Cobalt mineralization in the Central African Cu-Co belt:A preliminary overview
Cobalt is defined as an energy critical metal that is urgently demanded by China and the world.More than 60％of the annual global cobalt production comes from the sedimentary rock-hosted Cu-Co deposits in the Central African Cu-Co belt,which represents a natural laboratory for investigating the mechanism of cobalt super-enrichment.Previous studies mainly focused on copper mineralization in the system,which is not always associated with cobalt mineralization in space and time.There is still a lack of understanding in relation to the sources and enrichment process of cobalt in the system,which records sedimentary,diagenetic and orogenic mineralization.This paper presents an overview of up-to-date research progress on the cobalt mineralization in the Central African Cu-Co belt and discusses remaining research gaps.The impact of tectonic evolution on the formation of an ideal basin environment for cobalt mineralization in this world-class cobalt metallogenic belt was reviewed.Pale-climate condition,including the Oxygenation Events and glacier events,may also have positively influenced the cobalt mineralization in the region.The Neoproterozic orogenesis may have played a key role in re-mobilizing early disseminated cobalt in the sedimentary system,leading to an upgrade of cobalt mineralization.Essentially,the cobalt mineralization in the Central African Cu-Co belt reflects a prolonged and productive interplay of atmospheric-geosphere-hydrospere-biosphere.Understanding the formation of sedimentary rock-hosted Cu-Co deposits at deposit-regional scale is therefore crucial for exploring for more cobalt mineral resources in both the Central African Cu-Co belt and other favorable basin environments worldwide.
NeoproterozoicOrogenic BeltSupper accumulation of cobaltSedimentary rock-hosted Cu-Co depositsCentral African Cu-Co belt
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