Heat map from aeromagnetic data processing to uncover potential gold prospects in Bidzar and surrounding area, North Cameroon

Abstract

The mining and petroleum sectors serve as the cornerstone of a resilient economy in the CEMAC (Economic Community of Central African State) subregions and Cameroon in particular. These deposits are structurally controlled, and with the global demand for these commodities, novel techniques are required to identify additional potential prospects. In this study, aeromagnetic datasets were processed using the Centre for Exploration Targeting grid analysis technique to map out structurally complex zones in and around the locality of Bidzar, North Cameroon. The Centre for Exploration Targeting (CET) lineament trend predominantly follows ENE-WSW, NE-SW, and E-W orientations, while lesser trends include NNE-SSW, NW-SE, and WNW-ESE directions. These structures are attributed to deformation phases, foliations, shear zones, and faults, which indicate the major structural event in Cameroon. The Contact Occurrence Density (COD) and Orientation Entropy (OE) heat maps generated from the vectorized structures delineate potential gold prospects related to hydrothermal activity on the sheared lithologies of the Neoproterozoic Pan-African greenstone belt and metasediment in the vicinity of Bidzar, north Cameroon. This study demonstrates that structural interpretation based on aeromagnetic data is an effective tool in mineral discovery.