The Department may have produce many aspiring men and women but in counting its blessing it would prefer to record its achievements so far in the field of geological research carried under the auspices of the Department and through group cooperation where necessary. Results of postgraduate research which have made outstanding contributions to existing knowledge may also be Included:
The geology of the basement rocks which cover the whole of Zaria and its adjoining areas as well as the entire area of northwestern Nigeria became the first research target of the Department. It began with the reconnaissance mapping of the Zaria Degree Sheet No. 21 by Miss P. McCurry in 1970. Part of this map formed the basis for a very good M.Sc. thesis, the first for the mew Department. The maps together with an accompanying text based on the thesis was published in 1973 as Memoir No. 45 of the Overseas Geology and Mineral Resources series of the British Geological Survey. The research in this part of Nigeria has been sustained by the efforts of subsequent members of staff. Notable is Dr. Ajibade’s pioneering work on the structural re-interpretation of the basement which formed the basis of his doctoral thesis. A special bulletin of the Geological Survey of Nigeria to document the most important aspects of the above work is soon to be published. Several other theses have been concerned with the metallogenetic aspects of the northwestern Nigerian basement, results of which have been published in national and international journals. These studies have culminated in the documentation of any mineral occurrences including chromite and gold for which there is now a joint exploration by the Department and the Nigerian Mining Corporation, Jos.
The interest of the Department in the geology of the Chad Basin had been mentioned in n earlier section. In 1973 the Department published its research findings in No.3 of its Occasional Paper Series titled “Geological Possibilities for Chad Oil in Nigeria” a 35-page monograph by Professor A. Tokarski with an accompanying 1:2,000,000 map titled “Regional Geology Related to Chad Basin Subsurface Arrangement”.
In 1973 the University f St. Andrews and Ahmadu Bello University entered into collaborative research . on the tin-bearing rocks of the Jos Plateau and adjoining areas. The St. Andrews team was led by Dr. P Bowden while that of A.B.U. was led by Dr. D. C. Turner. The project covered the period 1974-80 during which funds came through the Research Scheme No. R.2679 awarded by the Overseas Development Administration of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, London under the direction of Dr. P. Bowden. The work provided an excellent opportunity for the participation of expatriate and indigenous geologists mostly through training for higher degrees.
A 1:500,00 geological map off the Nigerian Younger Granite Ring-Complexes and another on the scale of 1:250,000 for the Northern Ring Complexes were published to accompany several major publications covering the geology, geochemistry and mineralization of there ring-complexes. Notable among these publications are Memoir No. 61 of the Overseas Geology and Mineral Resources London by J. N. Bennett, D. C, Turner, E. C. Ike and P. Bowden; and Geologisches Jahrbuch Reihe B. Hefte 51, 1984 by P. Bowden, J. A. Kinnaird, S. I. Abaa, E. C. Ike and U. H. Turaki. Today, based on the findings of this project Nigeria is now known world-wide as providing a classic example of anorogenic magmatic centres and with proven resources of zinc, tin, Columbite, rare-earth minerals, uranium, among others.
Following the excellent pioneering work of some expatriate staff of the Geological Survey of Nigeria, staff of the Department of Geology A.B.u were encouraged to carry out detailed stratigraphical, sedimentological and palaeontological study of the Basin in the period 1974 – present. Prior to this period Dr. J. M. Harris in collaboration with personnel from the University of Florence, Italy had conducted preliminary fieldwork which yielded new fish and reptile remains and the search was on for early Tertiary mammals.
The research findings of Professor C. A. Kogbe in the period 1970 – 78 are documented in his “Geology of the South-Eastern (Sokoto) Sector of the Iullemmeden basin.” A 420-page monograph which updated the geology of the Basin.
Professor S. W. Petters began his palaeontological and sedimentological studies of the Sokoto Basin in 1974 and at present is still collaborating with the Department in further research in the area. He has published excellent papers from his findings.
The Departments of Geology and Physics of A.BU. have a long history of research in the Benue Valley beginning in the 1970’s. The International Workshop on the Origin, Structure and Mineral Resources of the Benue Valley was held at the Department of Geology during the period 17th- 22nd March 1980 to pull together the results of years of research of the international community including A.B.U. Geology and Physics Departments. The most important papers are published in Earth Evolution Sciences Vol. 2 of 1981.
The Department recognises the importance of groundwater resources development in the northern parts of the country for urban, rural, agricultural and industrial purposes. Various hydrogeological projects have been carried out by staff and postgraduate students in and around Zaria and beyond. Comparative studies have even taken research workers to as far as Imo and Oyo States.