Microfacies Analysis and Depositional Environment of Limestone Deposits: Arochukwu – Obotme – Odorikpe Axis Southeastern Nigeria Ideozu, R
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Technical Paper Journal of Oil, Gas and Petrochemical Sciences Microfacies analysis and depositional environment of limestone deposits: Arochukwu – Obotme – Odorikpe axis southeastern Nigeria Ideozu, R. U,1 Ikoro, D. O 2 and Akpofure, E3 1Department of Geology, University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria 2Department of Geology Federal University of Technology, Owerri, Nigeria 3Department of Geology Niger Delta University, Nigeria Correspondence: Richmond Ideozu, Associate Member, Department of Geology Niger Delta University, Nigeria, Email [email protected] Received: December 11, 2018 | Published: January 14, 2018 Copyright© 2019 Ideozu RU. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Abstract sp, Textularia sp, ostracods, pelecypods, gastropods and corals which occur either as whole skeletal forms or as fragments. Based on the microfacies Microfacies analysis of limestone deposits from Arochukwu – Obotme – characteristics, the limestone in the study area are sandy bioclastic packstone, Odoro Ikpe Axis has been carried out complimented with biostratigraphic and bioclastic packstone and bioclastic wackstone - bioclastic wackstone / sedimentological analysis. Fieldwork and Laboratory techniques employed are bioclastic packstone at Locations 5 (Amuvi), (Obotme) – 2, (Asaga) 3 and 4 standard methods as used in limestone petrography (preparation of the limestone (Okobo) and sandstone with about 10% shell fragments at Location 2 (Odoro thin sections), sedimentological and biostratigraphic studies. Petrographic Ikpe), – sandy bioclastic packstone. Two microfacies identified in the study analysis results indicate that the limestone is made up of between 80% and area which correspond to SMF 5 and SMF 9. The environment of deposition 60% allochems while cements make up between 19% and 38% respectively. is interpreted as normal marine, subtidal to shallow shelf which is consistent The allochems consists of shell fragments, whole pelecypod shells, algal with shallow inner neritic to middle neritic interpreted from biostratigraphy grains, diatoms, foraminiferids, whole gastropods shells, bryozoans, ostracods, (foraminifera and palynomorphs) identified in the limestone and associated crinoids and coral fragments in addition to ooids/peloids, quartz grains, shale samples. intraclasts and phosphate grains that make up the limestone. The cement type is interpreted as sparite and porosity type is interparticle and fracture. Keywords: microfacies analysis, bioclastic packstone and bioclastic Important fossils identified in the limestone samples include Anomalinoides wackstone Introduction have extensively discussed the sedimentology, stratigraphy, structural geology and petroleum geochemistry of the study area. This research focussed microfacies analysis and the depositional environment of the limestone deposits and associated sediments around Arochukwu-Obotme-Odoro Ikpe area Southeastern Nigeria. The study area Arochukwu and Environs is located within the Afikpo Basin and covers parts of Ikono and Ini Local Government Areas of Akwa Ibom State and Arochukwu Local Government Areas of Abia State - Southeastern, Nigeria. The study area is approximately 348.7 km2 and located within longitudes 7° 44’E - 8° 03’E and latitudes 5° 15 N - 5° 28’N (Figures 1 and 21). It is accessible by roads through the Ikot Ekpene – Obotme axis and Umuahia – Arochukwu axis including tracks. Benue Trough is characterized by three main sedimentary phases which include the Abakiliki – Benue phase (Aptian -Santonian), the Anambra – Benin phase (Campanian – Mid Eocene) and the Niger Delta Phase (Late Eocene - Pliocene).2–4 Majority of the sedimentary beds have been deposited in a NE – SW whereas others were deposited. The ranges of environment deposition typical of the Lower Benue Trough and within the Afikpo Basin are marine, continental, and transitional represented by the Asu River Group, Eze Aku Group, Nkporo, Mamu, Ajali, Nsukka, Imo, Ameki Formations, 1 Nanka Sands and Benin Formation see Table 1. Ideozu, Ideozu and Figure 1 Geologic map of Nigeria indicating the study area (Inset map of 5 6 7 8 Ikoro, Ideozu and Solomon, Ideozu and Akatakpo and Ameh et al. Africa showing the position of Nigeria).1 Submit your Article | www.ologypress.com/submit-article Citation: Ideozu RU, Ikoro DO, Akpofure E. Microfacies analysis and depositional environment of limestone deposits: Arochukwu – Obotme – Odorikpe axis southeastern Nigeria. J Oil Gas Petrochem Sci. (2019);2(1):30-40. Ology Press DOI: 10.30881/jogps.00022 31 Journal of Oil, Gas and Petrochemical Sciences of representative samples for thin section. The outcrops identified were examined for bedding contacts, bed thickness variations, syn- sedimentary, sedimentary and biogenic structures as well as syn- and post-depositional structures. Laboratory techniques employed in the preparation of the limestone thin sections are standard methods as used in limestone petrography. The thin sections were labelled appropriately for the petrographic study. The prepared thin sections were studied under plane – and cross-polarized light to identify the constituent minerals of the framework grains in the limestone samples including their abundances. Great care was taken in the procedure adopted because identification of the minerals and framework grains depend on the subtle characteristic interference colours.12 Representative samples of limestone from the study area were trimmed and polished to the required thickness of 0.03mm, suitable for optical microscopy and photomicrographs of the thin sections were made. Limestone samples were sampled from Nsukka Formation, (forty-six (46) thin sections of limestone) from five outcrops at Odoro Ikpe (Location 1), Obotme (Location 2), Asaga (Location 3), Okobo (Location 4), Figure 2 Location map of the study area (L= Sample Location).1 Amuvi - Arochukwu (Location 5) and were prepared for petrographic 13 Table 1 Lithostratigraphic units in Afikpo Basin Area after Oboh- Ikuenobe studies. The spot sampling method was adopted in collecting data. et al.16 Results Period Epoch Afikpo Basin The results of this research are presented in Figures 3 – 7, Tables 2 Pliocene-Recent Benin Formation -514,15 and Plates 1 – 7. From fieldwork five outcrops with limestone Miocene-Mid Eocene Ogwashi-Asaba Formation deposits were studied, the results are presented as sedimentology, Tertiary Mid-Upper Eocene Ameki Formation biostratigraphy and lithologic description. Palaeocene Imo Shale Nsukka Formation Maastrichtian Ajali Formation Mamu Formation Campanian Nkporo Shale Cretaceous Santonian/ Coniacian Agwu Formation Turonian Eze-Aku Formation Cenomanian Odukpani Formation Plate 1 Nsukka Formation - Limestone at Location 3 (Visible is a Gastropod Shell). Albian Asu River Group Materials and Methods Materials The materials used during fieldwork include compass/clinometer, GPS, measuring tapes, sample bags and sacks properly labelled, camera, protective clothing and field notebook in addition to topographic map indicating the position of the study area (Ikot Ekpene Sheet 322 on a scale of 1: 50,000). Methods and Sample/Data Collection Plate 2 Bioclastic Limestone at Location 3. Methodologies applied in this research include fieldwork and laboratory analysis. The approach used during field mapping was to document and describe the outcrops in detail in addition to methods modified from Miall,9 Tucker10 and Reijers.11 The procedures adopted for each outcrop include systematic recording of physical and biological properties of each outcrop, sketching of the outcrop including obvious features, estimating the mineralogical composition and rock type, measurement of bed thickness including strike and dip, taking note of textural features and details on fabric, preliminary field interpretation and establishing correlatable units and collection Plate 3 Limestone at Location 4 (Okobo). Submit your Article | www.ologypress.com/submit-article Citation: Ideozu RU, Ikoro DO, Akpofure E. Microfacies analysis and depositional environment of limestone deposits: Arochukwu – Obotme – Odorikpe axis southeastern Nigeria. J Oil Gas Petrochem Sci. (2019);2(1):30-40. Ology Press DOI: 10.30881/jogps.00022 Journal of Oil, Gas and Petrochemical Sciences 32 C D Plate 4 Bioclastic limestones at Location 5 (Amuvi – Arochukwu). E F Plate 6 Photomicrographs of Limestone encountered in Obotme – Location 2 Area A B (A). Ostracods, coral, angular quartz, peloids, deformed ooids, grains and shell fragments set in biosparite calcite cement. Porosity type is inter-crystalline. (B). Well-rounded intraclasts, large gastropod shell filled with micrite or lime mud, angular quartz and glauconite grains set in biosparite cement. Porosity type is inter-crystalline. (C). Coral, algal grain, cement cast of mollusk shells embedded in biosparite cement. Porosity type is inter-crystalline. (D). Algal grain, well rounded intraclasts, micritized brachiopod shell, shell fragment, angular quartz grain, and deformed peloids set biosparite cement. Type of porosity is inter-crystalline. (E). Coral and micritized shell fragment set in biosparite cement and fractured. Porosity type is intercrystallite and fracture. (F). Shell fragments, intraclasts, and algal and angular quartz grains set in biosparite cement. Porosity type is inter-crystalline. C D A B F Plate 5 Photomicrographs of