Detrital zircons are robust tracers widely used to reconstruct sediment provenance and evaluate the metallogenic potential of sedimentary basins. This study focuses on the morphological and geochemical characterization of zircons from the Carboniferous formations of the Tim-Mersoï Basin (Niger) in order to identify sedimentary sources and assess their contribution to uranium mineralization. Optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy-dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), and geochemical analyses revealed two dominant zircon morphologies: elongated prismatic zircons and ovoid zircons. The elongated zircons are euhedral, transparent, and enriched in uranium (U), vanadium (V), and molybdenum (Mo), displaying signatures typical of evolved felsic magmatic systems. Their morphology and chemical composition indicate primary crystallization in differentiated granito-volcanic magmas enriched in incompatible elements, likely related to the magmatic complexes of the Aïr Massif. In contrast, the ovoid zircons, commonly rounded and associated with clay and sulfide minerals, reflect sedimentary recycling and prolonged transport processes while preserving inherited magmatic geochemical signatures. Geochemical data reveal high UO2 contents (average ˜ 54.79 %) associated with relatively low ZrO2 concentrations, suggesting significant isomorphic substitution of uranium for zirconium as well as metamictization processes induced by radioactive decay. TiO2 concentrations indicate high crystallization temperatures consistent with deep magmatic environments. Altogether, the results point to a dominantly evolved magmatic origin subsequently modified by sedimentary recycling, diagenetic alteration, and hydrothermal processes. This study demonstrates that the combined use of zircon morphology and geochemistry provides an effective tool for constraining sediment provenance and identifying potential uranium-bearing source rocks. The results confirm the major contribution of the granito-volcanic complexes of the Aïr Massif to the Tim-Mersoï Basin sediments and provide significant insights into the genesis of uranium mineralization. This approach also offers valuable perspectives for uranium exploration in detrital basins of Niger.
Detrital zircon; Tim-Mersoï Basin; SEM-EDS; metallogeny; Aïr Massif; Niger.
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