The Daranna manganese deposit is seated near Kaoje in Kebbi State, Nigeria. The locality is at the boundary between the Basement Complex and sedimentary rocks of the Sokoto Basin. In this study, geochemical characteristics of manganese mineralizations are examined and their origin is discussed. Data were obtained from field observations and chemical analyses of 12 ore samples. Major and trace element analyses were conducted with Energy Dispersion X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometer method at Geo-data GmbH Garbsen, Germany. Major, trace element and total organic carbon content abundances and correlation among them imply that Daranna mineralizations are mainly of hydrothermal origin with little contribution from contemporaneous volcanic materials and this is confirmed by high Fe/Mn (8.274 to 24.066) and low Co/Zn ratios and trace element patterns. The significant geochemical characteristics such as high Mn content (22.660 to 62.330 wt%; average 45.919 wt%), low concentration of Fe (2.590 to 3.310 wt%; average 3.008 wt%) reveal a primary distal hydrothermal source for mineralization. The position of samples on NiZnCo and (Co/Zn)( Co + Ni + Cu) diagrams and evaluation of these data reveals that hydrothermal activity was the main process with sedimentary influence responsible for mineralization in the Daranna manganese deposit.
Key words: Daranna, manganese, trace element, major element, hydrothermal, geochemistry
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