Geological Map of Africa - GIS

Note: This GIS is subjected to an agreement license (see “Download” page) that has to be filled, signed and sent to ccgm@sfr.fr before reception. GIS files will be sent through a download link.

A new edition of the Geological Map of Africa at the 1:10 million scale was published on the occasion of the 35^th International Geological Congress (Cape Town, 29 August-2 September 2016) under the direction of the Commission of the Geological Map of the World, with support from UNESCO and the Geological Society of Africa, and the technical and scientific coordination of BRGM (French Geological Survey).  This new maps is largely based on the geological data of the map Geology and ore deposits of Africa published at the same scale on the occasion of the 20 Colloquium on African Geology (Orleans, 2-7 June 2004), updated and supplemented by works published in the last ten years.

In line with most recent developments in geological cartography, this new edition follows the time parameter and uses, with minor modifications, the color code recommended by CGMW.  What stands out at first sight is the organization in major domains (basins, orogeny) of different ages, the use of overprints making possible the differentiation between the various types of rocks in each domain.

The geodatabase contains the following layers:

• Geological entities onshore

• Limit of geological entities onshore
• Structural linear elements onshore
• Geological entities offshore
• Limit of geological entities offshore
• Structural linear elements offshore
• Oceanic Plateau
• Limit of oceanic plateau

 The high resolution jpg file of the legend is downloadable here

Within the constraints imposed by a synthesis at small scale of this vast region of the world, this new edition is committed to make easily understandable the geological organization of Africa in its entirety in order to achieve a broad overview at the continental scale.