Paul-Désiré Ndjigui

University of Yaounde I | UY1 · Department of Earth Sciences

Understanding the formation of tropical yellow to red earth (TYRE) is essential for preserving soil multifunctionality in well-drained tropical landscapes. Weathering and bioturbation mutually interact in TYRE evolution, whereas allochthonous materials appear restricted to distinct (paleo)landscapes. A layered appearance of TYRE can result from qua...

This study was carried out in the weathering profile on gneiss in the Mandoga area (south Cameroon plateau), on the petrological characterization of the weathered phases. Gneiss is made up of quartz, feldspars, biotite, muscovite, garnet, kyanite, and zircon, with negative Eu anomaly (Eu/Eu* = 0.63). The profile shows three groups of phases: coarse...

The Toko-Nlonkeng area is situated in the Nyong Complex of the northwestern Congo craton. In this study, airborne geophysical data (radiometric and magnetic) and structural data (outcrops and core samples) were used to investigate the relationship between structural evolution, iron formation (IFs)-hosted iron ore deposits, and gold mineralization i...

The Sanaga River Valley is a deep-seated structure of about 220 km in width, bounded on its northern and southern sides by 025-0550 fault zones. Its internal structure has been very little described before this study. It is characterized by the presence of surface features where a thick stratum of shale and argillaceous sandstones have been documen...

The Nyong catchment is the second major catchment in Cameroon. Twenty-six (26) stream sediment samples collected from two watersheds (Nlong Mefok and Mbem) from the Nyong catchment to determine the weathering intensity, the provenance of sediments, and the titanium and zirconium (Zr) potentialities. The region is under an equatorial climate of four...

This study focuses on the characterization of lateritic clays collected in the Mbalmayo area for their potential use in the production of fired bricks. They were subjected to physicochemical and mechanical tests. The mineralogy of sample powders was determined by X-ray diffraction and Fourier transforms infrared, while chemical composition was carr...

The present study reports petrographic and geochemical data on peridotite xenoliths from the Cameroon Volcanic Line (CVL). The main aim of the study is to discuss the evolution of the upper mantle beneath the CVL and Au-PGE behavior. Major element compositions were determined by X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and trace elements by inductively coupled pla...

During research on the geological, mineralogical, mechanical and geotechnical nature of thick layers of soils developed on the rocks of the lower zone of the southern slopes of Mount Bambouto (West Cameroon), a couple of observations were made. The mechanical behavior of soils as construction materials is linked to the nature of the parent rock and...

Field and petrographical inspections display that garnet bearing metabasite within Lolodorf area in the Nyong Complex was slightly melted during high P-T conditions of 9 to 11 kbar and 840 to 894 °C under very slightly wet melting conditions. Leucosome vein and pocket are present within garnet bearing metabasites. The leucosome veins within garnet...

Petrological data of the recent alluvial sediments from the Ngaye River watershed in the Northern Cameroon were used in order to infer their origin with the probable source rocks as gneisses, amphibolites, and granites; and to investigate the occurrence of precious metals like Gold and Platinum Group Elements (Au-PGE). The Ngaye River watershed is...

The main pillar of agriculture is the soil because it is both the support and the reservoir of essential nutrients for the plant. The food function it provides for humanity can only be fully fulfilled if it is balanced. Therefore, the development of sustainable agriculture in the world necessarily requires knowledge of the soil. The evaluation of a...

An evaluation was done to better understand the utilization of empirical formulas and discrimination diagrams in the determination of sediment origin, frequently in Central Africa. For this purpose, a database was established for geochemical data (major and trace elements) collected from present-day environments or Mesozoic deposits with variable e...

Detailed petrographic, lithostratigraphic, and geochemical data of metamorphosed orthogneisses and mafic‐ultramafic metavolcanic rocks intruded into the greenstone belt of the Toko‐Nlokeng iron deposit have enabled the reconstruction of the tectonic and geodynamic setting and crustal evolution of the Nyong Complex. Samples were collected from the d...

The current study evaluates the suitability of Neem (Azadirachta Indica) wood ash as raw material in the production of ceramic bricks for their application in construction. Accordingly, for the fabrication of bricks, compositions were prepared by adding increasing amounts of Neem wood ash (0%, 5%, and 10% in wt.). The specimens were manufactured by...

The mining district of Batouri is located in the southeastern part of Cameroon and constitutes an integral part of the Adamaoua-Yadé domain of the Pan-African fold belt. This work aimed to highlight the structural and petrographic markers that characterize the auriferous shear zone. The investigations show that the rocks of the Batouri area suffere...

The sedimentary architecture of the Middle Sanaga deposits in the Central Cameroon Region was studied by combining sedimentological and surface geoelectrical techniques. Lithologic columns from hand augers and pits were correlated to geoelectrical profiles. All of these data were analysed to determine the volumes of lithological units that constitu...

Petrological and geochemical data of scoriae from the southern part of the continental Cameroon Volcanic Line were obtained through field and laboratory investigations. Field observations were done at nine localities (Limbe, Djoungo, Loum-Tombel, Manjo-Monengolle, Melong, Doupe, Yamba, Foumbot, Njinkouo, and Galim) under forest and savanna cover du...

Food security is a crucial issue in Cameroon. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, with the help of the University of Yaoundé 1 and the National Institute of Cartography, aims to produce an agronomic aptitude map of the country. The pilot site of Bokito was selected. The formula used is as follows: AA = pH × RU × K × CEC. The objectiv...

Sediments from the Ebolowa Municipal Lake in Southern Cameroon were subjected to sedimentological, mineralogical, and geochemical analyses in order to assess their provenance, chemical weathering, and depositional environment conditions. Sedimentological analyses showed that sediments are characterized by a predominance of fine fraction (54.4%), sa...

Stream sediment geochemical data from SW Cameroon were examined as a contribution for surface process study and preliminary exploration of Au, Pd, and Pt. Samples were collected from both active and overbank stream sediments. Samples were analyzed for mineralogy, major and trace elements including rare-earth elements, and Au, Pd, and Pt concentrati...

Due to the increasing demand resulting from the use of REE in many fields of human life, a weathering profile developed on granites in the semi-arid region of Biou area (North-Cameroon) has been characterized for rare-earth elements (REE) exploration. The mineralogical compositions of weathered materials were revealed by X-ray diffraction (XRD). X-...

This study focuses on risk assessment of Cr, V, Ni, Co, Pb, Cu, and Zn in the Mefou River sediments located at Yaoundé, West-Africa. Sediment samples were collected from five stations in the downstream of the Mefou River, which drains the urban area of Yaoundé between latitudes 3°30' and 3°58' North and longitudes 11°20' and 11°40' East. The geoche...

Volcanic scoriae from the southern part of the Cameroon Volcanic Line (Limbé, Loum-Tombel, Yamba, Doupé, Njinkouo, Foumbot, Manjo-manengollé, Galim and Djoungo) were investigated in order to determine their chemical and mineralogical composition, to deduce their origin and to identify their natural characteristics which may be useful to the cement...

Ngaye area belongs to the Adamawa-Yadé domain (AYD) of the Central African Fold Belt (CAFB) in Cameroon. It is underlain by gneisses and amphibolites intruded by a variety of granitoids including granites and granodiorites. Petrographic, mineralogical and bulk-rock geochemical analyses were applied to assess the characteristics, petrogenesis and te...

Petrographical, geochemical, and geochronological data obtained from Ngaye high-grade metasedimentary rocks have contributed to determine the provenance, nature, and evolutionary history of the Adamawa-Yadé Domain from the Archean to Pan-African events. The rocks are migmatites formed after TTG and granitic crusts were reworked by partial melting a...

Eight kaolinitic materials from the Lokoundje River at Kribi were sampled and investigated for their physical, chemical, mineralogical and thermal characteristics in order to evaluate their potential suitability as raw materials in ceramics. The Lokoundje kaolinitic materials are clayey to silty clayey and are predominantly composed of kaolinite an...

This study focused on the deintercalation of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) from a kaolinite–DMSO complex in various solvents. The use of kaolinite as filler in polymer–clay composite generally faced the difficulty of kaolinite dispersion due to its high cohesion. For improved dispersion of kaolinite within a given matrix, previous intercalation of smal...

A Correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-021-06939-1

This study was conducted on the Ngaoundaba Crater Lake sediments to infer provenance, weathering conditions, organic matter accumulation, and trace metal concentrations. Ngaoundaba Lake sediments were collected using a manual core sampler at 5 to 8 m water depth. Two sediment cores from the littoral and center of the lake were analyzed for grain si...

This study investigates the provenance, paleoweathering, and paleoclimate of the Ossa lake sediments, based on the mineralogy and geochemistry data. Ossa lake sediments are characterized by silt and clay with high content of total organic carbon (TOC). Clay minerals are identified as kaolinite and illite types. Other dominant minerals identified ar...

This paper presents statistical analyses and spatial interpretations of the rare earth elements (REE: La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb and Lu) distributions using geochemical database of soil compositions, and highlights future research needed in the field of REE in Cameroonian soils. Raster maps which depict spatial distributions...

This study was initiated to discuss the mineralogical and chemical features of volcanic scoria from Mount Cameroon along the Cameroon Volcanic Line (CVL) for gold and platinum-group elements (Au-PGEs) exploration. The mineral composition has been obtained through thin sections observation and XRD instrument. X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and ICP-MS anal...

Tongo Gandima is an area located in the southeastern part of the Bétaré Oya Gold district (Eastern Cameroon). Geochemical investigations on rare metals (TiO2, Th, Y, and rare‐earth elements [REE]) were carried out on sample types (source rocks, unconsolidated fine‐grained sediments, and concentrated sediments) using X‐ray diffraction (XRD), X‐ray f...

Gleysol and ferralsol samples were collected at Dimako (Eastern Cameroon) to investigate their use as raw materials in the ceramic industry, using petrological and physicochemical approach. Field and analytical investigations reveal that gleysols are grey-white with sandy clay textures. The organic carbon contents are low in both soil types. These...

Ten (10) bulk samples of four sequences were collected at the left and the right banks of Ngaye River (North Cameroon), to assess their origin, depositional conditions and paleoclimate. For this purpose, granulometric, mineralogical and geochemical analysis were performed. The sediments are sandy-clayey, silty-clayey to clayey which are exclusively...

The original version of this paper was published with error. Figure captions were incorrectly assigned to its corresponding images. Given in this article are the correct figures and captions.

In this study the characterization and application tests for fired bricks manufacturing of kaolinite clays from Aboudeia (southeastern Chad) are reported. Grain size distribution, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infra-red (FT-IR), chemical analysis using X-ray Fluorescence (XRF), and thermal analysis (TGA-DSC) were used to characterize t...

This paper deals with the mineralogy and geochemistry of alluvial sediments from the Tongo Gandima (Eastern Cameroon) using XRD, XRF, and ICP-MS instruments. The main aim of this work is to discuss the provenance of sediments and carry out a geochemical exploration in the areas where gold mining is taking place. Granites and monzonites outcrop as l...

Nine sediment core samples from the right terrace of the Mefou River in the Yaoundé area (southern Cameroon) were used to investigate the provenance and evolution of sediments. The mineralogical and geochemical data have been reported using XRD, XRF and ICP-MS instruments. The sediment core is 87 cm thick and is subdivided from the bottom to the to...

Petrographic studies, geochemistry, δ ¹³ C and δ ¹⁸ O isotopes have been used to characterize the well-preserved carbonate depositional environments of the Bobassa and Ndimba unit in the 640-565 Ma Ombella-M'poko Formation, Central African Republic. The carbonate facies are mainly composed of calcite, dolomite and quartz with some accessory mineral...

This study was carried out to assess the vulnerability of the shallow aquifer in the Foumban locality (West-Cameroon). Foumban is a savannah zone where the climate is that of a humid tropical mountain. The geological substratum consists of plutono-metamorphic rocks on which volcanic outflows (plateau basalts) are found at some places. During the pe...

Heavy metals can be defined as all metallic elements having a density greater than 5 g/cm3 or elements that may be toxic to biological systems, elements like Cd, Ar, Ni, Pb, Zn, Cr, Cu, Fe, V, Ba, Sr, Sb, Mo, Sn and Co may be cited as heavy metals. In view of studying the intensity of environmental pollution by heavy metals, assess their potential...

The Mbengwi area consists of Cenozoic alkaline rocks and Pan-African calc-alkaline plutonics. The alkaline magmatic series include volcanics (basanites, hawaiites, mugearite, and rhyolite) and syenites while the calc-alkaline plutonics comprise various granitoids (granites, granodiorites, quartz monzonites, and monzonites) associated with monzodior...

The petrological study of saprolite developed on gneisses in the Matomb region (South Cameroon) was carried out by petrographic, mineralogical and geochemical analyses. The gneisses have a granoblastic heterogranular texture and are made up of quartz, biotite, feldspars, kyanite, garnet, rutile and enstatite. Chemically, they show high contents in...

In this work, six vertical sequences were selected to understand the petrological features of recent alluvial sediments as well as Au-PGE distribution in heavy mineral concentrates from two terraces of Ngaye River watershed in Northern Cameroon, using mineralogical (XRD) and geochemical (XRF and ICP-MS) instruments. The Ngaye River watershed is loc...

Two cores of sediments, named NR and EB, were collected in the Simbock Lake (Mefou watershed, Yaoundé) to assess their provenance and the degree of heavy metal pollution based on mineralogical and geochemical data. The sediments are sandy, sand-clayey to clayey, and yellowish brown to greenish brown, and with high amounts of organic matter (average...

The Lokoundje alluvial clay deposits are located at the left floodplain of the Lokoundje River, towards the estuary in the Kribi region. The mineralogical and geochemical features of the Lokoundje River fine-grained sediments have been reported using XRD, XRF, ICP-MS, and IR instruments in order to understand their provenance and depositional histo...

This paper is focused on the morphological, mineralogical, and geochemical features of alluvial sediments from the Neoproterozoic Pan-African belt to explore rutile. The fine-grained sediments, which contain a large proportion of rutile, are made up of quartz, rutile, zircon, brookite, tourmaline, andalusite, and kyanite. The high SiO2 and TiO2 con...

Investigation on the mobilization and the redistribution of major, trace and rare-earth elements (REE) was performed along a soil profile developed on gabbro in the semi-arid zone (Northern Cameroon), using mineralogical and geochemical analyses. The gabbro has high contents in Ba, Cr, V, Sr, Ni, Zn, Zr, Cu, Co and Sc. The total REE content is 49 m...

The fresh and weathered garnet amphibolites, from the Akom II area in the Archaean Congo Craton, were investigated to determine the S, Cu, Ni, Cr, and Au-PGE values. The garnet amphibolites are composed of amphibole, plagioclase, garnet, quartz, and accessory apatite, spinel, sericite, pyrite, chalcopyrite and non-identified opaque minerals. The pr...

Precambrian banded iron formations (BIFs) represent an important source of mineable iron, as well as an archive recording secular changes in the chemistry of the Earth’s early oceans. Here we report petrographic and geochemical characteristics of unweathered drill core samples from the Bikoula BIF, a virtually uncharacterized oxide facies iron form...

Precambrian banded iron formations (BIFs) represent an important source of mineable iron, as well as an archive recording secular changes in the chemistry of the Earth's early oceans. Here we report petrographic and geochemical characteristics of unweathered drill core samples from the Bikoula BIF, a virtually uncharacterized oxide facies iron form...

Four clay samples (Nt12, Nt11, Ab12 and Ab11) from the Ngog-Lituba alluvial deposits (Southern Cameroon) were investigated for their possible ceramic applications. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermal and physico-mechanical analyses were used to assess the phase evolution and microstructure of the specimens fired bet...

Comme dans la plupart des métropoles camerounaises, l’Approvisionnement en Eau Potable (AEP) dans le périmètre urbain de Foumban reste un défi majeur pour les populations. L’objectif de ce travail est de comprendre la dynamique hydrochimique et le niveau de vulnérabilité des eaux de cette zone située dans le bassin versant du Nchi, plateau Bamoun,...

Four clay samples (Nt12, Nt11, Ab12 and Ab11) from the Ngog-Lituba alluvial deposits (Southern Cameroon) were investigated for their possible ceramic applications. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermal and physico-mechanical analyses were used to assess the phase evolution and microstructure of the specimens fired bet...

Precambrian Banded Iron Formations (BIF) represent an important source of mineable iron, as well as an archive recording secular changes in the chemistry of Earth’s early oceans. This contribution focuses on the Bikoula BIF, a virtually uncharacterized iron-rich facies included in the early Archean Ntem complex, southern Cameroon. Petrographic anal...

Precambrian Banded Iron Formations (BIF) have been extensively studied to reconstruct the redox conditions of the early oceans, and may have been linked to the evolution of specific microbial metabolisms [1] [2]. Here we present the first results of mineralogical and geochemical analysis performed on fresh core samples that were collected during th...

This study focuses on the origin of alluvial sediments and the evaluation of the weathering degree of the source rocks of these sediments including the sorting of the sediments using trace and rare-earth element geochemistry in three bulk sediments and their different size fractions (2000-200 µm, 200-50 µm, 50-2 µm and < 2 µm). The alluvial sedimen...

This study focuses on the origin of alluvial sediments and the evaluation of the weathering degree of the source rocks of these sediments including the sorting of the sediments using trace and rare-earth element geochemistry in three bulk sediments and their different size fractions (2000-200 µm, 200-50 µm, 50-2 µm and < 2 µm). The alluvial sedimen...

This study reports the physicochemical analysis of three alluvial clastic clays from the Ngaye River in northern Cameroon. X-ray diffraction, infra-red spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and thermal analysis are used to establish the mineralogical composition. It is found that the main clay minerals in these samples are kaolinite, muscovite...

The Matomb region constitutes an important deposit of detrital rutile. The rutile grains are essentially coarse (> 3 mm), tabular and elongated, due to the short sorting of highly weathered detritus. This study reports the major, trace, and rare-earth element distribution in the bulk and rutile concentrated fractions. The bulk sediments contain min...

Although lateritic soils are well documented in the humid tropical zone, work on adiabatic effect, which imposes local climatic variations with increasing altitude, has received very little attention in this zone. The aim of this work was to study and specify a soil climosequence in the humid tropical zone of Cameroon and to show the influence of a...

A petrological investigation was performed in the coarse saprolite on orthogneiss in Yaoundé (South Cameroon) using combined whole rock geochemical (XRF, ICP-MS) and mineralogical (XRD, SEM) techniques. The orthogneiss has high contents in SiO2 (61.56 wt.%), Ba (916 ppm) and REE (209 ppm), moderate content in Al2O3 (14.34 wt.%) and negative Eu anom...

The Nyong unit is a greenstone belt at the NW border of the Archaean Congo craton. In this study, results of initial geochemical prospection for gold and platinum-group elements (Au–PGE) in pyroxenites, amphibolites, and their weathered products in the Nyong unit are reported from two areas, Lolodorf and Nyabitande.Garnet-bearing pyroxenites and py...

Peridotite and granite xenoliths, in the early stage of weathering, occur in the Nyos volcanic region (NW Cameroon). Geochemical data shows that peridotites are marked by high concentrations of MgO (42.30wt.%, with SiO2/MgO∼1), chromium (2100ppm), nickel (2100ppm) and cobalt (104ppm), as well as by low lanthanide contents (ΣREE: 7.41ppm). Granites...

The study site is located in the SW of Eséka, NE of the Nyong unit. The aim of this study is the characterization of the laterites developed on amphibolites which are greenish, compact and with small discontinuous whitish quartz veins. They also possess a minor foliation. The weathering of amphibolites leads to a large lateritic cover. These lateri...

The behaviour of PGE in a rainforest ecosystem were investigated in four lateritic profiles (Nkamouna, Napene, West and East Mada) developed on serpentinites in the Kongo–Nkamouna massif (Lomié region, South-East Cameroon). In serpentinites, the total PGE content attains 22ppb whilst it ranges between 26 and 200ppb in the weathering blanket. Amongs...

In the Adamawa mining region (Cameroon), a geological and mining survey of alluvial sapphires in the Mayo Kewol (Mayo means stream or river) area was carried out in order to characterise the sedimentological and mineralogical features of the placer. The studied profiles overlying the substratum were made up essentially of mineralized gravel, sand,...

Four drill cores along a lateritic hill in Nkamouna-Kongo (southeast Cameroon) were studied using microprobe analysis, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and infrared spectroscopy. The main objective of the study was to investigate the occurrence of clay silicates while evaluating the Ni-Co content of...

Strong negative cerium anomalies are developed in the saprolite zone of two serpentinite lateritic profiles in the Mada region of the Kongo–Nkamouma massif in the Lomié ultramafic complex (South-East Cameroon).The total lanthanide contents increase strongly from the parent rock (1.328 ppm) to the weathered materials (ranging from 74.32 to 742.18 pp...

The behaviour of major and trace elements have been studied along two serpentinite weathering profiles located in the Kongo-Nkamouna and Mang North sites of the Lomié ultramafic complex.The serpentinites are characterized by high SiO2 and MgO contents, very low trace, rare earth and platinum-group element contents. Lanthanide and PGE contents are h...

The behaviour of Pt, Pd and Ir in the weathered mantle from the ultrabasic rocks has been studied in the extended intertropical zone (Travis et al., 1976; Bowles, 1986; Bowles et al., 1994; Salpeteur et al., 1994; Ndjigui et al., 2003). These studies show that Pt, Pd and Ir are concentrated in the saprolite zone. The aim of this work is (1) to stud...

L'analyse des modelés et des couvertures pédologiques de la périphérie au centre d'un bassin versant de 75 km × 60 km de la zone forestière du Sud Cameroun, caractérisé par d'importants héritages latéritiques cuirassés et par une grande stabilité des niveaux de base, montre que, lors de la mise en place des paysages actuels, l'érosion des versants...

Analysis of landscapes and soil covers from the outer to the inner part of a 75 km × 60 km watershed in the South- Cameroon rainforest zone, characterized by important remnants of inherited ferricretes and stable hydrostatic base levels, indicates that the development of present landforms has not involved significant erosion by slope retreat becaus...