Mineralogy and Geochemistry of Shale Deposits in the Lower Anambra Basin, Nigeria: Implication for Provenance, Tectonic Setting and Depositional Environment

Abstract

Mineralogical and geochemical studies of shales within the Lower Anambra Basin was conducted to unravel the depositional environment, provenance, maturity, paleo-weathering conditions, and tectonic settings. Mineralogical studies conducted using X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that the samples were composed of kaolinite, montmorillonite, chlorite, and illite. KaolinIite is the dominant mineral, constituting approximately 41.5% of the bulk composition, whereas the non-clay minerals are quartz, ilmenite, and sillimanite. Geochemical analysis showed a predominance of SiO 2 , Al 2 O 3 , and Fe 2 O 3 contents of the shale samples with mean values of 52.