@article{fdi:010093512,
  title = {{T}he impact record of {W}est {A}frica : {C}onfirmed impact structures and potential impact sites},
  author = {{N}iang, {C}. {A}. {B}. and {B}aratoux, {D}avid and {R}ochette, {P}. and {Q}uesnel, {Y}. and {R}eimold, {W}. {U}.},
  editor = {},
  language = {{ENG}},
  abstract = {{M}ore than 210 impact structures have been confirmed on {E}arth. {T}hey represent, however, only a small fraction of the actual record of collisions between the {E}arth and extraterrestrial bodies, as most of the terrestrial impact cratering record has been erased by tectonic, magmatic, erosion, and sedimentary burial processes. {T}he present distribution of known impact structures on continental areas is strongly heterogeneous. {O}nly 20 impact structures have been confirmed in {A}frica (i.e., similar to 1/10 of the global record), for a surface area that represents ca. 1/4 of the area of non-glaciated continents and includes several large {A}rchean and {P}aleoproterozoic terranes. {T}he deficit is even more pronounced for {W}est {A}frica, with only three confirmed impact structures known at present, in a terrane of more than 5 million km(2). {T}his region, 80 % of which comprises {A}rchean and {P}aleoproterozoic terranes, represents 1/5 of the size of the {A}frican continent. {P}otential impact structures in {W}est {A}frica have been regularly proposed, mainly based on remote sensing studies. {H}owever, restricted accessibility, the regionally seriously strained security situation, insufficient financial resources for academic research, and a relatively small number of {W}est {A}frican geologists trained in impact science are the main reasons for the rather slow exploration of potential impact structures in the field. {H}ere, we review the current knowledge about the confirmed, already discarded, and potential impact structures in {W}est {A}frica, in order to provide a comprehensive entry point into the literature and encourage local geologists to investigate potential impact structures in the field. {W}e also emphasize the possible connections between impact structures and mineralization of economic interest, which should be taken note of by exploration geologists and the mining companies operating in {W}est {A}frica.},
  keywords = {{W}est {A}frican {C}raton ; {I}mpact craters ; {I}mpact structures ; {R}ecognition criteria ; {M}ineralization potential ; {AFRIQUE} {DE} {L}'{OUEST}},
  booktitle = {},
  journal = {{J}ournal of {A}frican {E}arth {S}ciences},
  volume = {228},
  numero = {},
  pages = {105627 [23 p.]},
  ISSN = {1464-343{X}},
  year = {2025},
  DOI = {10.1016/j.jafrearsci.2025.105627},
  URL = {https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010093512},
}