West African Leo‐Man Shield Metallogenic Province

The concept of metallogenic period and province was introduced by Louis de Launay. It covers the idea of duration and synchronism in the formation of mineralizations. This chapter illustrates the Precambrian geodynamic evolution of what is known as the West African Craton (WAC) or more precisely, the Leo-Man Shield, through the distribution of ore deposits, with a specific interest in gold mineralization, as tracers of geological and geodynamic processes. On the other hand, it shows how the geodynamic evolution of West Africa was conducive to the formation and preservation of ore deposits and showings of various mineral resources. WAC is part of the regions in which the mining activity was revived in the past two decades. The individual study of several deposits located in various West African countries gave rise to many scientific publications dealing with gold metallogeny, from deposit-scale studies to district-scale syntheses, and even at the metallogenic province scale.