An Example of Country Scale Airborne Geophysics - Angola

A regional airborne geophysical survey was carried out over Angola as part of a wider programme of investment and regulatory changes to the country's mining industry. Survey specifications were lines 1 kilometre apart with control lines spaced at 10 kilometres. Total survey size was 1.4-million-line kilometres and was carried out between 2014 and 2018. The nominal survey clearance was 100 m. All surveys were flown with fixed-wing aircraft equipped with horizontal gradiometers and gamma -ray spectrometers. The country's regional geological setting is examined in the context of the airborne geophysical results. Angola is largely underlain by the Congo Craton. The shield rocks are mostly obscured by younger cover rocks. The location and extent of the Lufilian Arc is unclear although tentative correlations are made with the Damara Belt in Namibia. The geophysical signatures of the potash deposits of Cabinda are reviewed as well as the regional setting of the Lucapa kimberlite field. Several countries in Africa have completed or are in the process of acquiring regional surveys (Togo, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, etc). This highlights the recognition that investment in the geological endowment is critical to attract investment in the mining industry.