SCIENCE FORUM (JOURNAL OF PURE AND APPLIED SCIENCES) 20 (2020) 336 – 347

http://dx.doi.org/10.5455/sf.88251

Science Forum (Journal of Pure and Applied Sciences)

j o u r n a l h o m e p a g e : w w w. a t b u s c i e n c e f o r u m . c o m

Geochemical assessment of mudrock intervals from well-X boundary of

Nigeria and Benin Republic sectors of the offshore Dahomey Basin:
Implication for provenance studies
Jeremiah Ayok1*, Abdulkareem Toyin1,2, Onimisi Abdullateef Jimoh1, Jubril Izge Hassan1
1
Deparment of Geology, Federal University Lokoja, Lokoja, Nigeria
2
College of Geoscience, China University of Petroleum, Beijing, China

ABSTRACT ARTICLE INFO

This work describes the nature of rocks, tectonic setting, and paleoenvironmental con- Article history:
ditions of the upper Cretaceous grayish-dark shale from an offshore well-X from the Received 20 February 2020
Dahomey Basin, Nigeria. The selected samples were analyzed using X-ray fluorescence Received in revised form
analysis. Indices obtained from various ratios were used for some deductions and inter- 23 February 2020
preted using plots based on some previous works. By plotting Al2O3/TiO2 against SiO2 and Accepted 24 February 2020
Published 20 May 2020
also TiO2 plotted against Zr, it was indicated that intermediate igneous rocks were the
Available online 20 May 2020
parent rock of the analyzed shales. Using the plot of K2O/Na2O and SiO2 (Roser and Korsch,
1986), an intracratonic nature of the basin was indicated. Ratios of Cu/Zn and Cr/Ni in KEYWORDS
this work range from 0.23 to 0.63 and 1.61 to 2.55, respectively, and these indicate an
Provenance
oxidizing condition of deposition. In addition, the chemical index of weathering (CIW) and offshore Dahomey Basin
plagioclase index of alteration (PIA) values (58.36–86.53 and 33.43–84.09, respectively) mudrock intervals
indicated a higher degree of weathering at the source area compared to the extent of XRF
weathering inferred from the chemical index of alteration values. geochemical assessment

1. Introduction nature and impermeability (Blatt, 1985; Graver and

Scott, 1995). Thus, the bulk geochemistry of mud-
Geochemical composition of mudrocks has been
rocks, especially shales, preserves the near-origi-
employed for decades for the provenance studies com-
nal signatures of the provenance and more faithfully
pared to other approaches such as petrography that is
reflects weathering and diagenetic history.
often used in sandstones (e.g., Cullers, 2000; Hessler
According to Sam (2009), the provenance studies
and Lowe, 2006; Huntsman-Mapila et al., 2005). The
generally cover the following: the location and direc-
preference of geochemical composition over petrog-
tion of the source area, the lithology of the parent rocks
raphy for the provenance studies is due to rapid
in the source area, the tectonic setting of the source
alteration and albitization of feldspars and leaching
area, and the climate and relief of the source area. He
of accessory minerals in sandstones, which causes
further revealed that the most vital parameters, from
erroneous and misleading provenance interpretations
which provenance interpretations are dependent on,
in many sedimentary basins (Blatt, 1985). In most
specifically for siliciclastic sedimentary rocks, are (i)
cases, most of the mineral constituents of the parent
the mineralogy and chemical composition of the detri-
rocks are retained in mudrocks due to the fine-grained
tal components in the rocks and (ii) the presence of

* Corresponding author Jerry Ayok jerryayok@yahoo.com Deparment of Geology, Federal University Lokoja, Lokoja, Nigeria.
© 2020 Faculty of Science, ATBU Bauchi. All rights reserved
 J. Ayok et al. / Science Forum (Journal of Pure and Applied Sciences) 20 (2020) 336 – 347
directional sedimentary structures in the rocks. In
addition, the mineralogy of detrital particles in silici-
clastic sedimentary rocks provides the primary evi-
dence in unraveling the lithology of the parent rocks in
the source area as well as providing the most needed
important evidence in the interpretation of the tec-
tonic setting of the source rock area (Sam, 2009).
In the Dahomey Basin of Nigeria, several studies
have been carried out, but most of these published
works were dominantly concentrated on the hydro-
carbon generation potential of the basin, although few
have also been based on the geochemistry of lime-
stone of the Ewekoro Formation.
This work seeks to assess the geochemical compo-
sition of some selected Late Cretaceous grayish-dark
grayish-black shales using X-ray fluorescence (XRF)
analysis from an offshore well in the Dahomey Basin.
The main purpose of the work is to unravel the prov-
enance of the analyzed samples. The study area falls
within the boundary of Nigeria and Benin Republic,
offshore Dahomey Basin (Fig. 3).
2. Geologic setting and stratigraphy
The Dahomey Basin also refers to as the Benin Basin
occurring between the transform faults that are pres-
ent in the Equatorial Atlantic and is restricted along
the Gulf of Guinea coast (Figs. 1a, 1b and 2). This
basin comprises of inland, coastal, and offshore parts,
with the onshore parts usually underlying the coastal
plains of southwest Nigeria, Benin Republic, Togo,
Figure 1. (a) General geological framework of Dahomey Basin (Petroconsultants).
337
and Ghana (see Figs. 1a and 2). According to Avbovbo
(1980), the outcropping Cretaceous sediments are
restricted around the northern periphery of the basin,
but knowledge of its structure and history comes pri-
marily from the numerous wells drilled to basement.
This basin contains over 300 km of Cretaceous to
Cenozoic sediments and stretches from southeastern
Ghana to the western fringes of the Niger Delta and the
Anambra Basin (Fig. 1a). Coker and Ejedawa (1987)
and Omatsola and Adegoke (1981) reported that a
faulted basement high, the Okitipupa ridge marks
the boundary between the Dahomey Basin and the
Niger Delta toward the east (see Figs. 1a and 2b). The
eastern margin of this ridge also corresponds to the
Benin Hinge Line of Murat (1972), which Omatsola
and Adegoke (1981) regarded as the onshore exten-
sion of the Chain fracture zone. The western margin
is widely believed to have structures associated with
the onshore extension of the Romanche Fracture
Zone (Coker and Ejedawa, 1987; Emery et al., 1975;
; Francheteau and Le Pichon, 1972; Mascle, 1977;
Omatsola and Adegoke 1981; Wilson and Williams,
1979). According to Hessouh et al. (1994), the total
area of the Benin Basin onshore and offshore to the
200-m isobath is at least 50,000 km2 and more than
20,000 km2 offshore. Early accounts of the basin were
provided by Jones and Hockey (1964) and Slanky
(1962) for the Nigeria and Togo and Benin Republic
sectors, respectively. Later, the systematic studies
of the Nigerian sector were given by Adediran and
Adegoke (1977), Coker and Ejedawe (1987), Okosun
338 J. Ayok et al. / Science Forum (Journal of Pure and Applied Sciences) 20 (2020) 336 – 347

Figure 1. (b) map of Dahomey Basin in the Gulf of Guinea (Petroconsultants, 1996).

Figure 2. (a) Simplified geological map of the Benin Basin (after Billman, 1992; Coker and Ejedawe, 1987;
Enu, 1985). (b) E-W regional section through the Nigerian part of the Benin Basin (after Omatsola and
Adegoke, 1981). (c) N-S section across the Benin Republic sector of the Benin Basin (after Billman, 1992).

(1990) and Omatsola and Adegoke (1981) for the off- Basin to represent a single unit that he refers to as
shore Benin Republic by Billman (1992). the Abeokuta Formation, whereas other authors such
Jones and Hockey (1964) described the strati- as Omatsola and Adegoke (1981; see Table 1) and
graphic succession of the outcropping Dahomey Okosun (1990; see Table 1) considered it as a group
 J. Ayok et al. / Science Forum (Journal of Pure and Applied Sciences) 20 (2020) 336 – 347 339

comprising of different formations though with con-
trasting schemes. These authors rejected the scheme
provided by Billman (1992) because of adopting the
names of age-equivalent beds in the Anambra Basin
and Benue Trough. The bottom of Table 1 shows the
continental clastic unit represented by the Neocomian
Ise Formation in southwestern Nigeria. This basal
unit is predominantly made up of conglomerates fol-
lowed by gritty, coarse to medium-grained loose sands
and interbedded, whitish kaolinitic clays. In Table 1,
the Maastrichtian Afowo Formation is shown above
the Ise Formation, comprising mostly of medium to
fine-grained sandstones and interbedded with rel-
atively thick siltstone and shale. The shales are rich
in organic matter, showing brackish water condition
below, but become more marine toward the top, with
increasing shaliness in the same direction. Commonly,
marine fine-grained fossiliferous horizons are seen to
alternate with well-sorted, subrounded clean, loose
sands of continental origin. In some areas, the Afowo
Formation is seen to overlie the basement directly. It
has been found to be bituminous in both surface and

Figure 3. Map of Africa showing the location of Nigeria and the generalized geological map of
the eastern Dahomey Basin (modified after Gebhardt et al., 2010).

Table 1. Comparison of stratigraphic succession in southwestern Nigeria.

340 J. Ayok et al. / Science Forum (Journal of Pure and Applied Sciences) 20 (2020) 336 – 347
subsurface sections. The Araromi Formation is the
topmost unit of the group. It comprises sands at the
base overlain by siltstones and shales interbedded
with bands of limestones, sands, and lignite toward
the top. The shales are dark to gray and are rich in
organic matter. Both the sands and shales are bitumi-
nous in many places. These sediments of the Dahomey
Basin overlie the Basement Complex showing homo-
clinal, essentially south-dipping strata, most of which
outcropped onshore. In addition, the basin contains
sediments of the Avon Canyon in the western areas.
In some parts of the basin, these canyon-fill depos-
its have completely eroded the older tertiary delta
sediments and are deeply embedded in Cretaceous
sequences. A generalized stratigraphic succession by
various authors is shown in Table 2. Adapted from
Gebhardt et al. (2010).
3. Methodology
Some selected shale samples were analyzed from
an offshore well-X part of the Dahomey Basin. The
samples were analyzed by XRF for major and trace
Table 2. Dahomey Basin stratigraphic column.
elements at the School of Materials and Mineral
Resources Engineering, Universiti Sains Malaysia,
Nibong Tebal, Penang, Malaysia. The results are shown
in Tables 3 and 4.
4. Results (major and trace element
concentrations)
Major elements concentrations are shown in
Table 3, whereas the trace elements are presented in
Table 4. In Table 3, SiO2 concentration ranges from
18.46 to 62.12 wt% with an average of 45.56 wt%.
Al2O3 concentrations also range from 9.61% to 24.76
wt% (average: 17.05 wt%). The values of Fe2O3 are
within the range of 5.83–14.20 wt% with an average
of 9.92 wt%. The concentration of MgO is low with an
average concentration of 0.71 wt%. The CaO values
are also within 3.58–11.25 wt% with an average value
of 5.72 wt%. Moreover, the values of Na2O fall within
0.04–1.31 wt% (average value: 0.65 wt%) and K2O:
2.41–7.142 wt% (average: 6.84 wt%). The concentra-
tions of TiO2 fall within 0.44–1.46 wt% (average 0.91
wt%), and P2O5 also has values within 0.03–0.26 wt%
Table 3. Major elements oxides (wt. %) in the analyzed well samples.
^Oxide^_/ SiO2 A12O3 Fe2O3 MgO CaO Na2O K2O TiO2 P2O5 MnO SO3 Cl Ba Sum
Depth
370–390 38.7238 17.0019 13.5195 0.9849 11.2536 0.8777 6.1772 0.8906 0.2642 0.0741 2.4687 5.4909 1.8421 99.57
650–690 44.1801 24.6602 14.1952 0.0678 4.2042 0.0783 6.2142 1.4582 0.0607 0.0700 1.1254 1.4718 1.7297 99.52
900–940 43.2200 19.7800 6.3900 1.3500 3.5800 0.8900 3.6300 0.9100 0.1700 0.0300 2.7000 2.7200 5.1600 90.53
1,080–1,120 47.2347 18.2779 12.9854 Nil 11.0963 0.0468 5.3351 1.2059 0.0710 0.1221 0.6532 1.3673 1.0925 99.49
1,480–1,520 18.4757 9.6072 11.6969 0.0276 4.4377 0.4711 7.1420 0.9040 0.0271 0.0652 0.5185 21.8986 0.3010 75.57
1,630–1,670 49.3000 15.2300 6.5600 1.4800 6.0800 1.1200 2.5600 0.8300 0.1500 0.0400 1.3100 2.1300 0.8742 86.79
1,780–1,820 47.5800 16.2200 6.8300 1.8600 5.1600 0.8000 2.4100 0.8300 0.2000 0.0300 2.1000 1.9800 2.0300 88.03
1,990–2,040 45.8837 24.7627 13.1137 0.1002 3.7858 0.0690 4.4136 1.1859 0.1249 0.0746 2.1182 0.8881 1.0658 97.59
2,050–2,120 62.1235 12.2909 8.0654 0.5463 3.5967 0.8745 3.3020 0.4374 0.1412 0.1165 2.6784 2.9952 2.5813 99.75
2,210–2,690 58.9089 12.6184 5.8340 0.7144 4.0691 1.3101 4.7300 0.4366 0.1443 0.0570 3.5306 5.4022 1.9457 99.70
Total 455.6304 170.4492 99.1901 7.1312 57.2634 6.5375 68.4306 9.0886 1.3534 0.6795 19.203 46.3441 17.7481
Average 45.56304 17.04492 9.91901 0.71312 5.72634 0.65375 6.84306 0.90886 0.13534 0.06795 1.9203 4.63441 1.77481

Table 4. Trace elements composition (ppm) for the analyzed samples.

Element Ni Cu Zn Br Rb Sr Zr Nb Pb Ga Se As Cr Y Co F
370–390 145 65 194 177 414 1,840 939 36 230 Nil – 267 – – –
650–690 209 97 332 229 638 1,771 790 77 108 105 – – 486 – – –
900–940 210 183 318 9,206 204 1,753 689 64 170 101 – 435 74 – –
1,080–1,120 184 97 256 193 653 2,412 631 59 99 65 – – 470 – – –
1,480–1,520 249 - 309 531 1,035 2,108 1,259 0,102 – – – 123 550 – – –
1,630–1,670 150 - 244 177 130 1,086 702 30 70 52 – - 242 60 1,164 408
1,780–1,820 201 83 294 100 138 1,083 687 51 – 40 – - 468 46 – –
J. Ayok et al. / Science Forum (Journal of Pure and Applied Sciences) 20 (2020) 336 – 347

1,990–2,040 322 163 717 148 639 989 368 43 71 92 41 – 672 – – –

2,050–2,120 154 110 175 90 209 1,281 213 – – – – – 276 – – –
2,210–2,690 132 93 164 146 221 1,182 342 – – – – – 280 – – –
Total 1,956 891 3,003 10,997 4,281 15,505 6,620 462 748 455 41 123 4,146 180 1,164 408
Average 196 89 300 1,010 428 1,551 662 46 75 46 41 123 415 18 116 41
341
342 J. Ayok et al. / Science Forum (Journal of Pure and Applied Sciences) 20 (2020) 336 – 347
with an average of 0.14 wt%. The concentrations of
other major elements are shown in Table 3.
5. Interpretations
5.1. Source rocks for the analyzed mudrocks
Geochemical signatures from shales can be used
to ascertain their provenance characteristics
(Armstrong-Altrin, 2009; Hayashi et al., 1997; Le Bas
et al., 1986). According to these authors, the plot of
Al2O3/TiO2 againstSiO2 can be used to indicate the
source of mudrocks as either from mafic, intermedi-
ate, or felsic source. In this research work, the plot of
Al2O3/TiO2 against SiO2 (Fig. 4) indicates the interme-
diate igneous rocks as the parent rock for the analyzed
mudrocks.
Moreover, the concentrations of certain elements in
argillaceous rocks are affected significantly by some
environmental processes such as weathering, trans-
portation from the source to the depositional site, and
diagenesis. In addition, Na, K, Ca, and Mg concentra-
tions can be enriched or depleted by these processes
although Ti, Al, and Zr concentrations remain unaf-
fected because of low solubility of their oxides and
hydroxides in low-temperature aqueous solutions
(Hayashi et al., 1997; ; Stumm and Morgan, 1981;
Sugitani et al., 1996). The ratio of Al2O3/TiO2 is used
as a significant indicator of source rocks compared
to other major oxides (Hayashi et al., 1997) since
this ratio is similar in shales and that of parent rocks.
Figure 4. Relationship between Al2O3/TiO2with SiO2, showing the origin of the
mudrocks.
Accordingly, Al2O3/TiO2 ratio in the range of 3–8 wt% is
diagnostic of mafic igneous rocks, and the values from
8 to 21 wt% represent an intermediate source and
above 21 wt% is an indication of felsic igneous rock
source. From this work, Al2O3/TiO2 ratio values range
from 10.63 to 28.90. Almost all the samples have val-
ues within 8 and 21 wt% except two samples (2,050–
2,120 and 2,210–2,690 m) that their values exceed 21
wt%. It can also be concluded that the parent rock for
the mudrock is intermediate igneous rocks, and this is
consistent with the previous deduction using a plot of
Al2O3/TiO2 against SiO2. In addition, the concentration
of zircon (Zr) is also used for characterizing the nature
and composition of source rocks (Hayashi et al., 1997).
A TiO2 versus Zr plot can be used to distinguish three
different source rock types (i.e., felsic, intermediate,
and mafic), and the TiO2/Zr weight ratio generally
decreases with increasing SiO2 content. SiO2 content
>200 indicates mafic igneous rock source, and the val-
ues between 195 and 55 is an indicator of intermedi-
ate igneous rocks, whereas values <55 is an indicator
of felsic rocks (Hayashi et al., 1997). In Figure 5, it is
clearly seeing that the mudrocks were sourced from
the intermediate parent igneous rocks.
The ratio of K2O/Al2O3 has also been used as an
indicator of the original composition of ancient mud-
rocks (Table 5). Shales with ratios of K2O/Al2O3 greater
than 0.5 suggest a significant quantity of alkali feld-
spar relative to other minerals in the original rock,
whereas those with the ratio of K2O/AI2O3 less than
 J. Ayok et al. / Science Forum (Journal of Pure and Applied Sciences) 20 (2020) 336 – 347 343

0.4 suggest a minimal alkali feldspar in the original
rock (Cox et al., 1995). From this result, the K2O/AI2O3
ratios (0.17–3.22) suggest the presence of a significant
quantity of alkali feldspar relative to other minerals in
the source area. Garver et al. (1996) used the concen-
tration of Cr and Ni in shale record to deduce the geo-
chemical signal of ultramafic rocks in a source region.
According to these authors, the elevated values of Cr
(>ca. 150 ppm), Ni (>ca. 100 ppm), and Cr/Ni (~ 1.3
to 1.5) are the diagnostics of ultramafic rocks in the
source region. Higher Cr/Ni ratios (~ 2.0 and greater)
typify a mafic volcanic source. In this research, the Cr
concentrations range from 242 to 672 ppm with an
average concentration of 415, whereas the concentra-
tion of Ni ranges from 132 to 322 ppm (average: 196
ppm). These values (Cr: 415 and Ni: 196) coupled with
the ratio of Cr/Ni from the results (1.84–2.55) suggest
a mafic volcanic source for the analyzed mudrocks
contradicting the earlier conclusion made from other
indices.
5.2. Tectonic setting
One of the widely used plots to discriminate between
shales deposited in passive margin/intracratonic, active
margin, and island arc settings is involving K2O/Na2O
and SiO2 (Roser and Korsch, 1986). Based on the results
from this work, more than half of the samples were
plotted within passive margin/intracratonic setting
field, whereas others fall within the active continental
margin (see Fig. 6). This plot within passive/intracra-
tonic margin confirms the intracratonic nature of this
basin as proposed by the previous authors.

Figure 5. Plot of TiO2 against Zr for the mudrocks indicating their origin (adapted from
Hayashi et al., 1997).

Table 5. Some significant major and trace elements ratios form the analyzed mud rocks.
Depth (m)
Ratios 370– 650– 900– 1,080– 1,480– 1,630– 1,780– 1,990– 2,050– 2,210–
390 690 940 1,120 1,520 1,670 1,820 2,040 2,120 2,690
K2O/Na2O 7.04 79.36 4.08 113.10 65.68 2.29 3.01 63.97 3.78 3.61
Al2O3/TiO2 19.09 16.91 21.74 15.16 10.63 18.35 19.54 20.88 28.10 28.90
K2O/AI2O3 0.36 0.25 0.18 0.29 3.22 0.17 0.42 0.18 0.27 0.37
Cr/Ni 1.84 2.33 2.07 2.55 2.21 1.61 2.32 2.09 1.79 2.12
CIA 48.15 70.14 70.75 52.59 44.36 60.94 65.96 74.97 61.27 55.51
CIW 58.36 85.20 81.57 62.13 66.18 67.90 73.13 86.53 73.33 70.11
PIA 47.15 81.16 78.32 53.74 33.43 63.76 69.85 84.09 66.78 59.56
344 J. Ayok et al. / Science Forum (Journal of Pure and Applied Sciences) 20 (2020) 336 – 347
5.3. Paleoredox condition
Paleoredox condition of water and sediment inter-
face has been evaluated by several authors in the
past [e.g., Toyin and Adekeye (2019), Arsairai et al.
(2016) and Hallberg (1976)] based on the elemental
composition of the sediment. The widely used geo-
chemical paleaoredox parameters include Cu/Zn, U/
Th, V/Cr, Ni/Co, (Cu+Mo)/Zn, Ni/V, and Ce anomalies.
Hallberg (1976) used Cu/Zn ratio as a paleoredox tool,
and according to him, the high Cu/Zn ratios indicate
reducing depositional conditions, whereas the low
values suggest the oxidizing conditions. In this study,
only Cu/Zn and Cr/Ni could be used due to the rarity
of some other elements that could be used to deduce
the paleoredox condition of the analyzed sediments.
Cu/Zn and Cr/Ni ratios range from 0.23 to 0.63 and
1.61 to 2.55, respectively. Thus, these values indicate
an oxidizing condition of deposition.
5.4. Paleoweathering conditions in the provenance
The degree of weathering in sedimentary rocks can
be deduced using the relationship between alkali
and alkaline earth metals (Nesbitt and Young, 1982).
During the process of weathering, labile elements
such as Na, Ca, and Sr are leached out of weathering
site, thus concentrating other nonlabile elements such
as Al, Ba, and Rb (Nesbitt et al., 1980). These composi-
tional changes during weathering will be transferred
to the sedimentary records and help to provide useful
hints on the degree of weathering at the source area
(Nesbitt and Young, 1982; Wronkiewicz and Condie,
Figure 6. Tectonic discrimination diagram using plot of K2O/Na2O against
SiO2 for the mudrock (adapted from Roser and Korsch, 1986).
1987). Nesbitt and Young (1982, 1984) proposed a
chemical index of alteration (CIA) and A-CN- K compo-
sitional space as reliable indicators of paleoweather-
ing and tectonic history of sedimentary rocks although
the CIA was mainly proposed as a tool for use in inves-
tigating the intensity of chemical weathering in a
source area.
Al2O3
CIA = × 100
(Al2O3 +CaO4 +Na2O+K2O)
Note that the CaO* only represents the presence of
CaO in silicate minerals only. The degree of chemical
weathering using CIA is classified as follows: incipient
(CIA: 50–60), intermediate (CIA: 60–80), and extreme
(CIA: >80) chemical weathering. In this study, the CIA
values range from 44.36 to 74.97. These values
suggest a moderate weathering at the source area,
indicating that the intensity of chemical weathering is
high during the deposition of the analyzed mudrocks.
Al2O3
CIW = × 100
(Al2O3 +CaO+Na2O)
Al2O3 − K2O
PIA = × 100
(Al2O3 − K2O+CaO4 +Na2O)
Furthermore, several researchers (e.g., Fedo et al.,
1995, 1996, 1997; Harnois, 1988) have employed
chemical index of weathering (CIW) and plagioclase
index of alteration (PIA) to better estimate the degree
of weathering conditions at the source rocks. This
 J. Ayok et al. / Science Forum (Journal of Pure and Applied Sciences) 20 (2020) 336 – 347
is because of the belief that k-metasomatism may
reduce the CIA values, especially in Precambrian-
aged sedimentary basins. Moreover, Harnois (1988)
proposed CIW using four criteria; a weathering index
must include only those elements which have consis-
tent geochemical behavior during weathering; CIW
must be independent of the degree of oxidation of
the weathered material; it must involve chemical ele-
ments commonly reported in soil analyses; and also a
CIW should be as simple as possible and easy to use.
Based on these results, CIW and PIA values obtained
are within the range of 58.36–86.53 and 33.43–84.09,
respectively. These high values for both CIW and PIA
indicate a higher degree of weathering of source rocks
compared to the extent of weathering inferred from
CIA values.
6. Summary and conclusion
The Dahomey Basin is an arcuate extensive basin
located within the Gulf of Guinea in West Africa. The
basin extends from the eastern part of Takoradi height
in Ghana through Togo, Republic of Benin, and even-
tually terminates at the Okitipupa ridge in southwest-
ern Nigeria although the Okitipupa ridge separates
the Nigerian section of Dahomey Basin and the well-
known Niger Delta. The previous studies have shown
that the compositional analysis of mudrocks, specifi-
cally shales, have provided useful information on the
tectonic settings, weathering conditions, provenance,
and paleoclimate (Culler, 1995; McLennan et al., 1993;
Roser and Korsch, 1986). In addition, trace element
composition of fine-grained sedimentary rocks rep-
resents the average composition of the upper conti-
nental crust more than any other sedimentary rocks
(DaPeng et al., 2012). This is because they preserve the
provenance signature and diagenetic history (Baioumy
and Ismael, 2010; Mondal et al., 2012; Spalleti et al.,
2012). This study arrives at the following conclusions:
• Plot of Al2O3/TiO2 against SiO2 indicates an inter-
mediate igneous rock as the parent rock.
• SiO2 versus Zr plot also indicates an interme-
diate parent igneous rocks as the source of the
mudrocks
• Cu/Zn and Cr/Ni ratios range from 0.23 to 0.63
and 1.61 to 2.55, respectively, and these indicate
an oxidizing condition of deposition
• Plot of K2O/Na2O and SiO2 according to Roser
and Korsch (1986) indicates an intracratonic
nature of this basin.
• CIW and PIA values obtained are within
the range of 58.36–86.53 and 33.43–84.09,
345
respectively. These high values indicate a higher
degree of weathering of source rocks compared
to the extent of weathering inferred from the CIA
values.
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