Metallogenic Fingerprints of the Congo Shield with Predictions for Mineral Endowment Beneath the Congo Basin - Geology and Resource Potential of the Congo Basin - page 386

Fig. 19.5 Mineral diversity in
Central Africa Shield, as shown
by plotting the (natural log, Y-
axis) spatial coeffient (ln r ij )of
the five element groups (and the
total of these groups [lower most
plot]). Confidence
intervals Standard Error.

Note how each geologic domain
has a unique combination of
elements that we term their
' Metallogenic fingerprint ' . Note
that if the Confidence Interval
include 0, the fingerprint is
classed as random

¼ 2

To summarize, Fig. 19.9 clearly shows the following:
• Gold: CA and CAS display similar fingerprints, e.g. for
Archean areas there is a significant fingerprint in both
regions. For MPP there is a negative association. The data
for CS not reliable.
• CrNiPgeTi: CS and CAS have similar fingerprints, while
CA displays a different fingerprint. However only for the
Archean in the CA do we observe a significant signal.

• CuZnPbBa: CA and CAS display similar fingerprints,
except here the only significant signals occur in the
Neoproterozoic areas of CAS.
• SnSb: CS shows a significant signal similar to that of the
CA; in the CAS there is a lack of data in the Archean
domains.
• UTHREE: CS signals are significant in MPP, whilst CA
shows significant signals in Neoproterozoic.