Correlation of precambrian ore provinces of East Africa, India, and West Australia

On the basis of the recent stratigraphic, tectonic and isotope age data, the paper attempts to classify and correlate the Precambrian tracts of Eastern Africa, South and East India and Western Australia. The stratigraphic assemblages of the Archean-Proterozoic sequences reveal a broad parallelism from the Katarchaean granulite tracts at the base up to the Upper Proterozoic Katangan-Kaimur-Cardup sequence. Six metallogenetic epochs are recognizable. The corresponding metallogenetic provinces are: (i) the Granulite province of India, Ceylon, E. Africa and W. Australia, containing deposits of graphite, ilmenite, rutile, zircon and gemstones with local Cu-Pb-Zn-Mo-La concentrations; (ii) the Nyanzian-Kavirondian-Dharwar-Kalgoorlie province containing deposits of Fe, Mn, Ni, Cr, Au etc. with minor Cu, Pb, Zn, Sb, Sn etc. (iii) the Mayumbian-Bonai-Mt. Bruce province containing Fe, Mn, Au, Cu, Pb ore deposits; (iv) the Ruzizian-Singhbhum-Gangpur province containing Cu, Pb-U, Ni, Mo, Cr, La mineralization; (v) the Kibaride-Karagwe-Ankole-Chotanagpur-Cuddapah-Bangemall province containing Sn and W mineralization, located along the contact of the batholiths as well as Pb-Cu deposits and diamondiferous diatremes, and (vi) the Katanga-Bukoban-Kaimur-Cardup province containing syngenetic Cu-Ni-Co-U mineralization.On the basis of this correlation, potential targets for further exploration are: (i) Cr in Yilgarn block (W. Australia) ; (ii) Mn, Ni, Cr, Au in Nyanzian (Tanzania and Uganda) and Fe, Mn, Cu, Pb in Mayumbian (S.E. Congo) sequences; (iii) Sn around Closepet Granite (Mysore) and Chotanagpur batholith (Bihar-Orissa); (iv) Ni in the Dharwarian ultramafites; (v) Cu and U in Bukobans (Tanzania), in Kaimurs (India) and in Cardup formation (W. Australia).