Lithostratigraphic Study of Cretaceous Outcrops Along the Gombe-Nafada Road, North East Nigeria

Cretaceous sedimentary outcrops exposed along the Gombe-Nafada road corridor in Gombe State, North East Nigeria, provide valuable windows into the stratigraphic architecture of the upper Benue Trough and its coal-bearing formations. This study undertakes a systematic lithostratigraphic investigation of these exposures, with the objective of establishing local stratigraphic sections, correlating lithological units across measured sections, and assessing the economic potential of identified coal seams. Field logging was conducted at intervals along a twenty-kilometre traverse, recording bed thicknesses, lithological descriptions, sedimentary structures, and fossil content. Representative samples of mudstones, sandstones, limestones, and carbonaceous shales were collected for petrographic and geochemical analyses. Proximate analysis was performed on coal and lignite samples to determine moisture content, volatile matter, ash content, and fixed carbon, enabling classification of the coal for potential energy applications. The study evaluates the stratigraphic position of coal seams relative to established Gombe Sandstone and Pindiga Formation boundaries. Correlation diagrams and lithostratigraphic columns are presented to synthesise the spatial relationships of key lithological units. Findings inform the Nigerian Coal Corporation's resource evaluation efforts and contribute to the geological mapping record of the North East zone. Keywords: lithostratigraphy, Cretaceous, Gombe State, coal, Benue Trough.