The Cretaceous Koum Basin is a rift-related half-graben in northern Cameroon,which constitutes a portion of the Yola Arm of the Upper Benue Trough.This study presents the first comprehensive dataset combining mineral-...The Cretaceous Koum Basin is a rift-related half-graben in northern Cameroon,which constitutes a portion of the Yola Arm of the Upper Benue Trough.This study presents the first comprehensive dataset combining mineral-ogical,bulk-rock geochemical,and stable C-H-O isotopic data for dark-gray,finegrained mudstones from the basin,providing new insights into its sediment source,paleoenvironment,and geodynamic setting.The mudstones primarily consist of phyllosilicates(~8.6%),feldspars(~30.5%),carbonates(~13.7%),and minor iron oxides(~2.7%),with vermiculite,illite,and kaolinite as the main clay minerals.The presence of analcime,ankerite,and dolomite suggests low-grade metamorphism and/or hydrothermal alteration.Fe_(2)O_(3)/K_(2)O(1.52-6.40)and SiO_(2)/Al_(2)O_(3)(2.97-4.68)ratios classify the mudstones as compositionally immature shales(ICV~1.64)with low-moderate chemical weathering(CIA~56.35;PIA~59.74;R^(3+)/R^(3+)+R^(2+)+M^(+)~0.51).Trace element ratios(Th/Sc~1.70,Zr/Sc~1.33,La/Sc~6.30,La/Th~4.14)indicate an intermediate igneous provenance from a continental crustal source.Paleoenviron-mental proxies suggest deposition in a dynamic basin environment marked by fluctuating redox(C org/P:0.21-178.34)and salinity(Sr/Ba:0.34-3.25;N-values:48-35.92)conditions,ranging from oxic to anoxic and brackish to saline.Major element data(SiO_(2) vs.Al_(2)O_(3)+K_(2)O+Na_(2)O)indicate a semi-arid regime,while Paleoclimatic indicators such as Sr/Cu(1.88-37.47)and C-values(0.12-0.93)suggests alter-nating humid and arid conditions.Notably,stable isotope data,reported here for the first time in the Koum Basin,reveal a predominantly terrestrial,fluvial-deltaic C_(3) plant source for organic carbon(δ^(13)C-25.2‰ to -35.2‰)and complex fluid-rock interactions involving meteoric and magmatic-metamorphic fluids under a warm,equatorial climate(δ^(18)O+3.6‰to +24.9‰,δ^(2)H-104‰ to-50‰).The combined mineralogical,geochemical,and isotopic data point to deposition in a tectonically active continental arc setting,with contributions from ocean island arc and passive margin sources.展开更多
文摘The Cretaceous Koum Basin is a rift-related half-graben in northern Cameroon,which constitutes a portion of the Yola Arm of the Upper Benue Trough.This study presents the first comprehensive dataset combining mineral-ogical,bulk-rock geochemical,and stable C-H-O isotopic data for dark-gray,finegrained mudstones from the basin,providing new insights into its sediment source,paleoenvironment,and geodynamic setting.The mudstones primarily consist of phyllosilicates(~8.6%),feldspars(~30.5%),carbonates(~13.7%),and minor iron oxides(~2.7%),with vermiculite,illite,and kaolinite as the main clay minerals.The presence of analcime,ankerite,and dolomite suggests low-grade metamorphism and/or hydrothermal alteration.Fe_(2)O_(3)/K_(2)O(1.52-6.40)and SiO_(2)/Al_(2)O_(3)(2.97-4.68)ratios classify the mudstones as compositionally immature shales(ICV~1.64)with low-moderate chemical weathering(CIA~56.35;PIA~59.74;R^(3+)/R^(3+)+R^(2+)+M^(+)~0.51).Trace element ratios(Th/Sc~1.70,Zr/Sc~1.33,La/Sc~6.30,La/Th~4.14)indicate an intermediate igneous provenance from a continental crustal source.Paleoenviron-mental proxies suggest deposition in a dynamic basin environment marked by fluctuating redox(C org/P:0.21-178.34)and salinity(Sr/Ba:0.34-3.25;N-values:48-35.92)conditions,ranging from oxic to anoxic and brackish to saline.Major element data(SiO_(2) vs.Al_(2)O_(3)+K_(2)O+Na_(2)O)indicate a semi-arid regime,while Paleoclimatic indicators such as Sr/Cu(1.88-37.47)and C-values(0.12-0.93)suggests alter-nating humid and arid conditions.Notably,stable isotope data,reported here for the first time in the Koum Basin,reveal a predominantly terrestrial,fluvial-deltaic C_(3) plant source for organic carbon(δ^(13)C-25.2‰ to -35.2‰)and complex fluid-rock interactions involving meteoric and magmatic-metamorphic fluids under a warm,equatorial climate(δ^(18)O+3.6‰to +24.9‰,δ^(2)H-104‰ to-50‰).The combined mineralogical,geochemical,and isotopic data point to deposition in a tectonically active continental arc setting,with contributions from ocean island arc and passive margin sources.
