Skip to main navigation Skip to search Skip to main content

A 3.5 Ga granite-gneiss basement in Guinea: Further evidence for early Archean accretion within the West African Craton

  • Denis Thiéblemont*
  • , Claude Delor
  • , Alain Cocherie
  • , Jean Michel Lafon
  • , Jean Christian Goujou
  • , Alhassane Baldé
  • , Mamadou Bah
  • , Hadi Sané
  • , C. Mark Fanning
  • *Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

    65 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    A granite-gneiss formation (Guélémata Orthogneiss) was mapped on the northern and western slopes of the Mount Nimba hill range in Guinea. The original rocks were high-Al, low-Yb, medium to high-K granites similar to most Archean TTG. Analyses of U and Pb isotopes in zircons, using an ion-microprobe (SHRIMP), gave ages of 3542 and 3535 Ma respectively for the granite-gneiss and a neighbouring granulitic metagabbro. These are the oldest ages so far reported from the Archean Kenema-Man domain of West Africa. Partial melting of an unfractionated basalt under eclogite facies conditions appears to be a suitable model for the origin of the granite-gneiss.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)179-194
    Number of pages16
    JournalPrecambrian Research
    Volume108
    Issue number3-4
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 1 Jun 2001

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'A 3.5 Ga granite-gneiss basement in Guinea: Further evidence for early Archean accretion within the West African Craton'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this