Massawa
Kédougou Region (Kédougou-Kéniéba inlier, southeast), Senegal
Orogenic goldAu (Sb)
- Type
- Birimian orogenic gold
Proven reserves of 2.6 million ounces of gold at 4.17 g/t over a 4 km strike length, in low-grade metasediments and metavolcanics of the Kédougou-Kéniéba inlier (Birimian, about 2.1 Ga). Mineralisation formed in two stages: first disseminated gold-bearing sulfides (arsenopyrite and pyrite, carrying up to 90% of the gold in solid solution), then a quartz-stibnite-tetrahedrite stage with visible gold, separated by a quartz-molybdenite phase. It is mined by Barrick (83.25%) with CSSTAO and the Senegalese state, and processed at the Sabodala plant, 20 km away.
δ34S in ‰ (per mil) Values of the same system
Standard : V-CDT
| Value | Range | n | Mineral or matrix | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 / 4.1 ‰ | sulfides (arsenopyrite, pyrite, stibnite, all mineralisation stages) A narrow, slightly positive δ34S range, distinct from neighbouring Loulo in Mali (+6 to +15.5 ‰) and Ashanti in Ghana (median -10 ‰), consistent with a fluid of magmatic origin. The signature is the same for both mineralisation stages, indicating a continuous sulfur source. | Treloar et al. 2015, The Massawa gold deposit Eastern Senegal: an orogenic gold deposit s… |
δ18O in ‰ (per mil) Values of the same system
Standard : V-SMOW
| Value | Range | n | Mineral or matrix | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5.5 / 10.9 ‰ | hydrothermal fluid (calculated water δ18O) Water δ18O calculated from vein analyses, within the usual range of magmatic fluids (5 to 10 ‰). Clearly more magmatic than Loulo in Mali (dolomite δ18O of +15 to +19 ‰) or Ashanti in Ghana. | Treloar et al. 2015, Geological Society London Special Publications 393 |
Deposits of the same type
- Loulo (district de Gara-Yalea) Mali
- Gounkoto Mali
- Ashanti (Obuasi) Ghana
- Muruntau Uzbekistan
- Kalgoorlie (Golden Mile) Australia
- Victorian Goldfields Australia
Cite this page
IsoFind Atlas (2026). Massawa, isotope signatures. https://www.isofind.tech/isotopes/en/deposits/massawa/ (accessed 2026-10-06).
@misc{isofind2026massawaisotopesignatures,
title = {Massawa, isotope signatures},
author = {{IsoFind Atlas}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://www.isofind.tech/isotopes/en/deposits/massawa/},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-06}
}Updated : 2026-10-06