The basement geology of Nigeria is said
to be a better ground for various mineral deposit. Despite the generalized use
of the basement material like the gneiss or migmatite, the older and younger granite
as aggregates in general construction such as construction of bridges, houses
and road construction. They are economically in many diverse ways. Some of the
economic minerals are being hosted in the pegmatite units and the schist belt.
Some of these are Gem-stone, i.e Beryle, Tourmaline almandine iron formation
and etc. in meta-sedimentary units.
Within the mapped area, we encountered
quartz-feldsparthic unit, lead-zinc lode (galena). But due to encrustation, the
Pb – Zn together with quartz deposits gives rise to Pb – Zn – quartz vein with
a gradual change in quartz colour from light coloured down to the mine pit
which shows some content of iron present.
At
location 10 where the major schist was encountered, they occure a wide speck of
mica minerals (muscovite) and pegmatite. This reveals an abundance of these
minerals within the region of the outcrops and could serve as a source of raw
material for ceramics industries.
Other
minerals resources of the Nigeria
basement are gold deposit which occur as alluvial gold, gold in veins, i.e
quartz vein in quartz veins with galena etc. Others are diamond, kemberlite
manganese, anthophylite, kyanite talc, niobium, columbite, and magnesite
deposit.
Finally,
the study of metamorphic and igneous rocks (hard rock) helps to know the
history of the area in question. RELATED INFORMATIONS