Geological data integration and spatial analysis for structural elucidation are more assertive approaches for reconnaissance scale mineral exploration. In this study, several methods involving Fry analysis, distance correlation analysis, prediction area plots as well as knowledge driven predictive models including TOPSIS, ARAS and MOORA were systematically employed for unravelling the spatial geological attributes related to gold mineralisation. Additionally, statistical validation of knowledge driven predictive models were implemented using the Receiver Operating Characteristic/Area Under Curve analysis (ROC/AUC). The evidence from Fry and distance correlation analysis suggests that gold occurrence within parts of the Malumfashi schist belt of Nigeria is defined by a strong spatial association with the ENE-WSW as well as the NNE-SSW trending structures. The prediction area plot also revealed a robust spatial correlation between mineral occurrence and spatial data related to geological structures. The application of knowledge driven predictive models suggest a high favourability for gold occurrence within the southern, central, and north-eastern parts of the study location, while statistical validation using the ROC/AUC curves suggest a high prediction accuracy greater than 70% for all models. The geospatial analysis for mineral exploration within the Malumfashi area has unveiled an invaluable geological criterion for gold targeting with a considerable level of certainty.

The cassiterite–sulfide mineralization occurs within quartz veins and greisenized Precambrian Older Granite around the Gindi Akwati region at the Ropp complex’s western boundary, north-central Nigeria. The intrusion of Jurassic Younger granite porphyry sheared the marginal parts of the Older Granite and the mylonitized zone created pathways for fluids that escaped during the late-stage consolidation of Jurassic biotite granite. The biotite granites are highly differentiated (K/Rb < 200), peraluminous (A/CNK > 1), high-K, and have high Sn concentrations (average = 117 ppm). The intrusion of Jurassic granite porphyry forced Older Granite interaction with ore-bearing fluid that escaped from Jurassic biotite granite under low oxygen fugacity at or below the NNO buffer. The above fluid–rock interaction caused mass changes in host granite during greisenization and redistributed ores in the vicinity of the shears. This suggests that chloride ions take the form of significant complex-forming ligands and efficiently sequestrate, transport, and deposit ore metals (Sn, Zn, Fe, and Cu) locally within the greisenized granites and quartz veins. The redox potential of the ores probably gave a false impression of metal zoning with a relatively higher abundance of the oxide ore than the sulfides at the surface. The alteration mineralogy (quartz-, topaz-, lepidolite-, and fluorite-bearing assemblages) coupled with S isotope and fluid inclusion systematic data suggests the hydrothermal history of “greisens” and veins started with hot (homogenization temperature ≥300 °C), low to moderate salinity (average = 4.08 wt. % NaCl), low density (≤0.6 g/cm³) fluids and ≥ 200 bar trapping pressure. The sulfide isotopic composition (δ³⁴S_V-CDT = −1.30 to + 0.87 ‰) is very similar to typical magmatic fluids, indicating late-magmatic to early post-magmatic models of mineralization related to the anorogenic granite intrusions.