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Heavy Minerals in Beach Sediments Along the Gulf of Guinea, Cameroon: Clues on Weathering Condition and Provenance

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Abstract

A mineralogical survey was conducted in the Gulf of Guinea beach sediments to assess the transport history, depositional environment, weathering conditions, and provenance. Heavy mineral assemblages are abundant in augite, followed by opaque minerals, diopside, zoisite, enstatite, tourmaline, zircon, rutile, sillimanite, garnet, apatite, hornblende, epidote, kyanite, chloritoid, and staurolite. The variety of this minerals shows that the sands studied come from the igneous source rocks, mainly from a metamorphic source, in particular the gneisses and basalts, which is consistent with the geology of the study area. The bulk mineralogy detected using XRD and the chemical properties obtained by SEM–EDS reveals that the sands were dominated by quartz. Nineteen microtextures were observed on heavy minerals like hornblende, chloritoid, sillimanite, garnet, augite and staurolite, which were subsequently classified as mechanical (13 features), chemical (4 features), and combined mechanical and chemical (2 features) origins. The dominance of mechanical features suggests that the grains underwent high-energy transport. The abundance of angular and subangular heavy minerals indicate a nearby source. The mineral composition suggests that the source rocks underwent a moderate weathering. The sub-rounded and rounded heavy minerals indicate a long transport. The predominance of heavy minerals in sediments suggests that the nearby source rocks are rich in heavy minerals.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the Department of Earth Sciences, Higher Teacher Training College, both from the University of Yaoundé I, Cameroon and the Institute of Earth Sciences (ISTE), University of Lausanne, Switzerland for having provided the necessary laboratory equipment for the realization of this study. JSAA extends his gratitude to DGAPA (PASPA), UNAM for the approval of a sabbatical research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Yaoundé I, 812, Yaoundé, Cameroon

    Victorine Ambassa Bela, Gabriel Ngueutchoua & Elisé Sababa

  2. Department of Earth Sciences and Environment, Higher Teacher Training College, University of Bertoua, 652, Bertoua, Cameroon

    Armel Zacharie Ekoa Bessa

  3. Institute of Earth Sciences (ISTE), University of Lausanne, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland

    Armel Zacharie Ekoa Bessa

  4. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, Unidad de Procesos Oceánicos y Costeros, Circuito Exterior S/N, 04510, Mexico City, Mexico

    John S. Armstrong-Altrin

  5. Department of Marine Sciences, Bharathidasan University, Tamil Nadu, Tiruchirapalli, 620024, India

    John S. Armstrong-Altrin

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Bela, V.A., Bessa, A.Z.E., Armstrong-Altrin, J.S. et al. Heavy Minerals in Beach Sediments Along the Gulf of Guinea, Cameroon: Clues on Weathering Condition and Provenance. Thalassas 40, 693–710 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41208-024-00664-8

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