Assessment of Minerals and Trace Elements in Termiteria and Ten Meter (10 M) Adjacent Soils in Maiha Local Government Area of Adamawa State, Nigeria

Abstract

This work was aimed at assessing minerals and trace element contents of termiteria and ten meter adjacent surface soils during dry and rainy seasons. The study area (Maiha), was stratified into east and west sampling locations from which a termiterium and its ten meter adjacent soils were randomly selected for sampling from each sampling location. Termiteria samples were collected with core scoop in three places while adjacent surface soil samples were collected at 0 – 50 cm depth in April 2014 and August 2014 for the dry and rainy seasons respectively. Samples were dried, ground and sieved to powder form to obtain gross samples and test samples were obtained through cone and quartering process. Samples were analyzed for mineral contents with X-ray diffractometer (XRD) and for trace elements contents, with X-ray fluorescence (XRF) at National Geological Science Laboratory Kaduna, Nigeria. XRD analysis determined thirteen minerals which can be arranged  in terms of abumdance as: quartz (SiO2) > {microcline (K Al Si3O8), rutile TiO2} > montmorillonite (Na0.3(Al, Mg)2 4H2O(Si3.1 Al0.9) O10 (OH)2) > {brucite Mg(OH)2, covellite (CuS), dickite (Al2 Si2O5(OH)), dolomite (Ca.1.13Mg0.87 (CO3)2), greenalite (Fe3Si2O5(OH)4), ellite                         (K, H3O)Al2Si3AlO10(OH)2, muscovite-3T (K, Na)(Al, Mg, Fe)2Si4O10(OH)2.4H2O), orthoclase (K(Al, Fe)Si2O8), phillipsite (K Na Ca Fe Al Si6.39H2O),}. XRF analysis detected fifteen trace elements, viz: Zr > Ba > Ag >Sr > Rb > Eu > Ni >V > Re > Ir > Zn > Ga > Cu >Yb > Cr. Single factor analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed no  significant differences between contents of  termiteria and ten meter adjacent soils as well as  seasonal variation (P < 0.05). Termiteria can be used as a tool for mineral exploration. Eating termiteria and its ten meter adjacent soil should be done with caution due to their trace element contents.