Petrographic Characteristics and Metalogeny of Zatua Hills BIFs, Haut-Uele Province (DR Congo)

Abstract

Zatua Hills are located at Haut Uélé Province of Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), between northern Bafwasende and southern Paulis (Isiro) Squarred Degrees. Belonging to greenstone belt of Ngayu, that area is identified by the high elevated zone which is remained the witness of stable zone, not affected by the ancienst erosion process. Zatua Hills are in the superior Kibalian formation dated to Neoarchaen, hosted in Upper Congo Granites Massifs of DRC covering a large central zone of NE of DRC, and consisting to dolerite, phyllade, clay rich sediment, poor Banded Iron Formations (BIFs), enriched BIFs, friable hematite, hard hematite, mineralized and unmineralized brechias. Magnetite, martite and hematite are associated to some secondary minerals such as goethite, gibbsite, kaolinite, strengite, variscite and others clay minerals present in BIFs. Petrographic analysis made from the samples collected in situ showed, as well as BIFs and iron ore associated, that magnetite was much abundant oxide mineral which is oxided to martite before to stabilize to hematite during the deposition time. Having about hundred meters of thickness, the rich iron ore of this area content, in the majority less deleterious elements which, are harmful in metallurgic process of iron. These secondary minerals were precipitated at various degrees in the leached cavities of rocks between martite and hematite aggregates to botryoidal texture and, are rich to Al, and are mainly consisting to gibbsite and solid solution series of variscite-strengite (AlPO4·2H2O and FePO4·2H2O). Low degree of metamorphism played when magnetite was converted to martite, with the presence of variscite and anatase like witnesses of this event in which, martite was crystalized to hematite.