Author(s)

Ekengele Nga Léopold^1*, Danala Danga Sabine¹, Zo’o Zame Philémon², Myung Chae Jung³

¹Department of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Ngaoundere, Ngaoundere, Cameroon.
²Department of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of YaoundeI, Yaounde, Cameroon.
³Department of Energy and Mineral Resources Engineering, Sejong University, Seoul, South Korea.

Concentrations of metals (As, Cr, Cd, Fe, Ni, Pb, Sb, and Zn) in soil samples from Kombo-Laka were investigated. The area under study is subjected to traditional gold mining and receives various wastes from miners and mining activities. Direct observations on the field displayed the destruction of soils by this activity. An assessment of pollution was performed using an Enrichment Factor (EF) and geoaccumulation index (I_geo). Levels of As, Cr, Cd, Cu, Pb and Sb in soil samples were above average in the Upper Continental Crust (UCC). EF revealed anthropogenic sources for Cd, As and Sb in these soils. I_geo indicates that Kombo-Laka soils are moderately to extremely polluted with As and Sb. There are high to very high positive correlations among the metals suggesting their possible common sources. This study reveals that traditional gold mining activities in the area are harmful to the environment.

Kombo-Laka, Soils, Gold Mining, Pollution, Heavy Metals

Léopold, E. , Sabine, D. , Philémon, Z. and Jung, M. (2016) Physical and Metals Impact of Traditional Gold Mining on Soils in Kombo-Laka Area (Meiganga, Cameroon). International Journal of Geosciences, 7, 1102-1121. doi: 10.4236/ijg.2016.79084.