Abstract
This study is focused on the geomorphology of surface sedimentary environments contained in the fluvial, tidal and wave-dominated areas of the Niger Delta. GIS techniques applied to high-quality Landsat and SPOT images were used to identify and map landforms and processes, as well as quantitatively characterise their metrics and spatial distribution. A detailed analysis shows that the extent of the Niger Delta is 70,000 km2, contrary to previous publications that reported 75,000 km2. The delta has also been remapped and classified into mega sedimentary environments: the upper deltaic plain is 69% of the total extent, while the lower deltaic plain and delta front are 25% and 6% respectively. Other subunits were distinguished and mapped within the upper deltaic plain such as fluvial channels, point bars, braid bars, oxbow lakes, and other lakes. Tidal channels, beaches and spits were identified in the lower deltaic plain and delta front. The geometries of these sedimentary bodies (landforms) appear to be relatively scale-invariant, thus meaning that from the measurement of some dimensional parameters (e.g. the length) it is possible to estimate all others (e.g. the width and overall extent). This is an aspect of great relevance in subsurface analyses where it is often difficult to predict the extent of sedimentary bodies. The correlation between channel width and length (r2 = 0.9), is the strongest relationship found between sedimentary body metrics.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 103592 |
Number of pages | 19 |
Journal | Journal of African Earth Sciences |
Volume | 160 |
Early online date | 14 Aug 2019 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1 Dec 2019 |
Bibliographical note
Chinotu Franklin George would like to thank his sponsor: Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) and SPDC Port Harcourt for providing the satellite images used. He expresses his gratitude to his mentors: Dr. K. O. Ladipo and late Professor L. C. Amajor, and to Ms. Okwuchi Omekara for the technical support, she offered for data assembly.Keywords
- sedimentary environments
- Niger Delta
- geomorphic units
- landforms
- recent sand body geometries
- deltaic analogues
- Landforms
- Deltaic analogues
- Sedimentary environments
- Geomorphic units
- Recent sand body geometries
- Niger delta