The Bornu Basin (Nigerian
Sector of the Chad Basin)
By
ANIEZUE UDOCHUKWU CHARLES
ABU OCHANYA BLESSING
YUHE JESSE DEPUUN
MARKITDA NANGKAT BULUS
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OUTLINE
INTRODUCTION
TECTONIC SETTINGS OF BORNU BASIN
STRATIGRAPHY OF BORNU BASIN
ECONOMIC POTENTIALS OF BORNU BASIN
CONCLUSION
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INTRODUCTION
The Chad Basin, an intra-cratonic rift basin, is part of the West African
and Central African Rift System (WCARS), with a total area of about
2,335,000km².
The Basin straddles five countries namely: Nigeria, Niger, Chad
Republic, Cameroon, and Central African Republic. The south-eastern
part of the basin, known as the Bornu Basin in Nigeria, which is about
one-tenth of the total mega-Chad Basin, joins the Benue Trough.
The Bornu Basin, situated in the West African Rift System (WARS)
overlain by Quaternary-Recent sediments is found herein to contain
>5000m thick of Cretaceous rocks overlying the Precambrian
basement Migmatite-gneiss complex.
The Bornu Basin and Benue Trough are a part of the same dominant 3
NE-SW rift system. Due to the effect of tensional basement tectonic
movements and zig-zag faults, horsts and garbens, buried hills and
intrusive volcanics are commonly seen in this basin.
INTROTION CONT'D
Faults predominantly, tensional, often cut down to basement and
terminate beneath a regional angular unconformity at the boundary
between Cretaceous and Tertiary.
The basin contains about 4.650kms of marine and continental
sediments comprising the Bima Sandstone, Gongila Formation, Fika
Shale, Kerri-Kerri and Chad Formations.
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TECTONIC SETTINGS
The tectonic setting of Bornu basin is divided into four phases which include;
Pan African crustal consolidation (750-550Ma), Early rift stage (130-98Ma),
Late rift stage (98-75Ma) and post rift stage (66-0Ma).
1. PAN AFRICAN CRUSTAL CONSOLIDATION (750-550Ma)
Major basement features and faults were produced in this stage
The structures formed precursor for the future rift basins
The dominant NE-SW trending fault system of the Bornu basin belongs to this
phase.
2. EARLY RIFT STAGE (130-98Ma)
This was the period of the rift basin formation.
The Benue and the Bornu basin represent the third arm of the triple junction
rift system during the break-up of Gwandana.
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Figure 1. Diagram showing the Early Rift Stage 6
TECTONIC SETTINGS CONT‘D
The separation of the African and South American continent happened at this
phase of the early cretaceous
The development of the Bornu basin came as the result of the strike-slip
movements of the wrench faults originated from South America to Nigeria.
3. LATE RIFT STAGE (98-75Ma)
Rift formation slowed down while a tectono-eustatic ie a worldwide change
by melting ice or tectonic activity rise which led to epicontinental
transgression
The tectonic regime in thus phase was dominated by tensional movement as
indicated by the influence of high-angled faults and scarcity of reverse faults.
4. POST RIFT STAGE (66-0Ma)
There was no significant tectonic activity during this phase
No faulting and significant folding has been observed in the Tertiary and
younger strata.
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STRATIGRAPHY
TABLE 1. STRATIGRAPHIC SUCCESSION IN THE BORNU BASIN
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STRATIGRAPHY CONT‘D
OTHER THINGS WE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THE STRATIGRAPHIC UNITS OF THE
BORNU BASIN INCLUDE;
The Bima Sandstone was formed from the weathering of the basement rocks. It
is generally poorly sorted, medium to coarse-grained, thick to massive-bedded,
and cross-stratified feldspathic sandstone with variable colours; from brown,
reddish brown, grey to white.
The Gongila formation is composed of thin to moderately thick inter-beds of
calcareous shale which is grey to dark grey in colour, also silty sandstone which
is of variable colour from brown, white, yellow, purple to grey. The sandstone in
this formation is fine to coarse-grained.
The Fika Shale was deposited during the continued marine transgression. It‘s
composed of blue black shale which is locally gypsiferous and thin
intercalations of limestones. The recovery of diverse assemblages of
arenaceous and planktonic foraminifera in samples obtained from the Fika
shale indicates deposition in shallow to deep marine environments. 9
NB. The Gongila Formation and Fika Shale are potential petroleum source rocks
in the Bornu basin.
STRATIGRAPHY CONT‘D
Kerri-Kerri formation consist of thin and thick beds of sandstone and clay
which are usually massive and gritty. Coarse gravel is also common. The
colour of lithofacies ranges from reddish brown, pink, yellow, purple to
grey.
The sandstone is locally cross-bedded and maybe ferruginized (rusted)
due to the presence of iron oxide.
The formation is more extensive and varied in the Upper Benue trough
where three distinct lithofacies comprising ferruginous sandstones,
kaolinitic sandstones, and laterites have been recognized.
Finally the Chad Formation being the youngest and uppermost
stratigraphic unit in the Bornu basin consists of sand and clay. The sand
is uncemented with angular and sub-angular quartz grains. While the clay
is massive and locally gritty in texture due to the presence of angular to
sub-angular quartz grains. The colour of the sand and clay varies from
yellow, brown, white, to grey.
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ECONOMIC POTENTIAL S
The Bornu basin is the Nigerian portion of the mega-Chad basin that has
been found to host oil and gas in commercial quantities in Niger, Chad,
and Cameroon.
The presence of the three of the fundamental geological factors; source
rock, reservoir rock, and seal/trap in light of existing information.
Available geochemical information reveals that shales of the Bima,
Gongila, and Fika formations in the Bornu basin contain sufficient organic
matter for hydrocarbon generation.
Possible reservoir rocks occurs as sand/sandstone bed within the Bima,
Gombe, and Kerri-Kerri as well as the Gongila formation which also
contains much shale and limestone. Both stratigraphic and structural
trapping conditions exist in the Borno basin.
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ECONOMIC POTENTIAL CONT'D
The structural traps were presumably formed during the widespread
santonian tectonic inversion that affected the entire mega-Chad
basin.
It is suggested that deeper drilling into sand and sandstone of the
Bima Formation that could host hydrocarbon of commercial
quantities, as evidenced by the discoveries at deeper depths in the
neighbouring Termit Basin, was desirable.
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CONCLUSION
The stratigraphical succession of the Bornu basin beginning from the
oldest consists of Bima Sandstone, Gongila Formation, Fika Shale,
Kerri-Kerri Formations.
The Kerri-Kerri Formation has a restricted occurrence to the western
part of the basin.
Volcanic activity was associated with the tectonic evolution of the
basin. Geological conditions favours the discovery of hydrocarbons in
the basin.
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