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Interpretation of Satellite Remote Sensing Data for Potential Gold Mineralisation Zones Over Danko Area and Environs, North -West Nigeria.
Subject area: Science,Engineering and Technology · Area of research: Earth Science (Geophysics)
Abstract
The Donko area, located in the Zuru Schist belt of northwestern Nigeria, is known to have significant gold mineralization potential resulting from the activities of artisanal miners (wild mining) in the area, which is characterized by a number of environmental impacts. There is a lack of detailed understanding of mineralization and its distribution in the area. This research aimed at using Landsat 9 OLI remote sensing data to identify and characterize gold mineralization zones in the Donko area and beyond. Regions of hydrothermal alteration were evaluated from band ratios 4/2, (iron oxide), 6/5 (ferrous) and 6/7 (hydroxyl) minerals respectively. Combination of these ratio results obtained from the three methods stated above was used to build a Sabin ratio map where 4/2 is red, 6/7 is green and 6/5 is blue The analysis and interpretation of the Sabin ratio image revealed that schist units are represented by yellow pixels, gneiss units display blue and green hues, and quartzite appears as purple pixels. Altered regions are shown as bright pixels. The lineaments trend predominantly in NE-SW and NW-SE directions, with a secondary set trending NW-SE; few lineaments follow N-S and E-W orientations. These lineaments, associated with tectonic activity, could potentially indicate zones of gold mineralization. The results indicate that the northeastern mining area and central regions have a high density of lineaments, whereas the southern area exhibits a lower density of lineaments. The high prospect areas for gold mineralization potentials are geographically located in the north-east, mining area, central parts of the study area.
Keywords
Remote sensing, gold mineralization, hydrothermal alteration
How to cite this paper
@article{1710462,
author = {Aliyu Musa Usman, Adamu John, Ahmad, A. L, Najeebullah Y., Sani, A. A},
title = {Interpretation of Satellite Remote Sensing Data for Potential Gold Mineralisation Zones Over Danko Area and Environs, North -West Nigeria.},
journal = {Iconic Research And Engineering Journals},
year = {2025},
volume = {9},
number = {3},
pages = {153-161},
issn = {2456-8880},
url = {https://www.irejournals.com/formatedpaper/1710462.pdf},
abstract = {The Donko area, located in the Zuru Schist belt of northwestern Nigeria, is known to have significant gold mineralization potential resulting from the activities of artisanal miners (wild mining) in the area, which is characterized by a number of environmental impacts. There is a lack of detailed understanding of mineralization and its distribution in the area. This research aimed at using Landsat 9 OLI remote sensing data to identify and characterize gold mineralization zones in the Donko area and beyond. Regions of hydrothermal alteration were evaluated from band ratios 4/2, (iron oxide), 6/5 (ferrous) and 6/7 (hydroxyl) minerals respectively. Combination of these ratio results obtained from the three methods stated above was used to build a Sabin ratio map where 4/2 is red, 6/7 is green and 6/5 is blue The analysis and interpretation of the Sabin ratio image revealed that schist units are represented by yellow pixels, gneiss units display blue and green hues, and quartzite appears as purple pixels. Altered regions are shown as bright pixels. The lineaments trend predominantly in NE-SW and NW-SE directions, with a secondary set trending NW-SE; few lineaments follow N-S and E-W orientations. These lineaments, associated with tectonic activity, could potentially indicate zones of gold mineralization. The results indicate that the northeastern mining area and central regions have a high density of lineaments, whereas the southern area exhibits a lower density of lineaments. The high prospect areas for gold mineralization potentials are geographically located in the north-east, mining area, central parts of the study area.},
keywords = {Remote sensing, gold mineralization, hydrothermal alteration},
month = {September},
}