Abstract

Aeromagnetic surveys have been used to locate faults, shear zones and fractures; such zones may serve as potential hosts for a variety of minerals. In order to map out mineralized zones in Central Nigeria, some geophysical analytical tools were employed on aeromagnetic data. These tools were downward continuation, structural complexity analyses of the Centre for Exploration Targeting (CET), second vertical derivative and analytical signal. From the analytical signal map, high amplitude was seen from the central portion of the map toward the western end. These were areas suspected to be of high mineral deposits. Pockets of similar anomalies were also seen in other areas of the map. Structures trending NW-SE and NE-SW were also noticed. Regions having high density covered by structures were revealed with the structural complexity analysis map. These areas of high structural densities are susceptible to having minerals. NE-SW and NW-SE structures can be gotten from the structural maps gotten from CET analysis. Superimposition of the structural map and the magnetic intensity maps revealed areas having high magnetic intensity which coincide with areas having major structures. These structures may have served as conduit for minerals having high magnetic contents, which may be dykes, etc.

Keywords: Downward Continuation, Mineralized, Centre for Exploration Targeting, Structural