PETROGRAPHIC ANALYSIS

FOR

ROLIDER QUARRY LIMITED

AT OKADJAKROM IN THE

JASIKAN DISTRICT
VOLTA REGION

PREPARED BY:

MULTIGEO CONSULT LIMITED

P.O. BOX MY 2324, KWABENYA ACCRA-GHANA
Cell: +233- 249902933
Email: nunoosamuel@yahoo.com

MAY, 2016.
 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page
1.0 Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 2

1.1 Aim/ Objective............................................................................................................................. 2

1.2 Study Area and Accessibility ..................................................................................................... 2

2.0 Geological Details of Okadjakrom/ Jasikan ................................................................................. 3

2.1 Regional Geology ........................................................................................................................ 3

2.2 Local Geology .............................................................................................................................. 6

3.0 Petrographic Analysis ..................................................................................................................... 7

3.0 Economic Importance ................................................................................................................... 13

4.0 Recommendations ......................................................................................................................... 14

Appendix .............................................................................................................................................. 15

Some References.................................................................................................................................. 17

LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES

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

Figure 5. Photographs (upper & bottom) showing photomicrograph of amalgamated

chippings; with similar mineral and textural characteristics of the quartzo-rich samples........ 12

Table 1. Modal Composition of various minerals

Mineral Abbreviations: Qtz = Quartz, Fds= Feldspar, Srt= sericite

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1.0 Introduction

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

characteristics from the district.

1.1 Aim/ Objective

The main objective is to carry out petrographic analysis; which entails;

 Meso-scale; Hand sample description of the rock samples and chippings.

 Microscopic –scale observation and description of mineral composition, textural intra-

inter grain configuration and possible mineral alteration.

 Suitability of rock for geo-engineering works

1.2 Study Area and Accessibility

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

services along the stretch of the Eastern Corridor Road.

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2.0 Geological Details of Okadjakrom/ Jasikan

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.

2.1 Regional Geology

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

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and crustal imbrication. From west to east, the Dahomeyides in Ghana is divided into three

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

of the WAC (Fig. 1).

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.

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Figure 1. Showing the WAC (West Africa Craton) and Dahomeyides of Pan-African
Orogenic event.

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2.2 Local Geology

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

plutono-metamorphic Amlam´e-Kpalim´e and/or Ho unit) or the eclogitic/granulitic nappes of

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,

serpentinites, talcschists, and some metasedimentary rocks [1, 35–38].

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3.0 Petrographic Analysis

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

extent of cohesiveness of intra- inter grain configuration.

SAMPLE TYPES: Rock samples and rock chippings.

Hand Samples and Chippings Description

The rock is light grey to grey, fresh with no stains, moderately dense, competent, compact and

generally homogeneous in composition. It is medium grained, foliated and recrystallined and

shows slight sugary texture or appearance. It is compositionally of quartz with insignificant

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

generally fresh, hard, competent and compacted.

Thin Section Petrography

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-

angular in shapes with no fractures. The subordinate amount of feldspars is undifferentiated

and sericitised. Few of the sericites coalesced into muscovite with admixture of yellow to berlin

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blue colours. Graphite is in trace amount and are insignificant in the modal proportion of the

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-

intra grain configuration is observed to be sutured, foliated and cohesive.

Table 1. Modal Composition of various minerals

Mineral Volume % Optical Characteristics
Quartz 98 Sub-angular to elongated with some preferred
orientation, deformed and exhibit undulose extinction.
Cloudy to shady grey, large crystals from
recrystallization. Highly sutured boundaries.
Feldspar 2 Few in volume, undifferentiated, Sutured with quartz
crystals, sub-angular and partially altered into sericite
Sericite <1 Subhedral, altered to epidote, slightly elongated
Graphite <1 Deformed and altered

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

or expelled all organic material present.

Lithological Classification: Quartzite (Quartzo-rich rock)

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 Gallery of Hand samples, Chippings and Photomicrographs

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).

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Photomicrograph of A

Qtz
Qtz

Qtz

Fds

Qtz

Fds
Qtz

Figure 3. Photographs (upper & bottom) showing photomicrograph of predominant foliated

quartz with sutured intra-grain boundary. Qtz= Quartz, Fds= Feldspar

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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

Figure 5. Photographs (upper & bottom) showing photomicrograph of amalgamated

chippings; with similar mineral and textural characteristics of the quartzo-rich samples.

Feldspar. Qtz= Quartz, Fds= Feldspar, Srt= sericite

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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

quartzite with respect to the demand of the material in various ventures.

 Aggregate in construction Industry:

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

and decoration of exterior and interior spaces.

 The Quarry Dust:

The quarry dust from quartzite are used in the manufacturing of pavement blocks and other

block products usable in the construction industry.

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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

works, decoration and pavement blocks (from quarry dust).

Despite, the above usage of the material, it is recommended that;

 Geo- engineering investigation from laboratory testing be carried out for further details

on rock mechanical strength, compressibility, bearing capacity etc. This will provide

other needful information on the rocks for geo- engineering works.

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Appendix
Pictures on thin sections, hand-samples and chippings from Okadjakrom-Jasikan in the
Volta Region of Ghana.

15 | P a g e P e t r o g r a p h i c A n a l y s i s f o r R o l i d e r Q u a r r y L i m i t e d
I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THE INFORMATION AS PROVIDED ABOVE IS

TRUE

Name: Samuel Nunoo (MGhIG#586)

Title: Geologist (Multigeo Consult Limited)

Signature: Date:

................................................................ ...........................................................

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Some References

[1] P. Affaton, M. A. Rahaman, R. Trompette, and J. Sougy,“The dahomeyides orogen:

tectonothermal evolution and relationships with the Volta basin,” in TheWest-AfricanOrogen
and Circum Atlantic Correlatives, Dallmayer and L´ecorch´e, Eds., pp. 107–122, 1CGP, IUGS,
UNESCO.

[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.

[3] R. Trompette, “Neoproterozoic (600 Ma) aggregation ofWestern Gondwana: a tentative

scenario,” Precambrian Research, vol. 82, no. 1-2, pp. 101–112, 1997.

[4] F. Kalsbeek, D. Frei, and P. Affaton, “Constraints on provenance, stratigraphic correlation

and structural context of the Volta basin, Ghana, from detrital zircon geochronology: an
Amazonian connection?” Sedimentary Geology, vol. 212, no. 1–4, pp. 86–95, 2008.

[5] J. N. Carney, C. J. Jordan, C. W. Thomas, D. J. Condon, S. J. Kemp, and J. A. Duodo,

“Lithostratigraphy, sedimentation and evolution of the Volta Basin in Ghana,” Precambrian
Research, vol. 183, no. 4, pp. 701–724, 2010.

[6] P. Affaton, “Etude g´eologique et structurale du Nord-Ouest- Dahomey, du Nord-Togo et

du Sud-Est de la Haute-Volta. Th`ese de 3e Cycle,” Trav. lab. Sci. Terre St J´er ˆome,
Marseille. Fr., S´er. B., 10, 217p, 1975.

[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.

[9] P. Affaton, J. Sougy, and R. Trompette, “The tectonostratigraphic relationships between

the upper Precambrian and lower paleozoic volta basin and the pan-african dahomeyide
orogenic belt (West Africa),” American Journal of Science, vol. 280, no. 3, pp. 224–248, 1980.

http://www.ghanadistricts.com/districts1on1/jasikan/?arrow=atd&_=119&sa=7509

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