Petrostructural and Metallogenic Characterization of the Mineralization of the Woulo-Woulo Gold Prospect (Afema Zone, South-eastern Côte d'Ivoire)

The Woulo-Woulo prospect is located in the Maféré area (south-eastern Côte d'Ivoire), about 8 km west of the Afema shear zone. In order to better understand the geology of this prospect, a lithostructural and metallogenic study was carried out. The methodology used starts from macroscopic to microscopic observations carried out on the core samples. The lithological units observed are: metagrauwackes, metaargillites, sedimentary breccias, metaandesites, porphyritic metarhyolites and metagabbros. All of these rocks have been affected by greenschist facies metamorphism.

At the structural level, we observe a ductile and brittle deformation dominated by a flow schistosity oriented mainly N170 to N180 with a steep dip (>70°) and by quartz veins and veinlets trending N170 to N180, N00 to N20 and N30 to N40, low dip (<40°). We also observe faults, winding figures, lineations (stretching and mineral stretching) and folds thus reflecting a shear zone oriented N170 to N180 and N00 to N20 (Woulo-Woulo shear zone).

Gold mineralization is preferentially hosted in deformed and hydrothermalized porphyritic metarhyolite. It is a vein and hydrothermal mineralization type, therefore epigenetic. The metalliferous paragenesis consists of pyrite (very abundant), sphalerite and native gold.