Pa Jpet Vol 01 Issue 01 - 05
Pa Jpet Vol 01 Issue 01 - 05
Pa Jpet Vol 01 Issue 01 - 05
Received 20-04-2021
Accepted for publication 14-05-2021
Published 21-05-2021
Abstract
Magnetic measurements, mineralogical and geochemical studies were carried out on surface
soil samples in order to delineate susceptibility distribution and to find possible relationships
based on paleomagnetic implications in some part of Kalambaina Area of Sokoto Northwestern
Nigeria. Geomorphologically, this area is generally gentle, with occasionally tabular, capped
by resistance laterites. Elevation generally decreases towards the northwest around the Nigeria
- Niger Republic boarder with an average elevation of about 215 above mean sea level. A
total of 90 sample were measured at random with DSM-10 susceptibility Kappa metre as well
20 core drilling samples were collected for further XRF geochemical analysis. Mass specific
susceptibility value ranges between 11.2 × 10 and 1.4 − 8.2 × 10 and magnetic
remanence at 1 values range between 10 × 10 and 0.5 − 9.0 × 10 as well as 0.5 −
7.4 × 10 . Chemical analysis by Xray Fluorescence analysis revealed the presence
concentration of various elements with their percentage composition (%) and the percentage
composition of calcium carbonate ( ) content between > 40% and < 70%, > 70% and
< 80%, core drilling depth and overburden thickness of a limestone Layer and Overburden.
Has also revealed low- and high-grade calcium carbonate content.
Keywords: Paleomagnetic; Susceptibility Measurement; Geochemical Analysis; Soil Samples; Kalambaina Formation
In the last 30 years, a growing number of studies using the 5° 10.398′ – 5° 10.745′ in Northwestern part of Nigeria.
techniques of magnetism of rocks has been applied to The study area covered about 59570 and is easily
environmental problems, thus creating a new branch of accessible through network of roads. Geomorphologically,
research commonly called “environmental magnetism” [5]. this area is generally gentle, with occasionally tabular hills,
This methodology is fast, economic and can be applied in capped by resistant laterites. Elevation generally decreases
various research fields, such as environmental monitoring, towards the northwest around the Nigeria – Niger Republic
pedology, paleoclimatology, limnology, archeology and boarder with an average elevation of about 215 above mean
stratigraphy. Recent studies have demonstrated the advantages sea level.
and the potential of the environmental magnetism methods as
valuable aids in the detection and delimitation of areas
affected by pollution [6-10].
One parameter often used in environmental magnetism
studies is the magnetic susceptibility. This parameter is easy
to measure and does not involve the destruction of the sample,
therefore, left available for additional analyses. The
measurement of the magnetic susceptibility of the surface soil
layers has been used as a proxy to contamination from
different pollution sources, diffuse and stationary [11-12].
Establishing a link between the concentration (and
characteristics) of ferrimagnetic minerals and the heavy metal
contents has been a challenge for a number of authors [13].
Magnetic parameters measured in soil profiles provide
information that allows us to establish a limit in depth
indicating the transition from the “polluted” to the deeper,
“unpolluted” zone in contaminated natural soil [8]. Fig. 1 Location Map of the Study Area (Adopted from
Magnetic methods should be considered as a first choice and Google Earth, 2019)
an appropriate strategy when conducting surveys [8] and they
can be a helpful indicator when targeting and selecting III. TECTONIC SETTING AND GEOLOGY OF THE STUDY AREA
sampling sites for subsequent geochemical analyses. These The Sokoto Basin of northwestern Nigeria consists
methods allow us to target the area most affected by pollution predominantly of a gentle undulating plain with an average
near roads and highways or industrial units, such as steel elevation varying from 250 − 400 above sea level. This
smelters [14-17], power plants [18-20] and cement plants [21]. monotonous plain is occasionally interrupted by steep-sided,
These are the preferred areas for sampling in order to flat-topped hills. A low escarpment, which was named as the
investigate the level of contamination by toxic elements like “Dange Scarp” by earlier workers, is the most prominent
heavy metals, with consequent benefits in saving time, feature in the basin, and is closely related to the geology (Fig.
manpower and materials. Any protective and remedial actions 2). The area to the east of this escarpment consists of
will be applied more rationally when being restricted to these predominantly of a gentle undulating, sandy plain, which
areas. In addition to the studies mentioned above, which can extends southwestwards to the Basement Complex boundary.
be described as the classic use of environmental magnetism The escarpment itself has undergone intensive erosion. The
with the aim to quantify pollution levels in air, sediments and edge is marked with a high drainage density indicating active
soils, some authors have been concerned with the stream dissection resulting in deeply incised ravines with
standardization of procedures and compatibility of numerous mesas and outliers scattered on the plains to the east
instruments used in previous research [22]. This study attempt [23]. In northwestern Nigeria the sediments of the
to (1) measure the In-situ magnetic parameters of various Iullemmeden Basin were deposited during three main phases
rocks, such as delineation of magnetic susceptibility ( ) of deposition: continental Mesozoic and Tertiary phases, with
distribution, hence the concentration of Fe-bearing mineral (2) an intervening marine Maastrichtian to Paleocene phase (Fig.
Identify magnetic minerals responsible for the Magnetization 2). Overlying the Pre-Cambrian basement unconformably, the
(3) study the magnetic parameters, the chemical contents and Illo and Gundumi Formations, made up of grifts and clays,
the mineralogical composition in order to characterize the soil; form part of the “Continental Intercalier” of West Africa. They
and (4) to find possible relationships between the measured are overlain unconformably by the Maastrichtian Rima Group,
parameters. consisting of mudstones and friable sandstones (Taloka and
Wurno Formations), separated by the fossiliferous shaly
II. LOCATION AND ACCESSIBILITY OF THE STUDY AREA Dukamaje Formation. The Paleocene Dange and Gamba
The study area lies between latitudes Formations (mainly shales) are separated by calcareous
13° 03.83′ – 13° 03.748′ and longitudes Kalambaina Formation. The overlying continental Gwandu
found in site 3 which suggest the soil is not affected by increased soil magnetic iron, bearing content [25]. In site
remanent magnetization. 1, the volume of magnetic susceptibility ranged from 1.6 ×
10 − 11.8 × 10 . Within the same area, the total
content of cobalt varied from 1.5 − 12.6, that of arsenic from
0.5 − 6.8, and copper from 6 − 62 / . On the tables,
contamination by these heavy elements is found to be
consistent with magnetic minerals of soils (through magnetic
susceptibility) and relate to the concentrations of
mineralogical composition (see Table 1, 2 & 3). Mapping of
the magnetic susceptibility enables a detailed assessment of
soil contamination with heavy metals over a large area (Fig.
7).
Oxide ( ) and Calcium Carbonate ( ). Some versus − rich) of the magnetite exert important control
samples have low quantities of magnetite/ maghemite (< on the metal fixation.
3 %). This result corroborates with the findings of other
TABLE 1. MINERAL COMPOSITION OF SOILS SAMPLES
authors [15, 26]. Other samples showed traces of Calcium ANALYSIS BY XRD OF SITE 1, HEIDELBERG TECHNOLOGY
carbonate and Hematite. Hematite and Manganese have been CENTRE, GERMANY.
found in several locations as a secondary mineral deposit
within the study area [27-28]. In this study, we consider that
the existence of this mineral which is probably related with
Sokoto cement mining site upstream of Kalambaina formation
in the village of Katere, Gatere, near Wamako [29]. The
spatial variation of the core-drilled values of Katere site 1,
Gatere site 2 and Quarry Kalambaina site 3 in soil profile
shown in (Fig. 9, 10 & 11). The core values of soils from
Katere site 1, representing the higher level of soil thickness,
ranged from (1.6 − 3.55 ) across the study area. Low
enhancement of overburden thickness of (0.9 − 3.05 ) in
Quarry Kalambaina site 3, could be reported to the process of
soil formation in the area of study. Spatial variation plot of TABLE 2. MINERAL COMPOSITION OF SOILS SAMPLES
(Fig. 10) revealed the slight increase in alluvium overburden ANALYSIS BY XRD OF SITE 2, HEIDELBERG TECHNOLOGY
CENTRE, GERMANY.
thickness (1.49 − 2.76 ) in its surface horizon and steeply
decrease from upper horizon (0.57 − 1.9 ), thus suggesting
to contribution of anthropogenic origin. The clay fraction of
the analysed soils is characterized by a rather uniform clay
mineral assemblage. The XRD analysis shows that silicates
mineral (average 28.90 %), kaolinite (average 1.5 %), calcite
(average 38 %) and irregular Hematite-magnetite mixed
layers (average 6.82 %) and Calcium carbonate
(average 69.26 %) are the major clay mineral groups
identified. These results are similar to the clay mineral suite
observed in the quarry site of Sokoto cement company [2]. No
significant correlations are found between clay mineralogy
and the magnetic data. Correlations between R index
(calculated for the main clay minerals) and the magnetic TABLE 3. MINERAL COMPOSITION OF SOILS SAMPLES
ANALYSIS BY XRD OF SITE 3, HEIDELBERG TECHNOLOGY
parameters show significant correlation between core drilling
CENTRE, GERMANY.
depth (R calculated for limestone layer) and Overburden
thickness (the correlation is negative but significant at the
8.43 level), between magnetic susceptibility distribution
parameters (R calculated for Aluminium oxide . These
correlations are significant at < 0.05 level (Table 2).
Correlations between R index and heavy metals show
significant correlation between core drill and Concentration
content, and between content (correlations are
significant at 0.05 level and at 0.01 level, respectively) (Table TABLE 4(a). CORE DRILL LOG DATA OF SOILS OF SITE 1,
1). The degree of crystallinity has an important bearing on the HEIDELBERG TECHNOLOGY CENTRE, GERMANY.
Thickness (m)
2
0
1 2 3
Sample Core Drilling
VI. CONCLUSION
Spatial variation of magnetic susceptibility shows a
characteristic distribution with higher values near the quarry
of Northern Sokoto Cement. Near the quarry, these values are
associated with ferromagnetic material produced by industrial
pollution. The analysis of in-situ magnetic susceptibility
distribution acquisition spatial plot suggests that the main
magnetic phases present in the samples are ferrimagnetic
Katere_Core Drilled Log, Site 1 structures (e.g. magnetite/maghemite). Results obtained
demonstrated that magnetic susceptibility distribution has a
4 good correlation with heavy metals so this parameter can be
Thickness (m)
Recent Localities: 7th African Micropal. Coll. Ile- based on magnetic analysis”, Stud. Geophys. Geod.,
Ife, Nigeria, 1976, pp. 75-87. vol. 54, pp. 185–194, 2010.
[5] R. Thompson., J. A. Bloemendal, J. Dearing, F. [18] Z. Strzyszcz, T. Magiera, and F. Heller, “The
Oldfield, T. A. Rummery, J. C. Stober, and G. M. influence of industrial emissions on the magnetic
Turner, “Environmental Applications of Magnetic susceptibility of soils in Upper Silesia”, Stud.
Measurements”, Science, vol. 207, pp. 481– Geophys. Geod., vol. 40, pp. 276–286, 1996.
486,1980. [19] A. Kapicka, E. Petrovsky, S. Ustjak, and K.
[6] L. Bityukova, R. Scholger, and M. Birke, “Magnetic Machackova, “Proxy mapping of fly-ash pollution of
susceptibility as indicator of environmental pollution soils around a coal-burning power plant: a case study
of soils in Tallinn”, Phys. Chem. Earth, vol. 24, pp. in the Czech Republic”, J. Geoch. Explor., vol. 66,
829–35, 1999. pp. 291–297, 1999.
[7] T. Boyko, R. Scholger, and H. Stanjek, “Topsoil [20] L. Veneva, V. Hoffmann, D. Jordanova, N.
magnetic susceptibility mapping as a tool for Jordanova, and T. Fehr, “Rock magnetic,
pollution monitoring: reputability of in situ mineralogical and microstructural characterization of
measurements”, J. Appl. Geophys., vol. 55, pp. 249– fly ashes from Bulgarian power plants and the nearby
259, 2004. anthropogenic soils”, Phys. Chem. Earth, vol. 29, pp.
[8] U. Blaha, E. Appel, and H. Stanjek, “Determination 1011–1023, 2004.
of anthropogenic boundary depth in industrially [21] B. J. Gołuchowska, “Some factors affecting an
polluted soil and semi quantification of heavy metal increase in magnetic susceptibility of cement dusts”,
loads using magnetic susceptibility”, Environ. J. Appl. Geophys., vol. 48, pp. 103–112, 2001.
Pollut., vol. 156, pp. 278–289, 2008. [22] L. Schibler, T. Boyko, M. Ferdyn, B. Gajda, S. Holl,
[9] S. G. Lu, H. Y. Wang, and S. Q. Bai, “Heavy metal N. Jordanova, and W. Rosler, “Topsoil magnetic
contents and magnetic susceptibility of soils along an susceptibility mapping: Data reproducibility and
urban-rural gradient in rapidly growing city of compatibility, measurement strategy”, Stud.
eastern China”, Environ. Monit., vol. 155, pp. 91– Geophys. Geod., vol. 46, pp. 43–57, MAGPROX
101, 2009. doi:10.1007/s10661-008-0420-5. Team, 2002.
[10] D. Matysek, H. Raclavska, and K. Raclavsky, [23] C. A. Kogbe, “Geology of the Upper Cretaceous and
“Correlation Between Magnetic Susceptibility and Lower Tertiary Sediments of the Nigerian Sector of
Heavy Metal Concentrations in Forest Soils of the the Iullemmeden Basin (West Africa)”, Geologische
Eastern Czech Republic”, J. Environ. Eng. Geophys., Runds-chau, vol. 62, no. 1, pp. 197-211, Stuttgart,
vol. 13, pp. 13–26, 2008. 1972.
[11] C. R. Gomes, J. Dias, L. Neves, A. Rocha, and E. [24] X. Li and I. Thornton, “Arsenic, antimony and
Gomes, “Relationships between Magnetic properties bismuth in soil and pasture herbage in some old
and heavy metals in Nerium oleander leaves and soils metalliferous mining areas in England”, Environ.
(Viseu, Central Portugal)”, Geochim. Cosmochim. Geoch. and Health, vol. 15, pp. 135-144, 1993.
Acta, 71, A340–A340, Suppl. S AUG. 2006. [25] M. El Baghdadi, A. Barakat, M. Sajieddine and S.
[12] V. Hoffmann, M. Knab, and E. Appel, “Magnetic Nadem, “Heavy metal pollution and soil magnetic
susceptibility mapping of roadside pollution”, J. susceptibility in urban soil of Beni Mellal City
Geoch. Explor., vol. 6, no. 6, pp. 313–326, 1999. (Morocco), Environ. Earth Sci., pp. 1–15, 2011.
[13] M. Hanesch, and R. Scholger, “Mapping of heavy doi:10.1007/s12665-011-1215-5.
metals loading in soils by means of magnetic [26] Heidelberg Technology Centre Germany
susceptibility measurements”, Environ. Geol., vol. DATEN_GEO/Africa/Nigeria/CCNN_Sokoto/Core-
42, pp. 857–870, 2002. Samples.xls. 2007.
[14] O. Durza, “Heavy metals contamination and [27] V. A. Sarma, and G. S. Murti, “Plumbogummite
magnetic susceptibility in soils around metallurgical minerals in Indian soils, Geoderma, vol. 3, pp. 321–
plant”, Phys. Chem. Earth., vol. 24, pp. 541–543, 327, 1970.
1999. [28] J. O. Nriagu, “Lead orthophosphates–IV Formation
[15] M. A. E. Chaparro, J. C. Bidigain, and A. M Sinito, and stability in the environment”, Geoch.
“Magnetic study applied to different environments Cosmochim. Acta, vol. 38, pp. 887–898, 1974.
(soils and stream sediments) from relatively polluted [29] C. A. Kogbe, “Paleogeographic History of Nigeria
area in Buenos Aires province, Argentina”, Environ. from Albian Times. Geology of Nigeria, ed.
Geol., vol. 45, pp. 654–664, 2004. Elizabethan Pub. Co., Lagos, 1976 pp. 237-252.
[16] M. Hanesch, G. Maier, and R. Scholger, “Mapping [30] Y. N Vodyanitskii and S. A. Shoba, “Magnetic
heavy metal distribution by measuring the magnetic Susceptibility as an Indicator of Heavy Metal
susceptibility of soils”, J. Geophys., vol. 107, pp. Contamination of Urban Soils (Review)”, Moscow
605–608, 2003. University Soil Science Bulletin, vol. 70, no. 1, pp.
[17] O. Rosowiecka and J. Nawrocki, “Assessment of 13 – 20, 2015. ISSN 0147 – 6874, Allerton Press, Inc.
soils pollution extent in surroundings of ironworks