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Critical evaluation of weathering indexes for paleoclimatic reconstructions: indication from recent sediments and Mesozoic sedimentary rocks from equatorial to tropical Central Africa (Cameroon and Nigeria)

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Abstract

An evaluation was done to better understand the utilization of empirical formulas and discrimination diagrams in the determination of sediment origin, frequently in Central Africa. For this purpose, a database was established for geochemical data (major and trace elements) collected from present-day environments or Mesozoic deposits with variable environments and source geologies from two countries of Central Africa (Cameroon and Nigeria). The plotting of modern sediments and ancient rocks in the same diagrams has revealed the low impact of diagenetic processes on the chemical compositions. The results suggest that the proximal provenance proposed by several authors that used empirical formulas and discriminant diagrams to infer the origin of sediments are not always appropriate for all types of sediments. This study shows that chemical index of weathering (CIW) and plagioclase index of alteration (PIA) derive from chemical index of alteration (CIA). It is therefore recommended that they should be used with caution while taking into account the regional geological settings, the location of source area, the paleoweathering of source rocks, and hydraulic-sorting effects. In addition, it is also recommended to use other diagrams such mobile alkaline earth metals versus chemical index of alteration (CIA).

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank the organizing committee of the Zoom Global Conference on “Provenance analysis of sediments” that helped to initiate this work. The authors are grateful to the Editor-in-Chief of Arabian Journal of Geosciences (Abdullah M. Al-Amri), Prof. Eduardo Garzanti from the University of Milano-Bicocca (Italia) and anonymous reviewers for constructive comments that considerably improved the final version of this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Earth Sciences, University of Yaoundé I, P.O. Box 812, Yaoundé, Cameroon

    Paul-Désiré Ndjigui, Armel Zacharie Ekoa Bessa & Elisé Sababa

  2. Department of Biological Sciences, High Teachers’ Training College, University of Yaoundé I, P.O. Box 47, Yaoundé, Cameroon

    Estelle Ndome Effoudou Priso

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  1. Paul-Désiré Ndjigui
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  2. Armel Zacharie Ekoa Bessa
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  3. Estelle Ndome Effoudou Priso
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Correspondence to Paul-Désiré Ndjigui.

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Ndjigui, PD., Bessa, A.Z.E., Priso, E.N.E. et al. Critical evaluation of weathering indexes for paleoclimatic reconstructions: indication from recent sediments and Mesozoic sedimentary rocks from equatorial to tropical Central Africa (Cameroon and Nigeria). Arab J Geosci 16, 415 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-023-11462-6

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