Mineral Deposits and Exploration Potential of Nigeria

Moses A OLADE

• Editorial: Prescott Resource Publishers
• Año: 2020
• ISBN:
  9781087862125
• Edición: 1
• Categoría: Ciencias físicas
• Categoría: Geología y ciencias de la Tierra

Nigeria, the most populous nation and largest economy in Africa is endowed with abundant mineral resources, including energy fuels, industrial minerals, gemstones, and metallic minerals. As West Africa has become a major destination for mining investors and exploration companies, Nigeria's mineral resources have generated considerable interest from exploration and mining companies worldwide. This book furnishes a detailed description of the deposits of metallic, non-metallic, solid energy, gemstones and industrial minerals in Nigeria with emphasis on their location, geological setting, mode of occurrence, physical and chemical characteristics, ore reserve estimates and metallogeny. It also provides a geoscientific analysis of the solid mineral sector, mineral production statistics, mining, and potential targets for mineral exploration.

There are twenty chapters in the book, divided into five parts. Part I is an introduction to mineral resources and discussion of the geological and tectonic setting and classification of Nigeria's mineral deposits. Part 2 provides detailed descriptions of known deposits of eighteen metals (Fe, Au, Pb, Zn, Cu, Ag, Sn, Nb, Ta, Mo, W, Ti, Bi, Cr, Ni, Pt, Mn, Al) with emphasis on their geological environment, mode of occurrence, mineralogy, origin, ore reserves mining history, and exploration. Part 3 describes the distribution, geological setting, and reserves of solid energy minerals (uranium, coal, and bitumen), while Part 4 focuses on the geological occurrence, mineralogical and physical properties, mineral reserves and uses of non-metallic minerals comprised of thirty industrial minerals/rocks and several gemstone minerals. Part 5 reviews the status of the solid minerals industry, new mining regulations, mineral production statistics, mining practices, metallogenic provinces, and assessment of resource potential and exploration targets in Nigeria. A Glossary of Common Terms in Economic and Mining Geology is included at the end of the book.

This book is an invaluable source of information, not only for geology and mining students, but also for practicing geoscientists, exploration and mining professionals and administrators in government and private companies who are interested or involved in economic geology, mineral exploration, and mineral resource development in Nigeria.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Part I

Mineral Deposits and Geological Setting

 

Chapter 1

Introduction to Mineral Deposits

Definition of Terms

Mineral resources are useful earth materials of sufficient quantity and adequate quality to be extracted and used for human benefit. Since time immemorial, economic minerals have been exploited and used as raw materials for industrial production and to generate revenue for the national economy through export to other countries. Mineral resources can be subdivided into two broad groups, according to their form of occurrence: (1) Solid Minerals and (2) Liquid Fuels (petroleum). When solid minerals of economic value are concentrated in the earth’s crust in sufficient quantities to be of extractable, they are described as mineral deposits. Solid mineral deposits can be subdivided into three types: metallic, non-metallic, and energy minerals.

The total mineral endowment of a nation or region consists of two major parts: identified resources and undiscovered resources. Identified resources are those resources whose location, grade, quality, and quantity are known or can be estimated from specific geological information. In contrast, undiscovered resources are those whose existence is extrapolated based on broad geological knowledge. Mineral reserves refer to the portion of an identified mineral resource that can be mined at a profit. Private investment is a major driving force of mineral resource development in a capitalist system, and the desire to extract minerals at a profit becomes a paramount consideration in evaluating expected returns on investment.

Mineral resources are unique among other natural resources because they are not only of instant value but also are non-renewable. Consequently, there is a constant need to find new mineral deposits as the known reserves are depleted. Mineral resources play a significant role in the economic and industrial development of nations by generating revenues as well as providing raw materials for the construction of infrastructure and the manufacture of several products that affect human existence and quality of life. As the world’s population grows exponentially and living standards increase globally, the demand for mineral raw materials continues to escalate widely. New mineral deposits must be discovered regularly, which requires the trained expertise of economic geologists and related professionals to satisfy the world’s hunger for mineral raw materials. Knowing the quantity and quality of a country’s mineral resources and their sources are crucial to the sustenance of a nation’s economy and its national security

Types of Mineral Resources

Mineral resources can be classified into three types: metallic, non-metallic, and energy resources. A list of common examples is provided in Table 1.1.

◼ Metallic Mineral Resources are mineral concentrations that contain metallic minerals or metals, such as gold, iron, and copper, which are the useful substances that are extracted from metallic minerals.

◼ Non-metallic Mineral Resources are economic minerals that do not contain metals or fuels and are used most commonly for industrial or construction purposes and adornment. They include minerals referred to as Industrial Minerals, e.g., clays, marble, potash, and Gemstones.

◼ Energy or Fuel Resources are minerals and other substances that are used in producing energy. These include solid/semi-solid mineral fuels (e.g., coal, bitumen, oil shale, and uranium), and liquid/gaseous fuels, known as petroleum, composed mainly of oil and natural gas.

Nature of Mineral Deposits

Economic geology is the study of mineral resources, and the ‘basic unit’ or ‘center point’ of such study is the mineral deposit. A mineral deposit is a substantial accumulation of useful minerals of economic value within a defined location. However, this definition does not, in any way, imply that a mineral deposit is economically viable, but just a substantial accumulation of minerals with economic potential. For example, the occurrence of chromite bands in a layered intrusive complex to a substantial extent and thickness to have potential economic value is called a mineral deposit. A mineral deposit that has been explored and tested, and found to be economically viable or mineable at a profit, is described as an ore deposit. Solid mineral deposits refer to accumulation of metallic, non-metallic and some energy minerals (coal and bitumen) that occur in nature in solid form (compared to oil and gas deposits).

Table 1.1: List of Common Economic Minerals

Metallic Minerals	Non-Metallic Minerals	Energy Minerals
Gold	Diamond	Coal
Platinum	Barite	Lignite
Silver	Kaolin	Oil Shale
Iron	Limestone	Bitumen
Copper	Phosphate	Uranium
Lead	Zirconium
Zinc	Muscovite
Chromium	Feldspar
Manganese	Fluorspar
Tin	Gemstones
Cobalt	Gypsum
Tungsten	Bentonite
Aluminum	Rock Salt
Nickel	Talc

The following terms will be used to describe mineral deposits in terms of their economic potential:

Mineral Occurrence refers to any locality in which a useful mineral or earth material of unknown economic value is found. The fact that a mineral occurs in a location does not mean it is of adequate quantity and sufficient quality to be extracted at a profit. Consequently, based on this premise, min...