Rolider - Petrographic Report-1
Rolider - Petrographic Report-1
Rolider - Petrographic Report-1
FOR
JASIKAN DISTRICT
VOLTA REGION
PREPARED BY:
MAY, 2016.
TABLE OF CONTENTS Page
1.0 Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 2
Appendix .............................................................................................................................................. 15
Some References.................................................................................................................................. 17
Figure 1. Showing the WAC (West Africa Craton) and Dahomeyides of Pan-African Orogenic
event. ......................................................................................................................................... 5
Figure 2. Showing hand samples of quartzo-rich rock samples (upper image) and chippings
(bottom image); All from Okadjakrom in Jasikan district (Volta Region) ............................... 9
Figure 3. Photographs (upper & bottom) showing photomicrograph of predominant foliated
quartz with sutured intra-grain boundary................................................................................. 10
Figure 4. Photographs (upper & bottom) showing photomicrograph of undulose quartz with
subordinate amount of sericitised feldspar............................................................................... 11
This report is based on rock samples and chippings from Jasikan in the Volta Region of Ghana.
Details in this report is from careful observation and description on hand samples and chippings
from rock exposure within Jasikan. This work is an aspect of geological assessment of rocks
The rock samples and chippings are from Okadjakrom in the Jasikan district of Volta Region.
Jasikan district is located in the northern part of Volta Region and lies 110kms north-east of Ho, the
regional capital. The district is about 265kms from the Nation’s Capital, Accra
Accessibility is easily through various road interlinkages of Accra- Tema – Ho highway and
also through the Madina- Dodowa- Kpong- Ho roads. Road network is described as fair with
secondary feeder roads. Easy accessibility is by 4x4 wheel drive and broadly made footpaths.
The District has a standard paved lorry park at Jasikan that facilitates the movement of goods and
Geological information of any terrain is characterized into two major broad frames of
considering; the regional scope of the area and as well giving the local scope of the terrane.
Regionally, Okadjakrom (Jasikan district) belongs to the Pan-African orogenic event, which
occurred between 950 and 450 Ma resulted in the assemblage of Northwestern Gondwana from
various fragments during the break-up of Rodina supercontinent (Trompette, (1997); Caby,
(2003). The Pan-Africa orogenic event is considered to be one of the most extensive orogeny
in the history of the Earth. This event resulted in formation of many mobile belts such as Trans-
sahara, Pharuside, Anti-Atlas, Bassaride, Rockelite and Mauritanide (Kroner and Stern, 2005).
The Pan-African orogenic cycle is time equivalent with the Cadonian orogeny in western and
central Europe and the Baikalian in Asia. According to Kroner and Stern, (2005) the Pan-
African did not only occur in Africa but also in other continents. However, regional names
such as Brazilians have been proposed in South America, Adelaidean in Australia and
Beardonore in Antarctica. Villeneure and Cornee, (1994); Trompette, (1997); Caby, (1998)
interpreted the Pan-African mobile belts located in the southern edge of the West African
Craton to indicate that the southern margin of the WAC rifted, forming passive margins with
clastics and carbonate sedimentation, which was followed by opening of an oceanic basin.
In southern Ghana and adjoining parts of Togo and Benin, the Dahomeyide which is a well-
organized orogeny is interpreted to have resulted from the easterly subduction of the rifted
margin of WAC (Affaton et al., 1991; Agbossoumonde et al, 2004; Attoh and Nude, 2008).
Caby (1987), Attoh et al., (1997), Affaton et al., (1991) and Agbossoumonde et al (2001)
describe the Dahomeyide to have sutured unto the WAC, which have resulted in nappe staking
zone namely; the external zone, the suture zone and internal zone (Attoh and Nude, 2008; Fig.
1) The external zone comprises the deformed edge of the WAC locally known as the Ho-gneiss
and its cover rocks (the Buem Monocyclic metasedimentary and volcanic Unit, Kande schists,
Togo quartzites; Attoh, 1996). These units form the western margin of the WAC and are known
to have derived from the basement and the sedimentary rocks exposed along the deformed edge
The suture zone is best exposed in the Shia and Adaklu hills in Ghana, and extends northwards
to Agu in Togo and beyond (Bayer and Lesquer, 1978; El-Hadj Tidjani et al., 1997;
Agbossoumondѐ et al 2004; Duclaux et al., 2006). The principal lithologies of the suture zone
are garnetiferrous mafic-ultramafic rocks, eclogite and granulite gneisses which can be traced
continuously for c. 1000 km. Attoh (1996) indicated that the mafic gneiss have been
extensively sheared and thrusted over the external nappes along a crustal-scale ductile shear
zone.
Rocks of the internal zone are generally granitoid gneisses and migmatites. The granitoid
gneisses consist of biotite rich and hornblende gneisses. The migmatites are composed of
synkinematic porphyritic-granitic gneiss with aplitic veins thrust over the suture-zone nappes.
Okadjakrom within the Jasikan district belongs to the Buem structural unit which corresponds
to the outermost structural unit of the Dahomeyide Belt and has been directly overthrusted onto
the Volta Basin or the Eburnean basement complex. It consists of sedimentary or weakly
metamorphosed sedimentary rocks (shales, quartzitic sandstones, hematitic rocks, mixtites, and
sericite-schists) associated with volcanites and serpentinized peridotites [24, 26]. Its eastern
part is characterized by a typical and strong imprint of cataclasis expressed as a dense tangle
of quartz veinlets [7, 10]. The Atacora or Akwapim structural unit is overthrusted onto the
Buem and described as a thick pile of nappes, essentially schistose in the West and quartzitic
in the East [7, 8, 10]. It tectonically underlies the external nappes of the reworked basement
complex (the Kara-Niamtougou or Mˆo Orthogneissic units, the Sokod´e- K´em´eni unit, the
the suture zone [1, 29–31]. The suture zone is composed of highly metamorphosed rocks,
showing a high gravitational gradient and strong crustal thickening [32–34]. The basic to
ultrabasic massifs of this suture zone (D´erouvarou in northwest Benin; Kabye, Kpaza,
Djabatour´e-Ani´e, Agou- Ahito in Togo; and Akuse or Shai in southeast Ghana) are composed
of granulites, locally eclogites, and carbonatites, associated with their retrograded equivalents,
This describes both the mineralogical composition, mineral alteration and textural inter-intra
grain configuration of rocks from hands samples meso-scale level and microscopic scale. It
also gives modal percentage of minerals, their optical characteristics and competency regarding
The rock is light grey to grey, fresh with no stains, moderately dense, competent, compact and
dots of graphitic like material. There are also few powdery surfaces of feldspar minerals.
The chippings or floats are aggregate from the same samples (from quartzo-rich with trace
graphite), made mostly of quartz with few brown stains from oxidation. The chippings are
Thin sections observation of samples A&B and ‘Chips/aggregate’ (Figures 2,3 and 4) shows
that the rock is medium grained. Mineralogically, the rock is composed of quartz
(predominantly) with minor amount of feldspar, sericite/ muscovite and trace ‘dots’ of graphite.
The overall texture of the rock is described as foliated with prominent sutured intercrystal
boundary. Foliation is pronounced in the quartz grains as indicated by the moderate preferred
orientation. Quartz exhibits undulose extinction with remarkable sutured intra-grain boundary.
Most of the quartz grains are large with cloudy to shady grey colour. Grains of quartz are sub-
and sericitised. Few of the sericites coalesced into muscovite with admixture of yellow to berlin
mineral volume.
Similarly, thin sections from the ‘’chippings- aggregates’’ corresponds to the petrographic
characteristics of the rock samples (A&B). They are generally composed of rich quartz with
subordinate amount of sericitised feldspar and trace of graphite. As well, their textural inter-
Interpretation
The rock is of sedimentary origin but metamorphosed with general recrystallined texture. The
rock has experienced slight mineral alterations (sericite from undifferentiated feldspars) from
pseudomorphs of plagioclase. The rock is foliated with highly sutured intra-inter grain
boundaries. The rock is quartzo rich with subordinate or trace of feldspar and graphite. The
well-formed suturing intra-inter grain configuration make the rock cohesive and competent.
Insignificant amount of graphite is probably due to temperature increase which squeezed out
Figure 2. Photographs showing hand samples of quartzo-rich rock samples (upper image) and
chippings (bottom image); All from Okadjakrom in Jasikan district (Volta Region).
Qtz
Qtz
Qtz
Fds
Qtz
Fds
Qtz
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Photomicrograph of B
Fds Qtz
Srt
Qtz
Qtz
Srt
Qtz
Qtz
Fds
Qtz
Figure 4. Photographs (upper & bottom) showing photomicrograph of undulose quartz with
subordinate amount of sericitised feldspar. Qtz= Quartz, Fds= Feldspar, Srt= sericite
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Photomicrograph of Chippings
Qtz
Fds
Qtz
Fds
Qtz
Qtz
Srt
s
Qtz
Fds
Srt
Qtz s
Qtz
chippings; with similar mineral and textural characteristics of the quartzo-rich samples.
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3.0 Economic Importance
The economic viability of the quartzite necessitates all uses of the rock materials in areas
according to screening of materials into various rock aggregates. Below are broad uses of the
High strength and durability of quartzite, and their rough, non-slippery surface make it ideal
for usage as aggregate in construction works such as: in various building projects, bridges and
road constructions.
Decorating Industry:
Slabs of quartzite are mostly sectioned and polished for use in the deco-industry for revetment
The quarry dust from quartzite are used in the manufacturing of pavement blocks and other
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4.0 Recommendations
From the petrographic analysis, the quartzo-rich rock and chipping are good product for most
construction works. The uses of this material include the usage as aggregates in construction
Geo- engineering investigation from laboratory testing be carried out for further details
on rock mechanical strength, compressibility, bearing capacity etc. This will provide
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Appendix
Pictures on thin sections, hand-samples and chippings from Okadjakrom-Jasikan in the
Volta Region of Ghana.
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I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THE INFORMATION AS PROVIDED ABOVE IS
TRUE
Signature: Date:
................................................................ ...........................................................
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Some References
[2] G. Rocci, G. Bronner, and M. Deschamps, “Crystalline basement of the West African
craton,” in The West-African Orogen and Circum Atlantic Correlatives, Dallmayer and
L´ecorch´e, Eds., pp. 31–61, 1CGP, IUGS, UNESCO, 1991.
[7] P. Affaton, “Le basin des Volta (Afrique de 1’Ouest): une marge passive d’ˆage
Prot´erozo¨ıque sup´erieur, tectonis´ee au Pan Africa in (600 •} 50 Ma),” Editions ORSTOM,
Collection Etudes et Theses, Paris, 500p, 1990.
[8] N. Simpara, Etude g´eologique et structurale des unit´es externs de la chaˆıne panafricaine
(600 Ma) des Dahomeyides dans la r´egion de Bassar (Togo) [Ph.D. thesis], University of
Aix- Marseille III, 1978.
http://www.ghanadistricts.com/districts1on1/jasikan/?arrow=atd&_=119&sa=7509
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