Geochemical Trends in Weathering Profiles and Their Underlying Precambrian Basement Rocks in Akure, Southwestern Nigeria

Authors

  • Oluwatoyin O. Akinola Department of Geology, Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria
  • Olusola A. Ola Olorun Department of Geology, Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30564/jees.v3i2.3308

Abstract

Akure area in southwestern Nigeria falls within the basement complex underlain by migmatite, quartzite granite and charnockite. Geochemical features of these crystalline rocks and their overlying in-situ weathering profiles are investigated and reported. Analytical result from ICP-MS facility at the University of Malaya reveals average SiO2 content in quartzite (91.1%), granite (73.8%), migmatite (67.4%) and charnockite (58.6%) categorize the rocks as siliceous. SiO2 contents in the weathering profiles above these rocks are 61.9%, 60.2%, 52.2% and 54.6% respectively. Alumina contents in the weathering profiles overlying quartzite (23.8%), granite (19.9%), migmatite (26.3%) and charnockite (24.3%) are substantially higher than the precursor rocks. In the same order, average alkali (Na2O+K2O) contents in the profiles are 3.38%, 3.42%, 3.48% and 2.68%. Chemical features of the profiles reflect that there exists some correlation between the chemistry of crystalline basement and their in-situ weathering profiles. The residual soils contain low plastic clays with kaolinitic characteristics and compare well with other clays reported from other parts of Nigeria basement complex.

Keywords:

Akure; Nigeria; Geochemical trends; In-situ weathering profile; Kaolinitic

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How to Cite

Akinola, O. O., & Olorun, O. A. O. (2021). Geochemical Trends in Weathering Profiles and Their Underlying Precambrian Basement Rocks in Akure, Southwestern Nigeria. Journal of Environmental & Earth Sciences, 3(2), 7–13. https://doi.org/10.30564/jees.v3i2.3308

Issue

Vol. 3 , Iss. 2 (October 2021)

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Article

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This is an open access article under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) License.

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