Provenance Diagenesis And Paleogeographyof The Late Cretaceous Sediments Benin Flank Western Anambra BasinNigeria.

Integrated textural thin section heavy mineral species and paloecocurrent study of Late Cretaceous rocks of the Benin Flank Nigeria were used to determine textural characteristics mineralogical composition paleocurrent direction provenance and diagenetic history of the rocks in the study area. Textural analysis revealed that the sandstones are of two source derivatives and texturally sub-mature.Thin section analysis revealed the sandstones of the study area to be quartz arenite sublithic arenite and subarkosic arenite. Petrographic analysis revealed that the sandstones are mineralogically matured and provenance of igneous and metamorphic rocks. Paleocurrent analysis shows bimodal patterns with primary mode in the NE-SW direction and secondary mode in the E-W direction indicating sediment derivation from igneous and metamorphic rocks of the western Nigerian Basement Complex and uplifted Benue Trough. The sandstoneshave undergone compaction cementation and authigenetic diagenetic change on the basis of mineralogical composition as well as reaching intermediate Locomorphic stage based on the corroded quartz grains.