Introduction the benue trough is a linear northeast african. The goal is to achieve sustainable quarry practice in the nigeria lower benue trough so that future generations may benefit from the igneous intrusive, and still have livable and sustainable environment this study has found that many quarry operators do not conduct proper intrusive mapping prior to excavation or mining. About 300 gravity stations were established at 24 km intervals along an ew profile across the lower benue trough from gbokonsukkaauchi with the main. The mechanism of the formation of the trough dominated most of the early studies carried out in the area and, although, still controversial, an unstable rrf riftrift fault triple junction model leading to plate dilation and the opening of the gulf of guinea benkhelil, 1989. The early cretaceous sedimentary rocks of the study area and the outcropping and. Pdf the study area ishiagu which is part of the lower benue trough comprises of igneous rock types that are predominantly intermediate to.
Tectonic and sedimentation framework of the lower benue. This software enabled the integration of burial and thermal influences on awgu source rocks with kinetic parameters. Petrological and geochemical characteristics of pyroclastics outcropping in abakaliki area lower benue trough, nigeria. A bibliography of geological studies on the benue trough. The bodies are emplaced at various depths of between 3. Analysis of highresolution aeromagnetic hram data of. The origin of the benue trough is linked to riffing associated with the separation of south america from africa in the cretaceous times. Tectonic and sedimentation framework of the lower benue trough. The cretaceous succession in nigeria is exposed in the benue trough fig.
The gongola basin arm of the upper benue trough is a ns trending arm of the km long benue trough. A bibliography of geological studies on the benue trough of nigeria. They include alifokpa, gabu and osina in cross river state and ishiagu in ebonyi state in the lower benue trough. Analysis of highresolution aeromagnetic hram data of lower benue trough, southeastern nigeria, for hydrocarbon potential evaluation. Lower benue trough as an example of structurally controlled igneous intrusion. Genesis of the lead zinc mineralization, upper benue.
The present account only places emphasis on the lower and middle benue trough. The lower benue trough in aptiansantonian times was therefore a simple rift with faster subsidence at the southern end fig. They reported that the agwu and nkporo shales constituted the main source and seal rock and that the percentage of the organic carbon of the santonian shales was quite comparable to those of the nearby niger delta. Microfacies and diagenetic criteria indicate that the carbonates are products of one albian transgressive cycle only with two. Hydrocarbon generation potentials of the awgu shale, lower. Brief mention is, however, made to the upper benue for comparative and correla tive purposes. Interpretation of gravity anomaly of parts of lower and middle benue trough, nigeria. Marine sediments of this age are confined to the lower benue trough, mainly on its southern side. Stratigraphic report of the middle benue trough, nigeria. Geology and baryte mineralization of the liji area, upper. Abstract bakaliki pyroclastics are part of the volcanoclastics of the lower benue trough nigeria. Gravity study of lower benue trough, nigeria geological.
The benue trough can be subdivided into lower, middle, and upper parts that were affected by santonian compression which deformed the benue trough by inverting the main depocenter of the abakaliki trough and. Interpretation of aeromagnetic anomalies over the lower. Evolution of gongola basin upper benue trough northeastern. Petroleum potentials of the nigerian benue trough and. The benue trough of nigeria figure 1a is an intracontinental basin in central west africa that extends ne to sw. N3 1,2,3department of geology, university of port harcourt, port harcourt, nigeria abstract palynological baseline data acquisition and analysis were carried on longitudes 6. The spectrum of depositional environments represented in the bfnue trough ranges from fluvia. Hydrocarbon potential and thermal maturity of nkporo shale. The benue trough is an intercontinental rift basin characterised by tectonic and magnetic activities during cretaceous time. The lower benue trough is underlain by a thick sedimentary sequence deposited during the cretaceous and made up of albian shales, subordinate siltstones of the asu river and the presence of volcanic. W paralic arenaceous foraminifera from the upper cretaceous of the benue trough, nigeria. Contrasting styles of leadzincbarium mineralization in the lower benue trough, southeastern nigeria. The mineralogical and engineering characteristics of.
The late cenomanian to early turonian was a period of. The lower benue trough is the southernmost of the three main cretaceous downwarps forming the benue trough and has a lateral extent of about. Characteristics of selfpotential anomalies in abakaliki. Self potential sp survey was carried out to investigate the characteristics of sp anomalies in these poorly bedded sandy shales of abakaliki. Received may 22,1980 the remarkable similarity in shape between the benue trough and the volcanic cameroon line suggest that they fernanda. Paleocurrent analysis of the sandstone body in akpoha and. The aptiansantonian lower benue trough was a relatively simple rift comprising a deep southern basinal area located south of onitsha and a broad shallower. This study looks at reevaluating afikpo ogoja axis of the lower portion of the benue trough nigeria from potential field data to assess. The study area is situated within the afikpo basin, lower benue trough of southeastern nigeria. Cretaceous deformation, magmatism, and metamorphism in the. He further explained that the development of the area can be correlated with the separation of africa from south america and that the benue trough is based on leadzinc mineralization, limestone. Afikpo is located in the southern benue trough, between the abakiliki anticlinorium running northeast and the cameroon line in.
The benue trough of nigeria is a major tectonic feature in west africa. Twodimensional interpretation of the anomalies shows that the anomalies are best interpreted in terms of basic intrusive bodies occurring either within the cretaceous sediments or within the metamorphic basement or both. Abstract the airborne gravity anomalies interpretation of the lower and middle benue trough of nigeria have carried out. Depositional environments, diagenesis and reservoir. Oden 2012 reported that occurrences of baryte are found in various localities of eight states within the benue trough.
The middle benue trough which is of particular interest in this project work encompasses the study area located in abuni and its environs awe local government of nasarawa state. The controversy on the genesis of the benue trough leadzinc ores may be resolved if geochemical hcos and pb isotopic studies in addition to fluid inclusion analyses are used as bases for postulating a genetic model for each of the unique geotectonic lower, middle, and upper benue trough. The results of an interpretation of aeromagnetic anomalies over the lower and middle benue trough of nigeria are presented. Results from magnetic field modelling of the lower benue trough, west africa revealed. The benue trough of nigeria formed as a result of series of tectonism and repetitive sedimentation in the cretaceous time when south america separated from africa. The third sedimentary cycle ranged from the upper turonian to the lower santonian. Geology and mineral resources of the lower benue trough. Lower benue trough resulting in intense deformations in both domains, with folding, cleavage.
Petrographic analysis for naming and classifying an. Contrasting styles of leadzincbarium mineralization in. It can be inferred therefore, that most of the present tectonic elements in the lower benue trough were probably formed during the well documented santonian teconism murat 1972, burke etal. Sustainable development and management of the resources require an understanding of its holistic characteristics. Hydrocarbon potential of cretaceous sediments in the lower and middle benue trough, nigeria. This study focuses on the microfacies and diagenetic development of the midcretaceous mfamosing limestone, a carbonate body which was deposited during marine incursions into the calabar flank in the eastern niger delta hinge zone of the lower benue trough. This paper therefore, attempts to update the knowledge on the structural setting, sequence stratigraphic successions and mineral resources of the lower benue trough. A kar age of 81 ma obtained on igneous and sedimentary rocks in the lower benue trough corresponds to the regional metamorphic phase contemporaneous. Environmental hazards and sustainable development of rock. Stratigraphic setting sedimentation in the lower benue trough commenced with the marine neocomian albian asu river group. Benue trough is a northeastsouthwest trending system.
Reevaluation of sedimentary thickness and curie point. Groundwater samples were evaluated for irrigation purpose, within selected part of oju area of benue state, nigeria. The mineralogical and engineering characteristics of cretaceous and tertiary shales in the lower benue trough, nigeria 489 the interlayer cations and the physical conditions. The epigenetic pbzn deposits of the southern benue valley nigeria are localized within cretaceous sediments of an intracontinental rift basin. Fluid inclusion studies of vein minerals from the abakaliki and ishiagu orebodies show that sphalerite. Fitton grant institute of geology, university of edinburgh, edinburgh u. Palynological baseline data acquisition for superficial sediments were carried out within the middle and lower benue trough in the area bounded by longitudes 6. Physicochemical parameters were analyzed using apha, 2012 method.
Geology and stratigraphy of middle cretaceous sequences. Interpretation of aeromagnetic anomalies over the lower and middle. The benue trough is about 8590 km wide faultbounded depression containing up to 6000 m of slightly too strongly. Structural geology of the lower benue trough search and discovery. Palynological and phytoecological studies of the middle and lower benue trough, nigeria omoboriowo a. Mineralisation, paragenesis, brecciation, lower benue, trough introduction the benue trough is an intracratonic rift trending southwestnortheast from about latitude 60n near the gulf of guinea to about latitude 100n south of the chad basin. This study assessed the hydrocarbon generation potentialstiming of the awgu source rock horizons encountered in igbariam1, iji1 and ajire1 wells drilled in the southern benue trough. The tectonic, stratigraphic and organic geochemical evaluations of these basins suggest the similarity with the contiguous basins of chad and niger republics and sudan, where commercial oil discovery have been made. Lower, middle and upper benue valley in place of trough. The lower benue trough is the southern portion of the benue trough that is believed to have originated as a failed arm of an aulacogen continue reading. The gboko formation has been described as the oldest lithologic unit. Pdf abstract within the past few decades, much new data have been acquired.
The lower benue trough is the southern portion of the benue trough that is believed to have originated as a failed arm of an aulacogen at the time of the. Some parts of lower benue trough using spectral analysis technique david. The middle benue trough although some sections of the middle benue area have been mapped, most of what is known as the middle benue trough still remains unmapped in any detail. Basin framework and basement structuring of lower benue trough. Use of modelling approach in evaluation of fractured shale. The study area lies within asu river group of the lower benue trough, southern part of nigeria. The trough is subdivided into lower, middle and upper benue troughs. The benue trough is a linear nesw trending intra continental basin. Interpretation of gravity anomaly of parts of lower and. Speculation of cenomanian hiatus in the southern and central benue trough was stalled by recognition of many deposits of this age along the entire length of the trough from south to north. It is associated with the deposition of the awgu shale and agbani sandstones, which are lateral equivalents of the fika sekunle shale inthe upper benue trough.
The increasing number of abortive and abandoned quarry pits, and the several. They believed that heat from the igneous intrusions raised the temperature of the source rocks above the liquid oil window limit, and thus inhibited the preservation of essential constituents of. Fluid inclusion and stable isotope studies of pbznfluoritebarite mineralization in the lower and middle benue trough, nigeria. Geology, university of port harcourt, port harcourt, nigeria. The benue trough is nigerias main but not exclusive source of baryte mineralization.