Iron Ore Mineral Deposits Exploration By Ground Magnetics In Kindani Area, Meru County, Kenya

Recent geophysical surveys have reported presence of iron ore deposits within Meru County. It has been speculated that there could be more deposits within the region. Ground magnetic surveying was used to detect magnetic rocks within host formations in Kindani area of Maua. A fluxgate magnetometer was used to measure the vertical component of the Earth’s magnetic field in some 98 stations, covering an area of about 25 km2. Diurnal and geomagnetic corrections were then done on the data. A contour map that delineates anomalies in the study area was generated using Surfer 10 software. The map shows varied anomalies spread out within the region. The anomalies mostly trend on NW-SE and SW-NE directions. Four cross sectional profiles were drawn across various anomalies and the digitized data used to draw 2-D line graphs. The data obtained was used in 2D modeling using Euler software which gives estimated depths to magnetic structures at between 0m-1500m. Mag2dc modeling gives bodies of susceptibility between -1.724 SI to 1.7624 SI. The depth to top of magnetic structures ranges from 0 m to 136 m, which indicates shallow structures. A chemical analysis of some rock samples indicates quantity of Fe2O3 at an average of 25%. From the study, there is confirmation of iron ore deposits in the region, which confirms presence of extended iron deposits within Meru County. There is need to survey the entire Kindani plains, using different geophysical methods to delineate more deposits for possible exploitation