Laboratory study of gold host geomaterials and its implication for mining safety and environmental protection

For geomaterials, understanding their behaviour is very crucial in determining their characteristics with respect to other materials and for mining safety as well as environmental protection. This work investigates the engineering characteristics of host rock for gold in Maru schist belt of North-western Nigeria. This was done to determine the overall implication of these characteristics for safety of mining operation of the material and protection of the environmental ecosystem. This was achieved by conducting physical and mechanical tests as well as index tests through grading and classifications, chemical analysis using X-ray fluorescence XRF, heavy metal analysis using atomic absorption spectroscopy AAS and mineralogical analysis through X-ray diffraction XRD on the soil and rock samples. The sample is poorly graded in nature. The chemical composition is dominated by silica (59.13–70.94%), hematite (9.53–18.05%) and alumina (1.12–12.36%). The mineralogy is dominated by quartz (22.1–51%), albite, muscovite, microcline and others. The chemical composition, mineralogical composition, porosity and rebound hardness value could be linked to the engineering characteristics of the samples and the practitioners working on these materials must ascertain their mechanical behavior for safety purposes. The samples have convergent characteristics and this indicates the absence of transitional behavior. The compressibility of samples is medium (0.23–0.25) and should be determined by the workers in order to ensure their safety. Lead, arsenic, nickel, copper and zinc are the significant heavy metals that could have adverse effects on humans and the environment. Therefore, heavy metals must be considered when working on these materials for mining safety and environmental protection.