Gold Preliminary Exploration around Karau-Karau Schist Belt, NW-Nigeria

Thepreliminary study was aimed at identifying gold enriched targets worth investing resources for detail exploration project before mining. Geological mapping of the study area which forms part of the karau-karau schist beltreveals that lithologically the area composed of Pre-Cambrian gneisses, fine to medium grain granite, porphyritic biotite granite, porphyritic hornblende granite, diorite as well as the metasediments which are mostly muscovite-biotite schist, phyllites and quartzites. Guided by the geophysical technique using gold detector (BR 800-P metal detector), a total of five pits and five trenches were excavated and logged geologically, soil horizons intercepted were brownish clays, brown mica schist and reddish clay with yellow stains, in places the top soil was lateritic with angular quartz pebbles, some alluvial and elluvial gold have been suspected but at this stage cannot be confirmed. XRF geochemical analysis conducted on rock samples indicated 3 targets for primary gold along quartz veins, Au was found positively correlating with Si which conforms with views regarding the quartz veins as host to primary gold across Nigeria's gold mineralized schist belt. Same analysis on soils obtained from each of the pits and trenches successfully identifies four probable gold anomalous zones including one pit and four trenches, this pattern is suggestive that placer gold is more laterally distributed than it does with depth.