Man Shield
Encyclopedia
The Man Shield or Leo-Man shield
or craton
is a geological area in the southeast of the West African craton
, in part overlaid by gold-bearing Birimian
formations.
Shield (geology)
A shield is generally a large area of exposed Precambrian crystalline igneous and high-grade metamorphic rocks that form tectonically stable areas. In all cases, the age of these rocks is greater than 570 million years and sometimes dates back 2 to 3.5 billion years...
or craton
Craton
A craton is an old and stable part of the continental lithosphere. Having often survived cycles of merging and rifting of continents, cratons are generally found in the interiors of tectonic plates. They are characteristically composed of ancient crystalline basement rock, which may be covered by...
is a geological area in the southeast of the West African craton
West African craton
The West African craton is one of the five large masses, or cratons, of the Precambrian basement rock of Africa that make up the African Plate, the others being the Kalahari craton, Congo craton, Saharan Metacraton and Tanzania craton. These land masses came together in the late Precambrian and...
, in part overlaid by gold-bearing Birimian
Birimian
The Birimian rocks are major sources of gold and diamonds that extend through Ghana, the Ivory Coast, Guinea, Mali and Burkina Faso. They are named after the Birim River, one of the main tributaries of the Pra River in Ghana and the country's most important diamond-producing area...
formations.