West African Craton

E219034

The West African Craton is an ancient, stable block of continental crust in West Africa that forms a core part of the Precambrian geology of the African continent.

All labels observed (4)

Label Occurrences
West African Craton canonical 3
West African craton 2
West Africa craton 1

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (49)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Precambrian shield
craton
geological province
boundedBy Mauritanide Belt
Pan-African belts
Rockelide Belt
Trans-Saharan belt
surface form: Trans-Saharan Belt
characteristic ancient continental crust
forms core of West African geology
tectonically stable
continent Africa
crustalThickness relatively thick continental crust
economicImportance bauxite deposits
diamond deposits
gold deposits
iron ore deposits
manganese deposits
experiencedEvent Paleoproterozoic orogeny
extendsUnder Benin
Burkina Faso
Côte d'Ivoire
surface form: Côte d’Ivoire

Ghana
Guinea
Liberia
Mali
Mauritania
Nigeria
Senegal
Sierra Leone
Togo
formedDuring Archean crustal growth
geologicalAge Archean
Paleoproterozoic
Precambrian Supereon
surface form: Precambrian
hasSubunit Birimian terranes
Leo-Man Shield
Reguibat Shield
lithology granitoid rocks
greenstone belts
metasedimentary rocks
locatedIn West Africa
notableRegion Birimian gold belt
partOf African Plate
Africa
surface form: African continent
researchField Precambrian geology
economic geology
roleInSupercontinent part of Gondwana assembly
part of West Gondwana
tectonicSetting stable continental interior

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (7)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

supercontinent Columbia (Nuna) containsCraton West African Craton
subject surface form: Columbia
supercontinent Columbia (Nuna) containsCraton West African Craton
subject surface form: Nuna
Pan-African orogeny affects West African Craton
Amazonia relatedTo West African Craton
this entity surface form: West African craton
proto-Africa hasComponent West African Craton
subject surface form: Proto-Africa
this entity surface form: West African craton
Grenville orogeny continentAffected West African Craton
this entity surface form: West Africa craton
Grenville orogeny preservedIn West African Craton
this entity surface form: West African craton basement