Sedimentary rocks provide vital information on the provenance of sediments and for reconstructing the history of basins [1]. Geochemical signatures of sedimentary rocks furnish vital information for distinguishing tectonic settings, climates and depositional environments associated with sedimentary basins [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]. Significant chemical changes commonly occur during the transportation of sediments. However, although hydraulic sorting, weathering and diagenesis alter the geochemical composition of sediments, original source terrain signatures are often retained [5] [7]. The effects of these processes also largely depend on the duration between erosion and deposition [5]. Even though major and trace element geochemistry has been exploited mainly for sediment provenance and tectonic setting studies, when integrated with compositional data of rocks, such as carbonates, their application can be extended to depositional environments [8] [9].

Sediment provenance can be evaluated using geochemical approaches, especially discrimination diagrams. These diagrams, which are based on relationships between elements have significantly enhanced knowledge on sediment provenance and tectonic settings [7] [10] [11] [12] [13]. The sedimentology and petrochemistry of sedimentary strata of Tertiary age in West Africa have attracted worldwide attention in recent years for various reasons. These include the petroleum potential of these strata that lie in the eastern margin of the Atlantic Ocean [14] and the fact that carbonate resources for industrial use are common in these strata.

Several studies have been carried out in the Douala Basin over the years [14] - [23]. These previous studies have focused on the petroleum prospectivity of the sediments. The petrochemistry, provenance and environment of deposition of sedimentary rocks have not witnessed the same level of scientific scrutiny. In the present study, the major and trace element signatures of sedimentary rocks in the Tertiary Nkapa Formation are used to investigate the sediment sources and tectonic setting of the depositional environment.

The study area (Kompina) is located between latitudes 4˚20' and 4˚24'N and longitudes 9˚35' and 9˚40'E (Figure 1). It is part of the northern Douala Basin, which lies on the north-eastern flank of Mount Cameroon, a major volcanic horst in West-Central Africa [24] [25].

The Douala Basin (Figure 2) in Cameroon is a coastal sedimentary basin situated at the edge of the Gulf of Guinea [27]. Other coastal sedimentary basins in Cameroon include the Campo and the Rio del Rey Basins, and these three existed as a continuous basin during the Cretaceous period. The Tertiary volcanism that formed the Mount Cameroon volcanic axis (Cameroon volcanic line; CVL) separated the Rio del Rey from the Douala Basin [15] [28].

The origin of the Douala Basin is intimately linked to the rifting that created the South Atlantic Ocean during the Mesozoic (~130 Ma) breakup of Gondwanaland [26]. The opening of the South Atlantic Ocean involved counter-clockwise rotation of the southern part of the African plate relative to South America around a pole centered in the North Atlantic. This produced shearing between the South and North African sub-plates in the Benue Trough and Central African Rift System or Central African Shear Zone (CASZ).

According to [29], by the Mid Aptian, the Cameroon margin experienced a major structural reconfiguration, which started with oceanic transform faulting and margin extensions, and this segmented the rift structure of the margin. The north boundary of the basin is the south edge of the Niger Delta province [30], while in the south, the boundary is the Early Cretaceous to Holocene Walvis Ridge volcanic high [17]. These basins are classified as Atlantic-type sag basins [31] and they contain Palaeozoic to Holocene strata. The opening of the South Atlantic is linked with the formation of salt basins, and the associated tectonic activities occurred during pre-rift, syn-rift and post-rift stages. These tectonic movements affected basins from the south to the north Atlantic margin including West Africa.

The Douala basin belongs to the southern section of the Cameroon shelf, which comprises extensive Cenozoic and Mesozoic deposits, while the northern section of the shelf is dominated by Late Pleistocene and Holocene units [32]. The Precambrian basement is overlain by Albian-Senonian, Palaeocene, Mid-Late Miocene, and Pliocene-Pleistocene units [33]. The deposition and preservation of the Cenozoic and Mesozoic sediments were controlled by faulting, which created depressions and related structures in the Precambrian basement [34]. Deformation types characterizing the structures of this margin include the following:

1) N-S-trending fractures parallel to the Precambrian onshore that formed during the Cretaceous rifting period, and these were crosscut by N60˚E-trending cross-faults induced by the transform movement associated with the creation of the South Atlantic.

2) Structures that were governed by local comprehensive stresses during the Eocene transcurrent re-activation along the N60˚E transform fault, which extended the salt-controlled deformation.

3) Nearly N-S faults, which affected the Miocene-Pliocene or Quaternary non-folded sequences, and which highlight distinct conditions [29].

Tectonic forces control the structural patterns in a basin [34], and thus, influence its sedimentary fill (volume and thickness of sediments). During the rifting in the South Atlantic, both the African and South American margins experienced extensional tectonics. These involved ocean ward movements of the inland Hinge, the Atlantic Hinge and the continental oceanic boundary (COB). The impacts of extensional tectonics are evident in the Douala Basin, although foreshortened by transcurrent (strike-slip) faulting [15]. The Atlantic Hinge was masked by high volumes of sediments delivered to the coast by rivers, and a modern shoreline has propagated across the previous deep-water setting. Growth structures (younging structures) akin to those in the onshore Niger Delta represent targets e.g. reservoirs in the Douala Basin of Cameroon. These structures were produced by shale diapirism in the delta and displacement by squeezing of sediments piling ocean ward [35]. The frontal toe thrust sediments of the delta complex are associated with upfolds [36] [37]. The COB extends between 150 - 250 km in water characterized by depths exceeding 2.5 km, and it is closest to the Atlantic Hinge in the transcurrent faults regions.

Environments of deposition in the Douala Basin vary from continental at the base to evaporitic and marginal at the top and these reflect the progression from a rift valley to a passive margin [38]. The stratigraphy of the Douala Basin has been reported in detail in previous studies [16] [17] [18] [19] [29] [39] [40] [41] [42]. Formations in the basin are progressively younger from the north to the south of the basin. Figure 3 is a generalized stratigraphic section adapted from [16] showing the formations and rock types in the basin as well as their ages. These formations overlie a highly faulted Precambrian basement, which represents the oldest rocks in the basin (Figure 3). In vertical succession, formations in the basin include the following: Wouri, Matanda, Souellaba, Nkapa, Logbaba, Logbadjeck, Mungo and Mundek, which vary in age from Tertiary to Cretaceous.

The Mungo Formation dominantly contains sandstones, with subordinate intercalated limestones and shales as well as minor marls, silty clays and siltstones. The thick unfossiliferous sandstones of this formation, which have been assigned to the Lower Turonian, overlie the Mundeck Formation which rest on the crystalline basement. The Logbajeck and the Logbaba Formations are considered as one formation (Logbaba Formation) in some studies and attributed to the Upper

Cretaceous [17]. This formation comprises shales, sandstones and localized alternations of carbonates, sandstones and shales. The Tertiary Nkapa Formation, which represents the study area, is characterized as a shale-dominated formation [17]. However, it also comprises sandstones, limestones, siltstones, marl and mudstones. In the offshore part of the basin, the Nkapa Formation represents a mud-dominated channel levee system. In this section, the formation also comprises of organic rich shales, limestones, siltstones and calcareous mudstones [16].

The Souellaba and Matanda Formations are also of Tertiary age. The Oligocene Souellaba Formation is made up of sandstones, volcanic fragments, claystones, and carbonates. The presence of volcanic components is attributed to activities of the CVL. The Pleistocene Wouri Formation corresponds to the presently developing deltaic section. The stratigraphic pile involves sands, claystones and shales. The stratigraphic column of the Douala Basin contains mainly arenaceous, argillaceous and carbonate rocks.

Field study consisted of investigating rock outcrops in the study area. A systematic mapping and sampling of lithologic units in the Nkapa Formation, outcropping mainly along the banks of the Bongue River and its tributaries, river Channels, road cuts and valleys at Kompina, Lingue, Nkolwongo and kesso localities using topographic map delineating the study area (scale of 1:50.000). Field study involved observations, detailed description and measurements of lithologic sections in the studied area as well as taking GPS readings for sample location points and collecting representative samples for analysis.

A total of forty (40) representative samples were selected for geochemical analysis from the study area. The comprised dominantly carbonate rocks (seventeen (17) Limestones and three (3) marly limestones; five (5) calcareous shales; five (5) sandstones and one (1) lateritic soil sample (Figure 1 and Figure 2).

Major and trace element compositions of the samples were determined in ACME Laboratory in Vancouver, Canada, using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The procedure involved fusing about 0.25 grams of samples in a crucible for 30 minutes at high temperature (750˚C - 800˚C), using lithium metaborate. Insulated gloves and a crucible tongs are used to remove the crucible after heating and the heated sample allowed cooling at room temperature, followed by acid dissolution with 10 mL of concentrated hydrochloric acid that is mixed with 20 ml of high purity water. The sample in the crucible is mixed with hydrochloric acid and allowed to thoroughly dissolve. The solution is mixed by inversion and allowed to sit undisturbed for at least 30 minutes. This allows graphite to settle to the bottom and the solution left is ready for measurement. The accuracy of the measurements for major oxides, trace elements and rare earth elements (REEs) range between 0.002 - 0.04, 0.0 - 0.5 and 0.01 - 1, respectively.

To examine the geochemical characteristics of the carbonates, shales and sandstones in the Nkapa Formation, data generated were normalized using the North American Shale Composite (NASC) [5] for trace elements.

The major and trace element data for carbonates (limestones and marly limestones), shales, calcareous shales and sandstones from the Nkapa Formation in the Douala Basin investigated are presented in Table 1 and Table 2, with just one lateritic soil sample being analysed.

Redox-sensitive trace element ratios including Ni/Co and V/(V + Ni) are usually considered as powerful geochemical indicators commonly employed for environmental discrimination during the deposition of sediments. According to [50], Ni/Co ratios of <5, 5 - 7 and >7 imply oxic, dysoxic and suboxic to anoxic conditions, respectively, during deposition. Relatedly, [51] proposed that for organic matter to accumulate in sediments under euxinic conditions, the V/(V + Ni) ratio of the sediments must be >0.5.

Figure 8 shows the Ni/Co versus V/(V + Ni) data for the samples from the Nkapa Formation in the Douala Basin. The V/(V + Ni) ratios from the bulk sediment vary between (0.53 - 0.95 and between 0.66 - 0.97 correspondingly for the carbonates and shales. The Ni/Co ratios of the carbonates samples are between 0 - 4.8, with few ranging between 5 - 8.5, whereas ratios for the shale samples are between 1 - 2.5, excluding one sample displaying a value of 10.3.

The depositional environment obtained from this study predicts that the sediments are deposited more under an oxic condition. These oxic environments are prone to produce organic matter rich in Type II and III kerogen [21] [52] that can produce more of gas since they are mainly made up of plant materials from the land, good in producing gaseous petroleum when the organic matter becomes mature. However the few samples that ploted in the euxinic environment representing sediments deposited under reducing condition are likely to produce organic matter (planktons, algae) that will release more of oil than gas [53] [54] [55] [56].

The proportionality of V to Ni, mainly expressed as V/(V + Ni), has been utilised to highlight the Eh and pH conditions as well as the sulphide concentration in different environments during the deposition of sediments [52].

The solubility of vanadium in natural waters, its extraction from sea water and adsorption onto sediments are influenced by redox conditions [57]. Dissolved vanadium is readily bound to high organometallic complexes [57] or adsorbed onto biogenic materials [58] [59]. During early diagenesis of sediments, vanadium is released from biogenic materials under oxic conditions, whereas this mobilisation is restricted under anoxic conditions [60] [61]. In addition, Ni, Cu and Cr are commonly trapped within organic matter in organic matter-rich sediments [9] [59] [61]. Nevertheless, vanadium accumulation is favoured relative to Ni in reducing.

The high V/(V + Ni) ratios exhibited by the carbonates (0.53 - 0.93) and shales (0.53 - 0.97) from the study area (Figure 8) indicate their deposition in dysoxic and anoxic environments. The carbonate and shale samples with V/(V + Ni) ratios greater than 0.8 indicate the presence of significant H₂S in the environment during deposition [48]. Thus, the V/(V + Ni) ratios obtained from the shales and carbonates indicate variations in redox conditions during deposition of the sediments in the Nkapa Formation [9].

Sediments from the Nkapa Formation in the north western part of the Douala Basin were evaluated using major, trace and rare earth element geochemistry in order to determine the tectonic setting, provenance, depositional environments and the economic importance of the Tertiary deposited sediments.

From trace and the Rare element plot the sediments from the Kompina area using Eu/Eu*, La/Sc, La/Co, Th/Sc and Th/Co, plotted mainly within the PM and CIA tectonic settings. While plots using oxides of Fe₂O₃(T) + MgO vs. TiO₂ were associated with PM, OIA, and CIA provenances. Using F1, F2, Plots reveal that these sediments plotted within the quartzose sedimentary provenance.

The Nkapa Formation sediments were derived from felsic and mafic rocks as shown by Table 4 and Figure 6. The felsic rocks could have originated from the adjacent migmatitic rocks of the neighbouring basement complex while the mafic rocks might have resulted from mafic volcanic rocks of the Cameroon Volcanic Line in West-Central Africa.

A plot of V/(V + Ni) vs. Ni/Co depicts that carbonates and shales from the Nkapa Formation were deposited under environmental conditions ranging from oxic through suboxic to anoxic. These environments can be suitable in producing type II and III Kerogene which are prone to produce more gaseous hydrocarbons with minor oil.

Limestones from the studied area at Kompina are rich in Calcium Carbonate above 98.5%. This makes them suitable for use in the chemical industry (e.g., pharmaceutical industries), poultry farming (feed production) and as soil amendments in agriculture to improve plant growth due to their ability to reduce the acid content of soils.

The authors are grateful to Edith Etakah Bate and Bryan Ngatcha for assisting with the quality of the figures.

The authors declare no conflicts of interest regarding the publication of this paper.

Kwankam, F.N., Agyingi, C.M., Foba-Tendo, J. and Suh, C.E. (2021) Geochemistry of Sedimentary Rocks from the Nkapa Formation, North Western Part of the Douala Basin, Cameroon: Implications for Provenance, Tectonic Setting and Paleoenvironmental Conditions. International Journal of Geosciences, 12, 739-762. https://doi.org/10.4236/ijg.2021.129042