Cenozoic

Cretaceous

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Enugu Formation

Enugu Fm

Period:

Cretaceous

Age Interval:

Campanian – Maastrichtian

Province:
Anambra Basin

Type Locality and Naming

The Nkporo Gr includes an upward succession of the Nkporo Shales Fm (or equivalent), Owelli Sandstone Fm and Enugu Fm (or equivalent). Type section near the village of Enugu.

References: Reyment, 1965; Adeleye, 1975; Dessauvagie, 1975; Kogbe, 1976; Petters, 1978; Offodile, 1980; Whiteman, 1982; Benkhelil,1989; Okosun, 1992; Guiraud, 1993; Akande et al., 1998; Zaborski et al., 1998; Jauro et al., 2007; Obaje, 2009; Nwajide, 2013

Lithology and Thickness

Enugu Fm: The Enugu Shales are about 3,000ft thick (Reyment, 1965) and consists of shales and occasional sandstones. The shales are grey blue or dark and contain occasional white sandstones and striped sandy shale beds. The bands of impure coal occur in nodules and lenticles of clay and ironstones are common towards the top of the formation. The Enugu Formation has two distinguishable sandstone bodies – the Otobi and Okpaya Sandstones (Nwajide, 2013) and located near Enugu Municipality (Grove, 1951). Otobi Sandstone Member: it is a relatively small body and locally overlies the Awgu Fm and laterally interfingers with the shaly facies of the Enugu Formation (Nwajide, 2013). Okpaya Member: it is made up of alternation of siltstone and fine sandstones and becomes more shaly upwards. (Nwajide, 2013).

Lithology Pattern:

Sandy claystone

Relationships and Distribution

Lower contact

Locally overlies the Owelli Sandstone Fm.

Upper contact

Overlain by the Mamu Fm

Regional extent

Anambra Basin

GeoJSON

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Fossils

Foraminifera recorded within this unit (Haplophragmoides excavate, Hap. hausa, Ammobaculitessp., Ammoastutasp.) – Nwajide (2013) and Petters (1995), Ammonite (Lybicocerasangolense), Gastropods (Turritella), Palynomorphs (Faveotriletesmargaritae, Cingulatisporitesornatus, Syncolporitessyriatratus) – Mebradu (1990).

Age

Late Cenomanian

Age Span:

Beginning stage:

Campanian

Fraction up in beginning stage:

0.65

Beginning date (Ma):

76.19

Ending stage:

Campanian

Fraction up in the ending stage:

0.85

Ending date (Ma):

73.89

Depositional setting

Marine environment characterized by a brackish lagoonal and lower delta plain setting (Nuhu, 1992; Petters, 1995). Campanian transgression to Maastrichtian withdrawal (regression)

Depositional pattern:

Additional Information

Compiler:

Enam O. Obiosio, Solomon Joshua Avong and Henry Nasir Suleiman (2024)- Stratigraphic Lexicon compiled from the following books:

Nigeria: Its Petroleum Geology, Resources and Potential, by Arthur Whiteman, 1982; (Volume 1) Published by Graham and Trotman Ltd.

A review of the Cretaceous System in Nigeria by P. M. Zaborski (1998) In Africa Geoscience Review, Vol.5, No.4, pp385-483.

Geology and Mineral Resources of Nigeria by Nuhu George Obaje, Published by Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2009; http://www.springer.com/series/772.

Geology of Nigeria Sedimentary Basins, Nwajide C. S., 2013; Published by CSS Bookshops Limited, Lagos Nigeria.