ENSURING DECARBONIZATION UNDERGROUND CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGIES OF BACKFILLING BASED ON THE TAILINGS
Article
Construction Materials and Products.. 2026. 7 p..
Pan-African tin mineralization during Gondwana assembly in the Kivu belt, D.R. Congo: constraints from cassiterite U-Pb geochronology and trace element geochemistry
Tin deposits are widespread throughout the Kibaran Metallogenic Province (KMP) of Central Africa. Although studies from the Karagwe-Ankole and Kibara Belts have linked cassiterite mineralization to fluid mixing and greisenization, the processes controlling tin mineralization in the Kivu Belt (KVB) remain poorly constrained. This study investigates the timing and mechanisms of tin mineralization in the Meso- to Neoproterozoic KVB, Democratic Republic of the Congo, by integrating in situ LA-ICP-MS U-Pb geochronology and trace-element analyses of cassiterite from the Lemera leucogranite, Numbi pegmatite, and associated quartz veins. Cassiterite U-Pb ages range from 566.1 ± 9.8 Ma to 541 ± 12 Ma, corresponding to late Neoproterozoic-early Cambrian tectono-magmatic activity in Central and southern Africa. Granite- and pegmatite-hosted cassiterite yields the oldest apparent ages, whereas vein-hosted cassiterite is generally younger. However, the overlap within analytical uncertainties indicates that these ages most likely record a single Pan-African tin-mineralizing event or a series of closely spaced mineralizing pulses. Cassiterite from the Numbi pegmatite is enriched in Nb (up to 9433 ppm), Ta (up to 4992 ppm), Zr (1204–2691 ppm), and Hf (average ∼762 ppm), but depleted in W (average ∼43 ppm), consistent with crystallization in a highly fractionated pegmatitic system. In contrast, cassiterite from the Lemera leucogranite and associated quartz veins is characterized by elevated W concentrations (>5000 ppm) and low Nb and Ta contents (≤352 ppm), indicating precipitation from evolved magmatic-hydrothermal fluids. Collectively, these results indicate that tin mineralization in the Kivu Belt is genetically linked to collisional Pan-African magmatism during Gondwana assembly. The Lemera and Numbi districts represent a younger Pan-African granite-related tin system, distinct from the dominant ca. 1.0–0.9 Ga tin mineralization systems in the KMP. These findings refine the regional metallogenic framework and provide new insights for tin exploration in Central Africa.
Authors
Elsharif Mohammed Abdalla 1 , Li Huan , N’Nahano Rub’Son Heritier , Nambaje Claude , Nzolang Charles , Luemba Moise , Mupenge Parfait , Faisal Mohamed
Journal
Language
English
Pages
108234
State
Published
Link
Volume
445
Year
2026
Organizations
- 1 Peoples Friendship University of Russia named after Patrice Lumumba
Share