Regolith Geochemistry and Hidden Deposits

The Birimian rocks of southern Ghana host world-class gold deposits yet no equivalent-sized deposit has been found in the Birimian rocks in the savannah regions of northwest Ghana. This is because of the regolith complexities. Hidden gold in this area can be detected if the regolith and landscape evolution can be unraveled. Unraveling the hidden deposits require the understanding of regolith and the associated geochemistry. This book highlights the use of a geochemical exploration model based on evolution of regolith-landform and helps guide the choice of exploration methodology appropriate for complex regolith environments. Developing regolith maps that classifies the landscape into ferruginous (F), relict (R), erosional (E) and depositional (D) domains can aid in defining the concealed mineral deposits. The fraction of the geochemistry expressed in the regolith profile from the underlying rocks and mineralization can be obtained from the geochemical data obtained from the regolith profile samples. This will assist to distinguish residual regolith from transported types as well as the compositional variability of the different regolith types and hence the hidden mineralization