and deposit quartz with buck texture; (b) during the second event, type 1 quartz was strongly deformed
and type 2 veins formed with sigmoidal shapes as viewed on a horizontal plane; and (c) during the third event, the sinistral
transcurrent shearing evolved to sinistral reverse shearing and the deformation style evolved correspondingly from ductile
to brittle-ductile. During the last phase of deformation gold nucleated and deposited in low-pressure zones.
Received: 9 July 1997 / Accepted: 23 March 1998 |
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| Keywords: | Early Proterozoic Birimian Shear zone Gold Quartz veins Burkina Faso West Africa |
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