Towards a new understanding of the Neoproterozoic-Early Palaezoic Lufilian and northern Zambezi Belts in Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo

Abstract

The Lufilian Belt is of geological significance and economic importance due to rich Cu-Co mineralisation in the Katanga Province of the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Copperbelt of Zambia. Though thorough exploration has yielded much information on the mines districts, the understanding of the belt as a whole appears, to some extent, historically charged and confused. In the first part of this article, basic knowledge and assumptions are reviewed and existing models critically assessed. Results include recognition of standard lithostratigraphies of the Katanga Supergroup comprising the Roan, Mwashia, Lower and Upper Kudelungu Groups in the Copperbelt and Katanga, a lower limit for the onset of deposition at about 880 Ma, and a major orogenetic event involving northeast directed thrusting (Lufilian Orogeny) at 560-550 Ma. The depositional history of the Lufilian Belt was controlled by continental rifting leading to formation of a passive continental margin. Continental rifting related to the dispersal of Rodinia began ca 880 Ma ago and was accompanied by magmatism (Kafue rhyolites: 879 Ma; Nchanga Granite: 877 Ma; Lusaka Granite: 865 Ma). Differential subsidence of the northwestward propagating rift soon allowed invasion by the sea advancing from the southeast, and subsequent development of marine rift-basin and platform domains. The standard stratigraphies for the Roan Group are restricted to the platform domain that bordered the rift-basin on its northeastern side. This domain included the Domes region of the Lufilian Belt and extended southeastwards into the northern Zambezi Belt. The platform was differentiated into a carbonate platform (barrier) represented by the Bancroft Subgroup (previously 'Upper Roan') in Zambia and Kambove Dolomite Formation in Katanga and a lagoon-basin (lower Kitwe Subgroup/Zambia; Dolomitic Shale Formation/Katanga) with mudflats (R.A.T. Subgroup/Katanga) and a siliciclastic margin towards the hinterland. The mineralised horizons of the 'Ore Formation' in Zambia and 'Series des Mines' in Katanga are related to temporarily anoxic conditions prevailing in the Roan Lagoon-Basin which had a southwest-northeast extent of ca 400 km. The lagoon-basin was subsequently filled by clastics derived from mainly northeastern sources (upper Kitwe Subgroup/Zambia; Dipeta Subgroup/Katanga). Possibly due to continental rupture in the southeastern, more advanced, segment of the rift and concomitant differential movement in the rupturing plate, the Kundelungu Basin started to open during deposition of the Mwashia Group. Opening of the extensional basin was accompanied by rifting, rapid subsidence of the affected platform segment and widespread mafic magmatism, which lasted until deposition of the Lower Kundelungu Group. The elevated margins of the rapidly subsiding Kundelungu Basin offered favourable conditions for inland glaciation during the Sturtian-Rapitan global glaciation epoch. The diamictites of the Grand Conglomerat are thus dated at ca 750 Ma. Tectonogenesis in the Lufilian and Zambezi Belts is related to ca 560-550 Ma collision of the 'Angola-Kalahari Plate' (comprising the Kalahari Craton and southwestern part of the Congo Craton) and the 'Congo-Tanzania Plate' (comprising the remaining part of the Congo Craton) along a southeast-northwest trending suture linking up the southern Mozambique Belt with the West Congo Belt. Collision was accompanied by northeast directed thrusting involving deep crustal detachments and forward-propagating thrust faults that developed in platform and slope deposits below a high level thrust. In the Domes region, the platform sequence was detached from its basement and displaced for ca 150 km into the External Fold-Thrust Belt of Katanga. The large displacement was enhanced by fluids liberated from evaporite-rich mudflat deposits of the R.A.T. Subgroup. In the Zambezi Belt, northeast directed thrusting was succeeded by southwest directed backfolding and backthrusting, due to greater shortening or thickening of the thrust wedge. The Mwembeshi Shear Zone accommodated greater shortening in the Zambezi Belt relative to the Lufilian Belt by sinistral transcurrent movement. The Mwembeshi Shear Zone is a reactivated pre-existing zone of weakness in the lithosphere of possibly Palaeoproterozoic age. There is no evidence of Neoproterozoic collision along this zone in the Lufilian Belt/Zambezi Belt domain. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Limited. All rights reserved.