Dr. Prince Owusu Agyemang, PhD
Biography
Prince Owusu Agyemang is a Research Worker in the Geosciences at James Cook University in Townsville who has recently completed his PhD. His research topic was Mesozoic detrital zircon provenance of Central Africa: implications for Jurassic-Cretaceous Tectonics, Paleogeography and Landscape Evolution. Prior to starting his PhD studies, Mr. Owusu Agyemang worked as a logging geologist for Baker Hughes in Aberdeen, Scotland. He has also worked as projects officer for KITE in Accra, Ghana.
Mr. Owusu Agyemang has Bsc Geological Engineering degree from University of Science and Technology, Kumasi Ghana; Msc Sustainable Energy Systems from London South Bank University, London, UK and Bsc (Hons) Geology from James Cook University, Townsville, Australia. His research interest includes detrital zircon studies, geochronology basin analysis, enhanced oil recovery, sedimentology, landscape evolution and paleogeography.
Research
Mesozoic Detrital Zircon Provenance of Central Africa: Implications for Jurassic-Cretaceous Tectonics, Paleogeography and Landscape Evolution.
The Jurassic–Cretaceous geology of Central Africa remains poorly understood and much debate still exists about the tectonics, paleodrainage patterns, basins and landscape evolution. By comparison with other time periods and portions of the African continent, the Jurassic–Cretaceous of Central Africa is unclear (e.g., King, 1963; Partridge and Maud, 1987; Guiraud and Maurin, 1991; Thomas and Shaw, 1988; Cox, 1989; Ebinger and Sleep, 1998; Moore and Larkin, 2001; Burke et al., 2003; Goudie, 2005; Guiraud et al., 2005; Stankiewicz and de Wit, 2006; Moore et al., 2009; Roberts et al., 2012; Gaina et al., 2013).
My research project is investigating a number of continental sedimentary basins in Central Africa, with a focus on Jurassic–Cretaceous tectonics, paleogeography and landscape evolution. U-Pb zircon geochronology, Lu-Hf isotope geochemistry, paleocurrent analysis and facies analysis are the main tools I have employed in this study, to investigate Jurassic–Cretaceous borehole–cores and outcrop samples from a number of continental sedimentary basins in Central Africa. The U–Pb detrital zircon geochronology/geochemistry is adopted as the principal tool, to track sediment sources and pathways into basins and also help understand Mesozoic tectonics and its effect on landscape evolution in the region. The U–Pb geochronology and geochemistry techniques are useful for providing depositional age constraints in certain basins, particularly rift and arc–related basins. This approach can improve age resolution, particularly in continental sedimentary successions for which biostratigraphy is often imprecise or inconclusive, by identifying and dating the youngest detrital zircon suite from a particular horizon or sample.
The results of this study are expected to have major implications for alluvial diamond and hydrocarbon exploration in Central Africa. The outcome of my research is expected to provide an improved understanding of Mesozoic stratigraphy, paleogeography, landscape evolution of Africa. This expected to enhance the correlation and contextualization of Mesozoic tectonics and vertebrate faunas in Central Africa. Finally, the large datasets generated by this study that can be used to robustly test competing hypotheses on the Mesozoic paleo–fluvial drainage evolution of Central Africa through detailed sedimentary provenance analysis.
Selected Publications
2019. Owusu Agyemang, P.C., Roberts, E.M., Bussert, R., Evans, D., Muller, J. U-Pb detrital zircon constraints on the depositional age and provenance of the dinosaur-bearing Upper Cretaceous Wadi Milk Formation of Sudan. Cretaceous Research 97, 52-72.
2018. Owusu Agyemang, P.C., Roberts, E.M., Downie, B., Sertich, J.J.W. Sedimentary provenance and maximum depositional age analysis of the Cretaceous? Lapur and Muruanachok sandstones (Turkana Grits), Turkana Basin, Kenya. Geological Magazine, DOI:10.1017/S0016756818000663
2016. Owusu Agyemang, P.C., Roberts, E. M., & Jelsma, H. A. (2016). Late jurassic-cretaceous fluvial evolution of central Africa: Insights from the Kasai-Congo Basin, Democratic Republic Congo. Cretaceous Research, doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2016.06.013
Contact Me
Email - [email protected]
LinkedIn - Click here for Profile
Prince Owusu Agyemang is a Research Worker in the Geosciences at James Cook University in Townsville who has recently completed his PhD. His research topic was Mesozoic detrital zircon provenance of Central Africa: implications for Jurassic-Cretaceous Tectonics, Paleogeography and Landscape Evolution. Prior to starting his PhD studies, Mr. Owusu Agyemang worked as a logging geologist for Baker Hughes in Aberdeen, Scotland. He has also worked as projects officer for KITE in Accra, Ghana.
Mr. Owusu Agyemang has Bsc Geological Engineering degree from University of Science and Technology, Kumasi Ghana; Msc Sustainable Energy Systems from London South Bank University, London, UK and Bsc (Hons) Geology from James Cook University, Townsville, Australia. His research interest includes detrital zircon studies, geochronology basin analysis, enhanced oil recovery, sedimentology, landscape evolution and paleogeography.
Research
Mesozoic Detrital Zircon Provenance of Central Africa: Implications for Jurassic-Cretaceous Tectonics, Paleogeography and Landscape Evolution.
The Jurassic–Cretaceous geology of Central Africa remains poorly understood and much debate still exists about the tectonics, paleodrainage patterns, basins and landscape evolution. By comparison with other time periods and portions of the African continent, the Jurassic–Cretaceous of Central Africa is unclear (e.g., King, 1963; Partridge and Maud, 1987; Guiraud and Maurin, 1991; Thomas and Shaw, 1988; Cox, 1989; Ebinger and Sleep, 1998; Moore and Larkin, 2001; Burke et al., 2003; Goudie, 2005; Guiraud et al., 2005; Stankiewicz and de Wit, 2006; Moore et al., 2009; Roberts et al., 2012; Gaina et al., 2013).
My research project is investigating a number of continental sedimentary basins in Central Africa, with a focus on Jurassic–Cretaceous tectonics, paleogeography and landscape evolution. U-Pb zircon geochronology, Lu-Hf isotope geochemistry, paleocurrent analysis and facies analysis are the main tools I have employed in this study, to investigate Jurassic–Cretaceous borehole–cores and outcrop samples from a number of continental sedimentary basins in Central Africa. The U–Pb detrital zircon geochronology/geochemistry is adopted as the principal tool, to track sediment sources and pathways into basins and also help understand Mesozoic tectonics and its effect on landscape evolution in the region. The U–Pb geochronology and geochemistry techniques are useful for providing depositional age constraints in certain basins, particularly rift and arc–related basins. This approach can improve age resolution, particularly in continental sedimentary successions for which biostratigraphy is often imprecise or inconclusive, by identifying and dating the youngest detrital zircon suite from a particular horizon or sample.
The results of this study are expected to have major implications for alluvial diamond and hydrocarbon exploration in Central Africa. The outcome of my research is expected to provide an improved understanding of Mesozoic stratigraphy, paleogeography, landscape evolution of Africa. This expected to enhance the correlation and contextualization of Mesozoic tectonics and vertebrate faunas in Central Africa. Finally, the large datasets generated by this study that can be used to robustly test competing hypotheses on the Mesozoic paleo–fluvial drainage evolution of Central Africa through detailed sedimentary provenance analysis.
Selected Publications
2019. Owusu Agyemang, P.C., Roberts, E.M., Bussert, R., Evans, D., Muller, J. U-Pb detrital zircon constraints on the depositional age and provenance of the dinosaur-bearing Upper Cretaceous Wadi Milk Formation of Sudan. Cretaceous Research 97, 52-72.
2018. Owusu Agyemang, P.C., Roberts, E.M., Downie, B., Sertich, J.J.W. Sedimentary provenance and maximum depositional age analysis of the Cretaceous? Lapur and Muruanachok sandstones (Turkana Grits), Turkana Basin, Kenya. Geological Magazine, DOI:10.1017/S0016756818000663
2016. Owusu Agyemang, P.C., Roberts, E. M., & Jelsma, H. A. (2016). Late jurassic-cretaceous fluvial evolution of central Africa: Insights from the Kasai-Congo Basin, Democratic Republic Congo. Cretaceous Research, doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2016.06.013
Contact Me
Email - [email protected]
LinkedIn - Click here for Profile