ABSTRACT

The study area which is part of the Basement Complex of Oban massif falls within the
geographic location of Akamkpa, southeastern Nigeria. The study was carried out in two
quarry locations. The study area is underlain by gneisses and schists which have been
intruded by granites, pegmatites and quartz veins. At the quarry located in Old Netim area,
granite gneiss, biotite-hornblende gneiss, porphyroblastic biotite gneiss, Hornblende - biotite
gneiss and biotite – kyanite schist were observed with some granitic intrusions such as quartz
and pegmatite. In the quarry located in Awi area, highly foliated schist, biotite – gneiss, were
observed with granite and pegmatite intrusions. The mapped area possesses abundant
valuable raw materials for engineering/construction and industrial use, including gravels,
quartz, plagioclase, mica, etc. They occur in association with the schist body, gneisses and
the intrusive. Field relationships and petrographic observations indicate that pegmatite in
both Old Netim and Awi quarries are barren of rare earth metals such as tantalum, lithium,
thorium, niobium, etc which have increased in significance in recent times. The pegmatites
are parts of the Precambrian pegmatites of Nigeria, formed during the Pan – African
Orogeny. They are dominated by quartz and feldspar minerals. The results of petrographic
analysis of the thin sections of representative rock samples revealed that minerals, such as
quartz, biotite, and feldspars (plagioclase, orthoclase and microcline) of variable composition
were present in the study area. The presence of these minerals could be as a result of the type
and nature of magma responsible for the emplacement of these rocks. However, most of the
rocks in the Old Netim quarry contain significant amount of hornblende while most rocks
from Awi quarry lack the presence of hornblende. Quartz is the most resistant and dominant
mineral in all the slides analyzed. Results from structural studies using Rose diagram and
stereographic projection indicate that the whole study area has undergone polyphase
structural deformation. Fractures found in the Old Netim have a dominant trend in the E-W,
and N-S direction and minor trend in the NE-SW direction. In Awi area, the only major trend
is in the E-W and minor trend in the NW-SE direction. The deformation was produced by
Pan African.