Economic Mineral Potentials Of Tailing Dumps From Alluvial Mining In Parts Of Jos Plateau, Northcentral Nigeria

Abstract

Several tonnes of mine tailing dumps abound in the alluvial tin mining areas of the Jos Plateau. These tailings are considered low in contents of cassiterite, columbite, tantalite, zircon and other minerals normally won from tin mining. Four of these dumps in four different mines located in Barkin Ladi (BL), Gurum (GM), Sabon Gida Dan Yaya (SGDY) and Sabon Gida Kanar (SGK) have been studied to assess their economic potentials. Samples were collected and analysed using AAS for tin, niobium, tantalum and iron; colorimetry for titanium and gravimetry for zirconium. The results of the initial geochemical analyses showed the contents of tin (<0.4%), niobium (0.70-0.99%), tantalum (<0.4%), titanium (0.55-1.12%) and iron (2.07-6.58%), while zirconium was absent. Mineral processing using gravity and magnetic separators were employed to improve the concentrations. Separation by gravity method gave heavy mineral concentrates as 163g/kg (16.3%) for BL, 135g/Kg (13.5%) for GM, 179g/Kg (17.9%) for SGDY and 158g/Kg (15.8%) for SGK. No concentrates of magnetic minerals were recovered from magnetic separation. Second phase geochemical analyses of these concentrates for tin, niobium and tantalum showed increases in niobium (0.88-2.12%) and titanium (0.88-2.27%), but none for tin (0.15-0.38%). These results suggest that the tailing dumps under investigation were generally low in the concentrations of tin, niobium and tantalum and as a result are not economic to win with mechanized equipment

Keywords:Jos Plateau, Alluvial, Tin mines, Tailings, Recovery.

Global Journal of Geological Sciences Vol. 6 (1) 2008: pp. 41-16