Source basins for sediment-hosted stratiform Cu deposits: implications for the structure of the Zambian Copperbelt

The Central African Copperbelt in Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo is the world's largest sediment-hosted stratiform Cer province. The source for the Cu in sediment-hosted stratiform Cu deposits is generally believed to be thick sections of oxidised siliciclastic sediments (red beds) and volcanic rocks deposited in early rift sequences underlying or laterally adjacent to the ore-bearing sediments. The volume of red beds beneath or lateral to the Zambian portion of the copperbelt relative to the amount of known metal in the deposits is small in comparison to the volumes of source beds in other well-known districts such as the Polish Kupferschiefer and the White Pine District, USA. Previous structural studies suggest that the rocks hosting the Zambian Cu deposits may be allochthonous or para-autochthonous. The apparent absence of source sediments for the metals, combined with the known structural geology, strongly suggests that the Zambian deposits were tectonically displaced from their source rocks. Defining the present location of the source basins would constrain the amount of tectonic transport in this portion of the Lufilian Are and would stimulate mineral exploration in new areas. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Limited. All rights reserved.