Abstract
This issue (AES 133.4), containing four papers, concludes volume 133 of the Applied Earth Science journal. The papers present case studies of mineral deposits' geology and exploration models encompassing different commodities and mineralisation types. The submissions were obtained from academic and research centres located in six countries, USA, Canada, Indonesia, Ghana, Nigeria and Egypt.
The first paper by Mulja et al. “Porphyry and skarn Cu prospectivity of Sumatra with GIS spatial modelling techniques” provides an overview of the Cu-porphyry and skarn occurrences in the Sumatra Island. The paper provides a detailed geological description of the selected occurrences which is used as a basis for innovative spatial data analysis. Namely, the authors have integrated geochemical, structural and topographic data using a fuzzy logic and weights-of-evidence methods to produce mineral prospectivity maps. The GIS data has been further processed using a local singularity fractal map of Cu-enriched zones that have reduced the target areas.
The second paper by Forson et al. “Random forest-based mineral prospectivity modelling over the Southern Kibi–Winneba belt of Ghana using geophysical and remote sensing techniques” describes the application of geophysical and remote sensing data for generating a mineral prospectivity map of the southern Kibi-Winneba belt in Ghana. A scenario-based modeling was made using a Random Forest algorithm.
The third paper by Amigun et al. “Exploration of suspected magnetite ore minerals in Emure – Ekiti, Southwestern Nigeria using integrated geophysical methods of very low frequency electromagnetic (VLF-EM) and magnetics” focuses on exploration of magnetite-ore in south-western Nigeria. Two conventional exploration techniques were used, including ground magnetic and a very low frequency electromagnetic (VLF-EM) surveys which have enhanced the mapping of migmatite, gneiss and schists. The surveys have also identified several high-mag anomalies which, potentially, could be caused by a buried magnetite mineralisation.
The last paper, written by Marwa M. Abdel-Azeem “Genesis of the rare metals mineralisation in Um Safi acidic volcanics, Central Eastern Desert, Egypt” presents a detailed petrographic, geochemical, mineralogical and microscopic analysis of the rare-metal mineralisation in central Egypt. Three groups of minerals have been revealed, including (a) radioactive mineralisation, thorite; (b) REE minerals, zircon, xenotime, chernovite, ferro-columite, allanite, bastnäsite, cerianite; (c) rare metals of the polymetallic group, this group includes cassiterite and tungsten minerals. The study has allowed the revision of a metallogenic model of the central Egypt area, suggesting that rare-metal mineralisation is related to intrusion of the granitic offshoots into their host rhyolites.
The issue's editor believes that information presented in these papers will be of great interest and use for research and exploration geologist worldwide, working in geologically similar terrains, and hope that this issue will spark an interest in the geology and metallogeny of the regions presented in this issue, which are relatively new for readers of the Applied Earth Science journal.