Geology and mineral resources of the Attapeu area in southern Laos.

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Other Title
  • ラオス国南部，Attapeu地域の地質と鉱物資源
  • ラオスコク ナンブ Attapeu チイキ ノ チシツ ト コウブツ シゲン

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Description

1:200,000 scale quadrangle geological maps of the Attapeu area in southern Laos were created by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) as a part of the Development Aid Project "Geological Mapping and Mineral Information Service Project". These geological maps consist of "Attapu" district and "B.Dakyoy" district. The area of the created maps lies between 14°40' N and 15°20' N in latitude and 106°00' E and 108°00' E in longitude. The geology of the Attapeu area consists of varieties of rocks such as gneiss, gabbro, granite, schist, slate, sandstone, conglomerate, marine to continental sedimentary rocks of chert and limestone, rhyolitic and basaltic volcanic rocks. The metamorphic rocks in the area are thought to be related to a collision of continental crust. Distribution of these rocks is settled respectively and forms structural terrain. The age of each layer of geological unit tends to become young toward the west. The following period is assigned for each geological unit based on the available data. The gneiss and gabbro unit is Precambrian or unknown, granite units are Ordovician to Triassic, and the metamorphic rock unit is supposed to be Ordovician to Carboniferous. For the post orogenic volcanic and sedimentary rocks, the age of rhyolitic to andesitic volcanic rocks and chert and limestone are Triassic, the marine sedimentary rocks are Carboniferous to Jurassic and the continental sedimentary rocks are assigned to Jurassic to Cretaceous, respectively. For the basaltic volcanic rocks, Cretaceous and Tertiary periods are assigned. Mineral resources which occur in the Attapeu area are gold, copper, bauxite, rare-earth, gems, bentonite, kaolin, aggregate and coal. Gold and copper prospects occur in the western side of Annam mountain, Kontum massif. Gold and copper prospects may be orogenic type and porphyry copper type related to Paleozoic to Mesozoic tectonics, respectively. A copper prospect in the north of the area is sediment-hosted copper type. Bauxite deposits and rare-earth enriched laterite are related to weathering, and placer gemstones to basaltic plugs of Tertiary to Quaternary age.

Journal

  • Shigen-Chishitsu

    Shigen-Chishitsu 59 (2), 107-122, 2009

    The Society of Resource Geology

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