Determination of the variances or similarities in petrographic and sedimentological properties of the sediment samples of two rivers, by determination of the transportation history and depositional environment of the river sands

Abstract

The sediment of the Rivers Ero and Adogo in Geregu, Ajaokuta, was studied to determine any variances or similarities in petrographic and sedimentological properties. The sediment samples had particle size parameters estimated, with mean values ranging from 0.45 to 0.94 (River Ero) and 0.15 to 0.67 (River Adogo), indicating that the sediment samples are all coarse grained. The sediment samples' standard deviations vary from 0.9 to 1.2 (River Ero) and 0.92 to 1.57 (River Adogo), indicating moderate to poor sorting. The sediment samples' estimated skewness ranges from -0.09 to -0.12 (River Ero) and -0.01 to -0.16 (River Adogo), showing coarse to strongly coarse skewed sediments that were deposited in a high energy environment. The sediment samples have computed kurtosis ranging from 0.63 to 1.01 (River Ero) and 0.65 to 1.06 (River Adogo), indicating platykurtic to Mesokurtic. The sediment samples from the Rivers Ero and Adogo all fall within the river sand field of Sahu 1964, according to bivariate statistics of skewness vs standard deviation. The depositional environment of the sediment samples was characterised using a linear discriminant function, which revealed that the sediment of River Ero is predominantly beach, shallow agitated marine, and shallow marine, whereas the sediment of River Adogo is entirely beach, shallow agitated marine, and shallow marine. The sediment samples are composed of >94 percent quartz and are most likely sourced from the cratonic interior, according to petrographic data.