article · Discover Geoscience
Geochemical investigation of the Tongolo area in Bauchi State, northeastern Nigeria, provides new insights into base-metal mineralisation within the Nigerian Younger Granite province. Whole-rock geochemical analysis of seventeen rock samples confirms that the granitic rocks belong to an A-type granitoid suite. These rocks feature high silica content, elevated iron numbers, and low magnesium numbers. Trace-element analyses demonstrate marked enrichment in uranium, lead, zinc, and copper relative to the upper continental crust, pointing to substantial crustal input alongside advanced fractional crystallisation. The spatial distribution of metals reveals distinct mineralisation mechanisms. Copper anomalies cluster near intrusive contacts driven by magmatic and hydrothermal fluid activity. In contrast, lead and zinc anomalies are broader and structurally guided by northwest to southeast and northeast to southwest lineaments in the southern sector. These characteristics highlight the Tongolo area as a promising prospect for base-metal exploration.
Understanding how base metals concentrate in granite complexes helps geoscientists locate valuable mineral deposits. By linking rock chemistry and geological structures to lead, zinc, and copper distributions in northeastern Nigeria, this research clarifies the processes that form ore deposits in anorogenic ring complexes. Such geological models provide essential data for identifying viable targets for mineral resource development in underexplored regions.
This early-stage geochemical baseline could inform mineral exploration companies and geological surveys targeting lead, zinc, and copper deposits in northeastern Nigeria. By pinpointing structural lineaments and intrusive contact zones associated with metal anomalies, the findings offer spatial targets to design follow-up geophysical surveys and exploratory drilling programmes. Commercial utilisation remains at an early exploration stage, requiring field-scale verification and economic resource evaluation before any mining activity could proceed.
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The Nigerian Younger Granite (NYG) province hosts numerous anorogenic ring complexes that are prospective for base metal mineralisation, yet detailed lithogeochemical investigations linking petrogenesis to mineralisation controls remain sparse for many complexes in the northeastern sector. This study presents a whole-rock geochemical investigation of the Tongolo area, Bauchi State, northeastern Nigeria, to characterise the lithogeochemical composition of the granitic suite, establish its petrogenetic affinity, and evaluate the structural and geochemical controls on the documented Pb–Zn–Cu mineralisation. Seventeen representative samples were analysed by Microwave Plasma-Atomic Emission Spectroscopy (MP-AES). Major-element compositions indicate A-type granitoid affinity, characterised by high SiO₂ (mean 72.66 wt%, excluding the dolerite), elevated iron numbers (Fe* mean 0.74), and low Mg# (mean 37.8). Trace-element signatures show enrichment in U, Pb, Zn, and Cu relative to the Upper Continental Crust (UCC), consistent with significant crustal input and advanced fractional crystallisation. Spatial analysis of Pb, Zn, and Cu distributions reveals that Cu anomalies are proximal to intrusive contacts, reflecting magmatic–hydrothermal fluid inputs, whereas Pb–Zn anomalies are more widespread and structurally controlled by NW–SE and NE–SW lineaments in the southern sector. These results identify the Tongolo area as a high-potential target for base-metal exploration and contribute new geochemical constraints on A-type magmatism and base metal metallogenesis within the NYG province.
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DOI: 10.1007/s44288-026-00691-3
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