Description: Solar activity has been found to be strongly correlated with some geophysical processes on the Earth system. In the present paper, using global dust veil index of volcanic eruptions and sunspot numbers indicating solar activity, the authors investigate the possible influence of solar activity on global volcanicity during 1700–1995. Results of wavelet analysis indicate that variations of global volcanicity have remarkable temporal characteristics, and it is high related to solar activity on about 11-year cycle, with exceeding the 5% statistical significance level against red noise.

Description: Direct observations of solar activity are available for the past four century, so some proxies reflecting solar activity such as 14 C, 10 Be and geomagnetic variations are used to reconstruct solar activity in the past. In this present paper, the authors use rectified wavelet power transform and time-averaged wavelet power spectrum to investigate long-term fluctuations of the reconstructed solar activity series. Results show obvious a quasi ~500-year cycle exists in the past solar activity. Three reconstructed solar activity series from 14 C variations confirm the periodic signals.

Description: The bauxite duricrust in the Bangam and surroundings is classified into three major storey levels as follows: the upper level on top of the plateaus where the continuous bauxites outcrop in slabs over distances of about 1 km, the intermediate level on top and at the flanks of the hills where the bauxites flush in metric blocks, the lower level at the talwegs where bauxites duricrust are gravels. The average thickness of the duricrust is 9.6m and extends over an area of about 9.5km 2 . Five types of facies are encountered here: nodular, pisolitic, pseudobreccia, vacuolar and massive. These different facies were carried out by X-ray fluorescence spectrometry, X-ray diffractometric, thermal analysis (ATD / ATG) and by polarizing microscope observation. The results of these analyses show that, gibbsite is the dominant mineral; kaolinite, anatase, hematite, goethite, magnetite and ilmenite are also present. The chemical composition of the major elements that characterize bauxites are 38-60% Al 2 O 3 ; 2 -22% SiO 2 and 9-42% Fe 2 O 3 . These values are almost similar to those obtained in Doumbouo-Fokoué, Ghana, Ngaoundal, and Minim-Martap precisely at Briskok prospect. The different minerals paragenesis and geochemistry data show that, the Bangam locality is a bauxite ore deposit in spite of a high content of iron and silicate of some facies, nevertheless, these can be used in some industries. 

Description: A sun outage is an interruption or distortion of satellite communication signals caused by interference from solar radiation. There is a serious interference to satellite communication services in a special period of time. In the present paper, a novel model for predicting sun outage that is effective and can greatly improve accuracy and precision of sun outage prediction of earth station in satellite communication is presented.

Description: Gravimetric studies using the ETOPO1-corrected high resolution satellite-based EGM2008 gravity data was used to define the surface extent, depth to basement and shape of the Mamfe basin. The Bouguer anomaly map was produced in Surfer 11.0. The Fast Fourier Transformed data was analyzed by spectral analysis to remove the effect of the regional bodies in the study area. The residual anomaly map obtained was compared with the known geology of the study area, and this showed that the gravity highs correspond to the metamorphic and igneous rocks while the gravity lows match with Cretaceous sediments. Three profiles were drawn on the residual anomaly map along which 2D models of the Mamfe basin were drawn. The modeling was completed in Grav2dc v2.06 software which uses the Talwini’s algorithm and the resulting models gave the depth to basement and the shape of the basement along the profiles. After processing and interpretation, it was deduced that the Mamfe basin has an average length and width of 77.6 km and 29.2 km respectively, an average depth to basement of 5 km and an overall U-shape basement. These dimensions (especially the depth) theoretically create the depth and temperature conditions for petroleum generation. 

Description: The Kampti serie is a volcano-plutonic complex in the south-eastern corner of the Houndé belt, closed to the border with Ivory Coast. The stratigraphy comprises initially: a thick sequence of tholeiitic and pillowed basalt followed by pyroclastic projections derivated from bimodal volcanism; and flowing mostly to the south. The volcanic sequence is cross-cut by mafic cumulate body, stocks of gabbro, diorite, subvolcanic dykes and lately intrude by granitoid. It is bordered to the west by the pelitic schist of the Bambela basin with minor intercalation of Tarkwa type sediment. volcanoclastic facies is dominantly plagioclase-phyric (albite +/- oligoclase), zoned plagioclase has a core of anorthoclase. Secondary mineral infilled (quartz, kutnahorite, ripidolite, clinozoisite) of spherulites and oolite highlight a general low grade metamorphism of greenschist facies affecting the complex. Based on trace element chemistry, the tholeiitic rocks present flat REE pattern contrasting with the felsic rocks more enriched in LREE and depleted in HREE. The style of the magmatism in the Kampti serie is compatible with an island arc model, describe elsewhere in the birimian. Gold mineralisation and base metal occurrences associated to the nature of rocks and tectonics highlight a polymetallic district.

Description: The textural and petrographic characteristics of the soils of the city of Amtiman and their behavior on swelling and shrinkage are presented here. The soils of the town of Amtiman (Chad) have a predominantly clay texture and the clays are mainly exposed on the surface. The results of this work include characterizing the type of clay present in the city. These are the heterogeneous layers of clayey soils consisting mainly of surface-bound illites but also of kaolinite intercalation at depth. These results suggest that the phenomenon of shrinkage of the clays (Illite and kaolinite) of the city of Amtiman is very low and that this city belongs to the sedimentary basin of Salamat.

Description: Missole facies description and sequence stratigraphy analysis allow a new proposal of depositional environments of the Douala sub-basin eastern part. The sediments of Missole outcrops (N’kapa Formation) correspond to fluvial/tidal channel to shallow shelf deposits with in some place embayment deposits within a warm and semi-arid climate. Integrated sedimentologic, palynologic and mineralogical data document a comprehensive sequence stratigraphy of this part of the Douala sub-basin. Five facies associations occur: (1) facies association I is characterized by Floodplain deposits; (2) facies association II is Fluvial to mouth bar deposits; (3) facies association III characterise Shallow Shelf deposits; (4) facies association IV represents Distal bay or Lacustrine déposits; and (5) Facies association V is made of Fluvial channel deposits. Six depositional sequences were identified. These sequences are composed of four progradational sequences and two retrogradational sequences containing a fluvial channel portion represented by lag deposits at the base of retrogradational sequences. These deposits represent the outset of the relative sea level rise period. In the study area, the N’kapa Formation is composed of non-marine/coastal aggradational deposits representing the early stage of the regressive period. The occurrence of the estuarine/bay deposits with paleosols development is interpreted as evidence of climate change with significant relative base level fluctuation. The study of key minerals associated to sequence stratigraphy as well as palynology demonstrated that sequence architecture has been controlled mostly by climate evolution and outcrops are dated Paleocene – early Eocene.

Description: Hydrochemical investigation of forty boreholes drilled on the basement and sedimentary rocks in Ibadan and Lagos metropolis southwestern Nigeria respectively were carried out in order to determine the portability of the groundwater in both areas and to highlight differences in their chemical characters and variations with seasons. Data obtained indicated that the groundwater in Ibadan area is mainly the Na + Ca – HCO ­­ 3 type, while that of Lagos is Na + Ca – C1 + SO 4 type. The groundwater chemistry reflects weathering of sodic plagioclase feldspars in the basement rocks as well as arkosic sandstone in the sedimentary terrain. The higher chloride (ca. 124.2 mg/L) content of the Lagos water is probably due to salt-water intrusion along the coastal area. Elevated Na + (58.5-1021.2), Fe 2+ (0.3-2.8) and Mn 2+ (0.04-2.34) mg/L concentrations, particularly during the dry season, adversely affect the portability of the water from both localities. Apart from making the water unsuitable for irrigation, high Na + content is considered harmful to persons suffering from cardiac, renal and circulatory diseases. The Fe 2+ and Mn 2+ contents could also create staining problem. It is therefore desirable to remove these elements from the borehole water prior to consumption.

Description: The Gangfelum Banded Iron Formation (BIF) is located within the basement complex of northeastern Nigeria. It is characterized by alternate bands of iron oxide and quartz. Petrographic studies show that the BIF consist mainly of hematite, goethite subordinate magnetite and accessory minerals including rutile, apatite, tourmaline and zircon. Chemical data from inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometer (ICP-OES) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICP-MS) show that average Fe 2 O 3(t) is 53.91 wt.%. The average values of Al 2 O 3 and CaO are 1.41 and 0.05 wt.% respectively, TiO 2 and MnO are less than 0.5 wt. % each. The data suggested that the BIF is the oxide facies type. Trace element concentrations of Ba (67-332 ppm), Ni (28-35 ppm), Sr (13-55 ppm) and Zr (16-25 ppm) in the Gangfelum BIF are low and similar to the Maru and Muro BIF in northern Nigeria and also the Algoma iron formation from North America, the Orissa iron oxide facies of India and the Itabirite from Minas Gerais in Brazil. The evolution of the Gangfelum BIF involved metamorphism of chemically precipitated or rhythmically deposited iron-rich sediments into hematite-quartz rocks. The banding of the BIF suggested a break in iron precipitation probably due to iron oxide deficiency.