INQUA 2623 sy: Quaternary evolution of the Niger River Upper Valley with insights into paleoenvironmental reconstruction, neotectonics, placer deposits development and human settlements (PaleoNiger)

Abstract

The Niger River, the longest River in West Africa, measuring 4,200 km, is the lifeline of this part of Africa, as it provides water in some very dry areas of the continent. It has been used for transportation between the south and north since antiquity, for irrigation, and for hydroelectricity, as dams are built. It also provides conditions for herding and fishing. Its deposits contain gold placers that have made the western African empire famous in the past for its gold resources. The main African cities and empires developed on its banks: Jenne Jeno, Timbuktu, Gao, and Segu. Despite its importance in the economy and the human settlements of the area, the Niger River is not well known, especially its Quaternary evolution.

How did the Niger River evolve through the Pleistocene and the Holocene? What resources are exploited nowadays in the river valley? What paleoclimatic and paleoenvironmental signals do these Quaternary deposits bear that can be used to better understand the variations of the paleoclimatic conditions in the Niger Valley? How did these paleoenvironmental conditions influence human settlement, especially migrations and political constructions, in the Niger River Basin, which has shaped the lifetimes of empires and Kingdoms? Those questions remain, and these workshops aim to address them.

Workshop goal

The main goal of this workshop is to bring together West African quaternary researchers to address an important theoretical and applied scientific research concern: the quaternary evolution of the Niger River and its impacts on human settlements and the availability of mineral resources in its upper valley, including Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Côte d’Ivoire. It also aims to provide a research framework to the master’s degree students enrolled in the “Quaternary and present environments” in Mali and in physical geography and archaeology in Burkina Faso, Guinea and Niger.

Project Leader

Dr N’dji dit Jacques Dembele, Quaternary Geologist, Institut Supérieur des Mines et Géologie de Boké (Guinea) & Faculté d’Histoire et de Géographie de l’Université des Sciences Sociales et de Gestion de Bamako, Mali

Dr Sié Palé, Geomorphologist, Université Faustin Sié SIB (UF2S), Gaoua, Burkina Faso