Geophysical analysis of CatalAo I alkaline-carbonatite complex in Goias, Brazil

The CatalAo I alkaline-carbonatite complex, which is located in Central Brazil, is one of the main producers of niobium and phosphates in the world. It has been intensely studied geologically and geochemically for its economic potential. This work presents a geophysical analysis over this complex, identifying its behaviour in the subsurface and in portions that have not been explored yet. Different geophysical methods and techniques were applied to achieve the most reliable results possible: at the surface, through radiometric, geological, and topographic data, and at depth, by geological, magnetic, and gravimetric data. The analysis was successfully completed with inversions of gravity and magnetic data that resulted in quite similar models, both in volume and shape. Their density and magnetic susceptibility contrasts were consistent with the expected dunite-pyroxenite lithology from the original mafic intrusion and indicated (by exclusion) the volume of the carbonatite body, which along with the known contents of phosphates and niobium allowed an indirect estimate of the reserves and resources of the complex.