Provenance and tectonic setting of the Bima sandstone within the Yola Arm of the Upper Benue Trough, Northeastern Nigeria
This study focuses on the analysis of the Bima Sandstone within the Yola arm of the Upper Benue Trough in order to establish provenance and the tectonic setting of the regions where the sediments were derived. Extensive fieldwork was conducted and samples of the Bima Sandstone were systematically collected for laboratory analyses – including petrographic and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses. Quantitative assessment of detrital minerals, revealed that the clastic sediments are primarily composed of quartz, feldspars, and fragments of metamorphic and igneous rocks. Quartz comprises approximately 70-87% of the detrital framework grains, followed by feldspar at 2-6%, and lithic fragment 2-5%. These sandstones have been classified as subarkose, Quartz arenites, and sublitharenite, with a majority (>70%) falling within the subarkose/Quartz arenite category. Both petrographic and XRD analyses suggest that the sandstones originated from granitic and metamorphic rock sources.The QFL (Quartz-feldspar-lithic fragments) ternary diagrams indicate that these sandstones were derived from continental quartzose sedimentary source rocks, suggesting a craton interior or transitional continental setting.
Keywords: Bima Sandstone, Petrography, Provenance, Upper Benue Trough, X-ray diffraction, Yola arm.
*Correspondence: abba.tahir20@gmail.com, 08031190291
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