Editing Geography of Mali (section)

==Geology==
[[File:Mali geologic map.png|thumb|350px|[[Geological map]] of Mali]]
[[Image:Mali Topography.png|thumb|350px|Topographical map of Mali]]

Geologically, Mali consists mostly of vast flatlands of [[granite]] and [[shale]] covered by [[sandstone]] and alluvial [[quartz]].<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|title=Mali|encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of Africa South of the Sahara|volume=3|editor=John Middleton|year=1997|publisher=Charles Scribner's Sons}}</ref> Mali extends over two main geological structures, the [[West African craton]] in the west and the [[Tuareg shield]] in the southeast, which came together at the end of the [[Precambrian]] era between 600 and 550 million years ago. The suture zone is to the west of the [[Adrar des Ifoghas]] mountains.<ref name="Imrich Kusnir 1999">{{Cite web|url=http://actamont.tuke.sk/pdf/1999/n4/6k.pdf|title=Gold in Mali|author=Imrich Kusnir|publisher=Acta Montanistica Slovaca|access-date=2009-03-14|year=1999}}</ref>

The underlying rocks of the West African craton are covered in the northwest by sediments of the [[Taoudeni basin]], with two main outcrops of crystalline rocks in the northern Reguibat shield in [[Mauritania]] and the southern Leo shield which includes the [[Bougouni]] and [[Kenieba]] outcrops, both of which contain valuable minerals.<ref name="Imrich Kusnir 1999"/> There may also be petroleum reserves in the Taoudeni basin.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://energy.ihs.com/NR/rdonlyres/1CD17E04-0687-4853-A22B-190CC53BDFE3/0/NAPE0807_nogravmag.pdf|title=Taoudeni Basin,OnshoreMali & Mauritania|publisher=IHS|access-date=2009-03-14|date=August 2007}}</ref>