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Alluvial gold in the Bétaré Oya drainage system, east Cameroon

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Abstract

The morphology and elemental composition of alluvial gold grains from the Bétaré Oya gold district were investigated as part of a district exploration strategy. The morphology and general chemistry of the grains, determined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM)—energy dispersive spectroscopy and electron probe microanalyzer (EMPA), respectively, revealed three categories of grains: (1) gold grains with irregular to regular, bent-up and folded outlines with irregular and pitted surfaces and a flatness index ranging from 2.1 to 4.6; (2) gold grains with regular and polished outlines, smooth surfaces with few or no cavities and a characteristic flatness index range between 3.0 and 8.6; (3) and elongate grains. Rounding of the grains, physical abrasion and bent/folded features suggest that the alluvial gold grains have been transported in a high-energy environment, but not necessarily over long distances from their source rock(s). The gold grains are alloyed with Ag and Cu with concentrations of Ag ranging from 0 to 14.19 wt% whereas Cu concentrations are between 0.03 and 0.15 wt%. SEM images of sites where active weathering of gold is indicated by the presence of colloidal gold, i.e., crevices possessing sedimentary materials on the surface of the grains, revealed the presence of bacteria. All of the gold grains analyzed possess high purity (~ 100% Au) at the water–sediment–gold interface demonstrating that Ag and Cu are highly dispersed in placer systems relative to gold, and that gold can be dissolved and subsequently re-precipitated possibly with the aid of bacteria in alluvial systems.

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Acknowledgements

This paper acknowledges the contributions from Prof. Lehmann for generating the chemistry of the gold grains at the Technical University of Clausthal, Germany. This manuscript benefited significantly from comprehensive comments by an anonymous reviewer.

Funding

CES and KIA acknowledge support from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation for the analytical work at TU Clausthal with the support of Prof. Dr. Bernd Lehmann.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mining and Mineral Engineering, The University of Bamenda, North West Region, P.O. Box 39, Bambili, Cameroon

    Kevin Ijunghi Ateh

  2. Department of Geology, Mining and Environmental Science, The University of Bamenda, North West Region, P.O. Box 39, Bambili, Cameroon

    Cheo Emmanuel Suh

  3. School of Molecular and Biomedical Science, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia

    Jeremiah Shuster & Frank Reith

  4. Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Botswana International University of Science and Technology, Private Bag 16, Palapye, Botswana

    Elisha Mutum Shemang

  5. Department of Civil Engineering, The University Institute of Technology (IUT), University of Douala, Littoral Region, P.O. Box 8698, Douala, Cameroon

    Akumbom Vishiti

  6. School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland, Saint Lucia, Australia

    Gordon Southam

Authors
  1. Kevin Ijunghi Ateh
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  2. Cheo Emmanuel Suh
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  3. Jeremiah Shuster
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  4. Elisha Mutum Shemang
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  5. Akumbom Vishiti
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  6. Frank Reith
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  7. Gordon Southam
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Contributions

KIA carried out the field study, sample collection and processing and, initiated and wrote the first draft of the manuscript. CES designed the project in cooperation with KIA and guided the analytical procedures for all the samples and reviewed, read and approved the manuscript. JS, FR and GS analyzed the gold grains using the SEM in Australia, provided data interpretation insights, read, corrected and approved the manuscript. VA and EMS assisted in the acquisition and interpretation of the EMPA data and read, contributed to and approved the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kevin Ijunghi Ateh.

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Communicated by Mauro Cesar Geraldes.

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Ateh, K.I., Suh, C.E., Shuster, J. et al. Alluvial gold in the Bétaré Oya drainage system, east Cameroon. J. Sediment. Environ. 6, 201–212 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43217-021-00051-w

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s43217-021-00051-w

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