Different rock types from the area northeast of Obudu, southeastern Nigeria were investigated in
order to place constraints on their metamorphic conditions. Detailed petrographic studies indicate
four main rock groups in the studied area, namely migmatitic gneiss, migmatitic schist, granite gneiss
and a minor amount of amphibolite, metagabbro and dolerite. The chemistry of minerals in these
rocks is used to estimate metamorphic pressure and temperature (P-T) using appropriate
geothermometers and geobarometers. The estimated temperature for migmatitic gneiss of the area is
~600–625 °C and 600–650 °C for migmatitic schist; the pressure is ~ 8 kbar. For amphibolite the
temperature is ~600–700 °C and pressure is 8–12 kbar. The estimated pressures and temperatures for
the northeast Obudu rocks correspond to upper amphibolite to lower granulite facies metamorphism.
The metamorphism occurred due to continent-continent collision during the Pan-African orogeny,
most likely during the D1 deformational phase of the area. The recorded high pressures possibly
resulted from crustal thickening in the area. P-T conditions for Pan-African orogeny in northeast
Obudu area are in good agreement with P-T estimations for the Pan-African event in adjacent areas.
Key words: Pan-African orogeny, Nigeria, Obudu, upper amphibolite-lower granulite facies
Introduction
The Precambrian basement terrane in Nigeria is located in the Neo-Proterozoic
to Early Phanerozoic Pan-African Trans-Saharan mobile belt that stretches from
North Africa to Brazil, and has boundaries with the West African Craton to the
Addresses: *Corresponding author: M. Moazzen: University of Tabriz, 51664, Tabriz, Iran
Phone: +98 411 339 2679, e-mail: moazzen@tabrizu.ac.ir
Received: October 20, 2008, accepted: January 22, 2009
1788-2281/$ 20.00 © 2008 Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest
Central European Geology, Vol. 51/4, pp. 359–378 (2008)
DOI: 10.1556/CeuGeol.51.2008.4.5
P-T conditions of Pan-African orogeny
in southeastern Nigeria
Bassey E. Ephraim Barth N. Ekwueme
Department of Geology, Niger Delta University, Department of Geology
Wilberforce Island, Bayelsa State, Nigeria University of Calabar, Calabar, Nigeria
Mohssen Moazzen* Monir Modjarrad
Department of Geology, University of Tabriz, Department of Geology,
Tabriz, Iran University of Urmia, Urmia, Iran