This study presents an integrated mineralogical assessment for the provenance of sediments derived from modern-day rivers and Cenozoic deposits in Senegal and Gambia. Two distinct populations are identified from discrimination of the heavy mineral assemblages; the Senegal River sediment, sourced from the West African Craton and Mauritanides and Meso-Cenozoic sediment sourced from the onshore Senegal Basin, demonstrating prevalent recycling of Senegal Basin sediments by the Ferlo, Saloum, Gambia and Casamance Rivers throughout the Quaternary.

The Senegal River records the occurrence of amphibole, epidote, garnet and pyroxene, which indicates denudation of Neo to Paleo-Proterozoic granites, low-medium grade meta-sediments and a skarn-type lithology. Meso-Cenozoic recycled sediments within the onshore Senegal Basin exhibit a heavy mineral component which has been modified through the chemical-weathering and diagenesis of less-stable amphibole, pyroxene and garnet. U/Pb dating of zircons from the Casamance and Gambia provinces indicates that, at least in part, the Mesozoic sediments of the onshore Senegal basin may have been ultimately derived from the Leo-Man Shield.

Kaolin occurrence is associated with tropical weathering of laterites. The occurrence of terrigenous-smectite sourced from high altitude regions of the Mauritanides and West African Craton is interpreted to have formed under hyper-arid conditions prior to erosion and transportation, during the African humid periods of the Holocene.

This integrated mineralogical study of modern-day and Cenozoic sediments has established prevalent recycling of Senegal Basin-sediments by the Ferlo, Saloum, Gambia and Casamance Rivers and continued erosion and recycling of hinterland-sediments via the modern-day Senegal River. This identification of two distinct provenance groups and the strong climatic signal provides the important framework for future studies assessing the source to sink systems during the Meso-Cenozoic.

这项研究为塞内加尔和冈比亚的现代河流和新生代沉积物的沉积物来源提供了综合的矿物学评估。从重矿物组合的辨别中可以识别出两个不同的种群。来自西非克拉通和毛里塔尼德斯的塞内加尔河沉积物，以及来自陆上塞内加尔盆地的中新生代沉积物，显示了整个第四纪的费洛河，萨洛姆河，冈比亚河和卡萨曼斯河对塞内加尔盆地沉积物的普遍利用。

塞内加尔河记录了角闪石，附子，石榴石和辉石的发生，这表明Neo到古元古代花岗岩的剥蚀，中低品位的沉积物和矽卡岩型岩性。塞内加尔盆地陆上的中新生代可循环沉积物显示出重矿物成分，该矿物成分已通过化学风化和较低稳定性的闪石，辉石和石榴石的成岩作用进行了修饰。来自卡萨芒斯省和冈比亚省的锆石的U / Pb定年表明，至少部分地，塞内加尔沿岸盆地的中生代沉积物可能最终来自利奥曼盾构。

高岭土的出现与红土的热带风化有关。来自茂里塔尼德斯和西非克拉通高海拔地区的陆源蒙脱石的发生被认为是在全新世的非洲湿润时期，在侵蚀和运输之前的超干旱条件下形成的。

这项对现代和新生代沉积物的综合矿物学研究已经确定了费洛河，萨洛姆河，冈比亚河和卡萨芒斯河对塞内加尔盆地沉积物的普遍回收利用，以及对塞内加尔河通过现代塞内加尔河的持续侵蚀和再循环。对两个不同出处群体的识别和强烈的气候信号为将来的研究提供了重要的框架，以评估中新生代下沉系统的来源。