PLAUSIBILITY THAT A CONTINUOUS WEST-EAST TRENDING FAULT TRAVERSES THE 12TH CROSS PROFILE AT THE SOUTHERN HALF OF THE 8 KM2 PHASE II DEVELOPMENT, GIDAN KWANO CAMPUS, MINNA, NIGERIA

Abstract

The recognisable faulting regime at the southern half of the 8 km2 Phase II Development, Gidan Kwano Campus, is the vestigial northeast-southwest cross-country lineament that defines the Kazaure-Karaukarau-Kushaka-Ilesha Schist Belt. This belt of schist lithology of circa 800 m width and some 700 km length is “sandwiched” between a dominant granite mass to the northwest and southeast with some prominent showing of gneissic rock-mass at this southeast plain. A route of inquiry as part of the endeavour to create a purpose-specific corpus of geo-centric information for the Phase II Development leads to the question of the presence of continuous east-west or west-east faulting regimes as subordinate zones of permeation within the main NE-SW-trending lineament. The aforementioned “route of inquiry” centred on validating the conclusion drawn with respect to the hydro-centric nature of neighbouring principal survey stations along the 12th cross-profile of the half-scale 4 km2 areal extent that is the southern Phase II Development. Whilst a core vertical electrical sounding study at this half-scale 4 km2 areal extent placed stringent constraint on conclusions that can be reached on hydro-centric prospects, it is observed that it is within the realm of plausibility that a 2000 m length of west-east faulting signature traverses the 12th cross-profile. It is thus recommended that a suite of constant separation traverse and very low-frequency electromagnetic survey be carried out along the 12th cross-profile to test if this is a “wet” fault-line for its entire west-east length. Also, series of corresponding cross-profiles north and south of the 12th cross-profile should be investigated in the format that is posited.