Distribution of Elements Present in Sand Samples Collected from Selected Mining Sites in Ijero-Ekiti, Nigeria

Abstract

This study examines the elemental composition of sand samples from four mining sites in Ijero-Ekiti, Nigeria, using Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-AES). Quantitative analysis revealed that iron (Fe) was the most abundant measured element (up to ~8.76 ppm), followed by manganese (Mn, ~2.37 ppm), lithium (Li, ~0.39 ppm), silicon (Si, ~0.22 ppm), nickel (Ni, ~0.05 ppm), aluminium (Al, ~0.035 ppm), and tantalum (Ta, ~0.024 ppm). All detected elements occur at trace concentrations (well below 0.01% by weight), indicating that these sand deposits contain only minor amounts of metal constituents. In particular, the low measured silicon likely reflects incomplete dissolution of quartz during sample preparation; quartz (SiO₂) is known to be the dominant component of sand in this region. The presence of Fe, Mn, and other trace elements suggests typical weathering of local basement rocks. However, the very low concentrations imply limited immediate economic potential for metal extraction. These data do confirm the presence of quartz and alumina minerals (silicon and aluminium in any form), which are important for glass and ceramics industries, but further investigation is needed to quantify these in the sands. Overall, the findings provide baseline elemental concentrations for Ijero-Ekiti sands and indicate that their suitability for industrial use may depend on factors other than raw element abundance.