Geochemical Signature and Metalogeny of BIFs and Associated Iron Ore of Zatua Hills, Haut-Uele Province (DR Congo)

Abstract

Zatua Hills are located in the northeastern part of the DR Congo in Haut Uélé Province, formerly known as Province Orientale. This part of DR Congo is identified by the high elevated zone, which has remained a witness to a stable zone not affected by the ancient erosion process. BIFs are most abundant and are dated to the Neoarchaean and Late Kibalian, hosted in the Upper Congo Granites Massifs of the DR. Congo. Zatua Hills consist of dolerite, phyllade, clay-rich sediment, poor itabirite, enriched BIFs, friable hematite, hard hematite, and mineralized and unmineralized breccias. Field study and geochemistry analysis by XRF, XRD, and ICP-MS are executed in order to know the geochemistry signature and paragenesis of Zatua Hills and the probably process could lead the BIFs to iron ore. The geochemistry analysis by XRF, XRD, and ICP-MS shows that Iron ore content has an iron rate between 57% and 69% with less deleterious elements such as Si, P, and Al. These deleterious elements are secondary and have silicium composition (probably quartz or chert, goethite, and Kaolinite), aluminum (probably gibbsite, variscite, cadwaladérite, goethite, and Kaolinite), phosphorous (probably variscite), and hydrated minerals, which are grown LOI in the samples. Hypogen and supergen processes are played in BIFs for iron ore conversion and, respectively, silica dissolution and leaching. Metamorphism was also impacted and marked by the Ti element (anatase) in samples, contributing to the crystallization of martite to hematite after magnetite oxidation.