MINERAL EXPLORATION IN THE VICINITY OF THE LATE EDIACARAN BOUTEGLIMT APLITE AND PEGMATITE DIKES IN IMITER INLIER USING ASTER DATA: PRELIMINARY RESULTS

In the southern sector of the Imiter inlier, the early Ediacaran basement of the Saghro Group is intruded by a significant swarm of aplitic and pegmatitic dikes, exhibiting extensions of several meters and thicknesses exceeding 10 meters. These dikes are oriented along two main directions: NE-SW and NW-SE. A petrographic analysis of the pegmatites and aplite reveals their mineral composition, which primarily consists of quartz, plagioclase, K-feldspar, muscovite, biotite, allanite, and sphene. The BouTeglimt pegmatites, associated with the large BouTeglimt granitic and granodioritic plutons, are classified as exterior pegmatites, being hosted in the metamorphic country rocks. Zoning patterns are observed within the pegmatites at two scales: internal zoning, indicating variations in mineralogy and texture within individual pegmatite bodies, and regional zoning, characterized by increased mineralogical complexity with distance from the granitic source.

Using the ASTER sensor, this study investigates significant clayey, phyllitic, and propylitic alterations of the pegmatites, aplite, and their host rocks in the Imiter mine area. Through field investigations and mineralogical characterization, four new mineralized zones containing base and precious metals have been identified. These zones are typically located at the peripheries of granites or at the contact between the Saghro Group series and the late Ediacaran rocks of the Ouarzazate Group. The mineralization occurs in steeply-dipping veins along major E-W faults parallel to the Imiter fault, as well as in stockwork ore within tuffs, lapilli tuff, rhyolite, and disseminated mineralization within various Ouarzazate Group pyroclastic rocks. The ore mineralogy mainly comprises sulfides and oxide minerals.

Moreover, the muscovite-rich BouTeglimt pegmatite and aplite can serve as excellent exploration indicators due to their association with fertile granites and rare-element pegmatites. They may also hold potential as indicators of tantalum mineralization.