A dimension-stone-specific GIS-AHP framework for regional quarry suitability screening in under-mapped Precambrian basement: Application to Cameroon’s West Region, Central African Fold Belt

A dimension-stone-specific GIS-AHP framework for regional quarry suitability screening in under-mapped Precambrian basement: Application to Cameroon’s West Region, Central African Fold Belt | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Method Article A dimension-stone-specific GIS-AHP framework for regional quarry suitability screening in under-mapped Precambrian basement: Application to Cameroon’s West Region, Central African Fold Belt Bertrand Tatoh Aziwo, Cheo Emmanuel Suh, Olivier Anoh Njoh, Ernest Tata, and 1 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-9153262/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Revision Version 1 posted 10 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The West Region of Cameroon, underlain by granitic and gneissic basement of the Central African Fold Belt, hosts significant dimension stone (DS) potential but remains weakly integrated into national efforts to increase the mining sector’s contribution to development. This study develops a transferable, reconnaissance‑stage, DS‑specific Geographic Information System-Analytic Hierarchy Process (GIS - AHP) framework for quarry - site screening in Precambrian basement terrains and applies it to the West Region as an under‑mapped Pan‑African testbed. Nine criteria grouped into geological (lithology, distance to major faults), environmental (protected areas, land use/land cover, distance to streams), topographic (relative relief, slope) and infrastructural (distance to roads, distance to built‑up areas) domains were standardized, weighted using AHP with acceptable consistency and integrated through weighted overlay analysis. The resulting map delineates four suitability classes, with 43.1% of the Region falling in high to very‑high suitability and extremely suitable zones restricted to 0.8% of the area, forming coherent belts mainly in the central and eastern sectors. To move beyond conventional pixel‑scale suitability maps, we introduce an administrative‑unit suitability‑density metric that quantifies the internal concentration of high‑ranked classes within divisions and communes, highlighting a subset of communes in Noun and neighbouring divisions as priority corridors for field validation, structural characterization and impact assessment. The framework illustrates how DS‑tailored GIS-AHP screening, coupled with suitability‑density analysis, can support conflict‑aware permit pre‑screening, integration of quarry planning into land‑use instruments and strategic positioning of dimension stone as a development mineral in Cameroon and comparable Pan‑African and Brasiliano basement provinces. Dimension stone Quarry suitability GIS-AHP Pan-African basement Land-use planning Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Supplementary Files Highlights.docx Graphicalabstract.tif Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Revision Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 12 May, 2026 Reviews received at journal 08 May, 2026 Reviews received at journal 30 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 06 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 02 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 31 Mar, 2026 Reviewers invited by journal 30 Mar, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 18 Mar, 2026 Submission checks completed at journal 18 Mar, 2026 First submitted to journal 17 Mar, 2026 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-9153262","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Method Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":615170775,"identity":"e5d53362-89b9-4957-b07b-0e4cf8c6337d","order_by":0,"name":"Bertrand Tatoh 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