The stratigraphic and structural controls on copper-gold mineralization at Cassenha hill prospect, within the Archean to Paleoproterozoic Angolan shield, Congo craton, South Western Angola
type: CreativeWork
description: The Cassenha Hill copper-gold prospect is situated in the Catabola area, Huambo Province, southwestern Angola. Geologically, the prospect is part of the Angolan Central Eburnean Zone (CEZ) and consists of Paleoproterozoic metasedimentary rock sequences which have been intruded by Eburnean granitoids at ± 2.1 Ga. The prospect itself comprises an area of 180 Km2 and has been intermittently explored since 2005 by Rift Valley Resources (RVR) and its associates. The Cassenha Hill prospect is characterized by the occurrence of partially altered and highly oxidized metasedimentary rocks (meta-mudstone, meta-siltstone, carbonate-rich rock, meta-sandstone, breccia, and quartzite), and altered isolated granitoids. This study represents the first detailed study of the prospect and aims to shed light on the characteristics of the various rock types (i.e., host and barren rocks), their source/provenance, styles of alteration, and the origin and/or type of the fluid responsible for the mineralization. Techniques applied include borehole core logging, petrography, whole-rock geochemistry (XRF and ICP-MS), and stable isotope geochemistry on samples collected on the surface and from exploration boreholes drilled as part of RVR exploration program. Overall, the petrographic and geochemical studies undertaken in the rocks of the Cassenha Hill prospect indicate the following: (1) The rocks are moderately to strongly fractured; (2) The rocks have experienced weak to moderate chemical weathering; (3) The rocks are compositionally immature and originated from felsic provenance; (4) The rocks are sulfur-poor, and lacking in sulfide minerals (5) The rocks are enriched in LREE and LILE elements and depleted in HREE and HFSE elements; (6) The mineralization is associated with chloritization alteration and predominantly occurs within and/or at the edges of quartz/chlorite-rich veins/fractures and is not restricted to any rock type. Two ore stages could be identified, namely, hypogene ore (stag…
abstract: The Cassenha Hill copper-gold prospect is situated in the Catabola area, Huambo Province, southwestern Angola. Geologically, the prospect is part of the Angolan Central Eburnean Zone (CEZ) and consists of Paleoproterozoic metasedimentary rock sequences which have been intruded by Eburnean granitoids at ± 2.1 Ga. The prospect itself comprises an area of 180 Km2 and has been intermittently explored since 2005 by Rift Valley Resources (RVR) and its associates. The Cassenha Hill prospect is characterized by the occurrence of partially altered and highly oxidized metasedimentary rocks (meta-mudstone, meta-siltstone, carbonate-rich rock, meta-sandstone, breccia, and quartzite), and altered isolated granitoids. This study represents the first detailed study of the prospect and aims to shed light on the characteristics of the various rock types (i.e., host and barren rocks), their source/provenance, styles of alteration, and the origin and/or type of the fluid responsible for the mineralization. Techniques applied include borehole core logging, petrography, whole-rock geochemistry (XRF and ICP-MS), and stable isotope geochemistry on samples collected on the surface and from exploration boreholes drilled as part of RVR exploration program. Overall, the petrographic and geochemical studies undertaken in the rocks of the Cassenha Hill prospect indicate the following: (1) The rocks are moderately to strongly fractured; (2) The rocks have experienced weak to moderate chemical weathering; (3) The rocks are compositionally immature and originated from felsic provenance; (4) The rocks are sulfur-poor, and lacking in sulfide minerals (5) The rocks are enriched in LREE and LILE elements and depleted in HREE and HFSE elements; (6) The mineralization is associated with chloritization alteration and predominantly occurs within and/or at the edges of quartz/chlorite-rich veins/fractures and is not restricted to any rock type. Two ore stages could be identified, namely, hypogene ore (stag…
author: vaz Sidre, Stelvio
keywords: Cu mineralization, stable isotopes, supergene processes, polymetallic veins, chrysocolla, malachite
date published: 2021
date modified: 2026-07-22T22:23:01Z
provider: University of Cape Town
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: Department of Geological Sciences

PropertyValue
property ID: Handle
value: http://hdl.handle.net/11427/34008