Sedimentology and foraminiferal paleoecology of the exposed Oligocene-Miocene Ogwashi-Asaba Formation in Issele-Uku area, Anambra Basin, southern Nigeria: A paleoenvironmental reconstruction

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Abstract

Sedimentological and foraminiferal paleoecological studies were carried out for the Oligocene-Miocene Ogwashi-Asaba Formation of the Anambra Basin at the Issele-Uku area in southern Nigeria, to reconstruct paleoenvironments. The pattern of rock successions and textural characteristics suggest the prevalence of fluvio-deltaic setting during the formation of lignites and clastic rocks of Ogwashi-Asaba Formation. Agglutinated benthic foraminiferal species such as Ammotium sp., Textularia sp., Gavelinella sp., Milliamina sp., Reophax sp., Bolivina sp., Eponides sp., Pseudobolivina sp. and Lenticulina sp. dominate the shale units whereas the planktonic forms are absent. All these species have very low population and diversity in the shales, which could be due to the presence of harsh conditions such as low oxygen level and scarcity of food, leading to poor survival. The assessments of benthic foraminifera’s habitat suggest middle-to-inner neritic marine environment for the shales. Granulometric results suggest fluvial environment for the sandstone and deltaic for the lignite. The Ogwashi-Asaba Formation in Issele-Uku area of Anambra Basin, southern Nigeria, therefore, have records of shallow marine, and fluvio-deltaic paleoenvironments.

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Key words: Foraminiferal Sedimentology Ogwashi-Asaba Formation Anambra Basin Paleoecology

Received: 14 January 2022

Corresponding Authors: * jamesadejimi@gmail.com

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. Sedimentology and foraminiferal paleoecology of the exposed Oligocene-Miocene Ogwashi-Asaba Formation in Issele-Uku area, Anambra Basin, southern Nigeria: A paleoenvironmental reconstruction[J]. Journal of Palaeogeography, 2022, 11(4): 618-628.

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http://journal09.magtechjournal.com/Jweb_jop/EN/10.1016/j.jop.2022.09.001 OR http://journal09.magtechjournal.com/Jweb_jop/EN/Y2022/V11/I4/618

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