Inorganic Geochemical studies of Sediments penetrated in two Wells, Central Swamp, Niger Delta, Nigeria

Abstract

The elemental composition of sedimentary rocks has proven to be useful in understanding sediment history and composition. This study is aimed at characterizing sediments penetrated in Wells X1 and X2, central swamp, Niger Delta so as to understand the composition of the sediments. The technique involved the use of atomic absorption and X-Ray fluorescence to acquire values for ten major oxides. The values obtained were plotted on binary and tenary plots and these plots were subsequently used to interpret the geochemical composition of the sediments, their tectonic history and provenance. The results showed that the sediments in both Wells were predominantly litharenites formed in a passive continental margin, the sands were non-marine and deltaic while the shales were rich in iron, the sediments were formed from felsic igneous materials.