ABSTRACT

The high resolution aeromagnetic data over Gboko and Katsina-Ala areas of the Middle Benue Trough, has been interpreted qualitatively and quantitatively to ascertain the accumulation potential for hydrocarbon and also delineate geologic structures that could host viable economic minerals. The Oasis Montaj 6.4.2 software was used throughout this work. Qualitatively, the results reveal that the study area is magnetically heterogeneous, having high and low frequency anomalies, indicating shallow and deep seated magnetic body emplacement. The lineament map shows the trends of geological contacts, faults, fractures and joints, which has its major orientation in the NE — SW. Quantitatively, to estimate the depth to basement, results from the spectral analysis show that the deep depth to magnetic sources range from 0.652 to 5.016 km with an overall average depth of 2.476 km, while the depth to the shallow sources ranges from 0.3 13 to 0.533 km with an overall average depth of 0.40 km. This indicates that the deepest depth to the basement is found around the Tsuwa region, which is south-west of Gboko area of the study location. The Source Parameter Imaging (SPI) depth result show that the value ranges from 103.6 (shallow magnetic bodies) to 3800.4 m (deep lying magnetic bodies). Result from the analytical depth show that the value ranges from 94.4 (shallow source body) to 3474.3 m (deep seated magnetic source body), which is still around Tsuwa region of the study area. Based on the quantitative interpretation using the Spectral analysis, Source Parameter Imaging and the Analytical depth, it was observed that the depth to basement (sedimentary thickness) is more than 2.3 km deep, hence, the area is favourable for hydrocarbon accumulation.