Stephen J. Mallo

Investigation of the geotechnical conditions of the Sub-soils around Yelwa North Central part of Nigeria was carried out in order to know the possible  causes of the infrastructural failures in the area. The investigation involves in-situ collection of the disturbed and undisturbed soil samples and were  analysed in the laboratory based on British Standard (BS) method for soil testing for civil engineers. Results of the study reveals that; The Atterberg limit  (Liquid limit ranged from 33.0% to 43.0%, Plastic limits from 16.23% to 26.37%, Linear shrinkage from 7.86% to 15.71%, Plasticity index from 7.63% to  24.77%). The Sieve analysis shows that; the percentage passing of the soil samples ranges from 31.62% to 67.60% which indicates poor materials. The  Direct shear test revealed that the cohesive strength (c) ranges from 13 kN/m2 to 24 kN/m2 , angle of internal friction (ø)° from 12° to 16° and unit weight  (ϒ) from 18.17 kN/m3 to 20.87 kN/m3 . From the Consolidation test; the Tot...

Acid mine drainage (AMD) is one of the most significant environmental challenges facing the mining industry worldwide. It occurs as a result of natural oxidation of sulphide minerals contained in mining wastes at developmental, operating and closed/decommissioned mine sites. This contamination occurs when moving fresh surface water interacts with the rock through fissures, pores and faults, and over time it is changed chemically. These changes often make the water less than ideal for domestic use, and in extreme cases it can be dangerous. AMD may also adversely impact the surface water in streams and groundwater quality and land use due to its typical low pH, high acidity and elevated concentrations of metals and sulphate content. The development of AMD must be put under check because once it develops at a mine; its control can be difficult and expensive. Many a mining environment especially coal mining areas have suffered degradation as a result of acid mine drainage. The proposed ...

Over the past decade Nigerian has made attempt to liberalize its investment regime for mining by establishing the Mining Cadastre and privatizing formerly state-owned mineral assets. In response, Nigeria has in recent times witnessed increased interest in foreign direct mineral investment. The restructuring of fiscal and regulatory regime to encourage foreign investment, and the associated anticipated influx of mining capital, technology and skills will require appropriate capacity building in the mineral sector in order to transform traditional relationships between mining firms, local communities and the government. This transformation necessitates a re-evaluation of the technical capacity to capture the expected increased economic and social benefits from mineral production. Consequently, the challenges associated with capacity building in mining institutions are highlighted with the view of reviewing the roles of the private sector and government within the context of global eco...

The total staff and students population of the University of Jos currently stands at over ten thousand. As a second generation University, it is still expanding its academic programmes. This indicates that this population shall continue to rise in the not-so-distant future demanding for more domestic and sundry water consumption which even at present is over-stretched. Of the several proposed Engineering Departments which include Mechanical, Mining/Metallurgy, Agricultural, /Vetenary Medicine, Civil and Computer/ Electronic Departments, the Agricultural Engineering Department stands out as the most readily demanding especially when viewed from its potential to effectively contribute to the development of agriculture in Plateau State and the nation at large. The pending contribution of the department to enhance the production of the ever- demanding temperate crops being grown on the Plateau such as Apples. Citrus fruits, potatoes variety of vegetables and fruits, rose-flowers etc can...

That the mining of minerals contributes only a meager 0.3% to the GDP of the national economy given the enormous mineral potential of Nigeria, is disheartening to say the least. Many a reason has been attributed to this abysmal performance of the sector, with over-dependence on the country's vast and non-renewable oil resources as the most convincing reason. Organized mining having started over a centaury ago and specifically in 1903,as against the discovery of oil in 1956 indicates that all having been equal, un-employment, poverty, etc would have been presently only at its barest minimum. Nigeria's non-oil mineral resources consist of strategic Minerals that can thrust the nation into the committee of industrialized economies of the world. The paper examines the mineral potentials of Nigeria, the mineral policy framework, state of privatization of Public Mining Companies and its capacity to transform all sectors of the national economy through wealth creation, providing em...

The study area lies at the fringe of the Upper Benue Trough and the Basement Complex of Northern Nigeria and specifically between longitude 8<sup>o</sup>30ʹE and 8<sup>o</sup>33ʹ50.3ʺE and latitude 8<sup>o</sup>41ʹ9.7ʺN and 8<sup>o</sup>45ʹN. in order to ensure effective geotechnical study of the underlying rocks, ten (10) undisturbed representative samples were taken within a grid of 2.5km by 2.5km. The study established some geotechnical properties of the rocks such as water absorption under saturation with values ranging from 0.52-0.96(%); Compressive strength of rocks of 3.45-89.50(N/mm<sup>2</sup>); specific gravity of the rocks ranging from 2.5-3.75; with aggregate impact value of rocks ranging from 11.32-21.56 (%) which makes the rock adequate for array of construction material such as roads, foundations, concretes, dimension stones etc. The study characterises the rocks into granite (60 %); Schist (20%); Gneiss (10%...

The discovery of tin on the Jos Plateau in the early 1900s heralded the influx of several foreign and indigenous mining companies. Mention must be made especially of events in the 1950s when the introduction of mechanized mining by such mining companies like the Bisichi Jenta Ltd resulted in higher production of minerals. Bisichi Jenta Ltd a British mining company held several mining leases on the Jos Plateau and the neighboring states of the present Adamawa and Nasarawa States. An investigation into the mining activities of this company suggests that the company stood out amongst it pairs especially with regards to the effective deployment of hydraulic mining equipments and specifically the hydraulic Jigs which were later to be redesigned with the ingenuity of a Nigerian Engineer to meet local needs and consequently earning the patented name of Jentar Jigs internationally. The mining of cassiterite along old steams in the Kuru area witnessed the exploitation of tin and Columbite in...

The impact of water in surface and underground mining activities is of great concern to Mining Engineers and Geoscientists to the effect that its accumulation in excess quantity can render mining of minerals ineffective. Surface and underground mines must therefore constantly be dewatered in order to forestall over-flooding and its attended effects on mining machinery, infrastructures industrial health, and productivity. In mine planning and design the cost of dewatering of mines is often captured as capital costs at the initial stage of mine development and afterwards in the cause of mining as operating costs both playing significant roles in profit or loss of Mining companies. Mines are often excavated below the water table where mine voids serve as low-pressure sinks inducing groundwater to move to the openings from the surrounding saturated rock. The result is the dewatering of nearby rock units via drainage of fractures and water-bearing strata in contact with the mine workings...

Abstract: This work focuses mainly on the Geotechnical properties of mapped areas in Gombe town which forms part of the Upper Benue trough. Representative soil samples were collected from these areas and were investigated for their Geotechnical properties with a view to classifying for their suitability or otherwise for infrastructural development. Hitherto, this has not been done in the Gombe town area. The recent growth which is associated with urbanization in Gombe Township calls for appropriate geotechnical investigation of soils of the area. Twelve representative samples were collected from different locations of the mapped areas around Kanol, Hamatatu, Wurro Daji, Kalshing Forest, Titi Baba, Chongo, Danba, Wurro Ladde, Pantame, Tempure, Tonde, and Kulalum. Samples from each site were collected at 1m depth and analyzed using the following tests: Moisture content test, Particle size distribution test, Atterberg limit test, Specific gravity test, Compaction test. All these tests ...

The impact of water in surface and underground mining activities is of great concern to Mining Engineers and Geoscientists to the effect that its accumulation in excess quantity can render mining of minerals ineffective. Surface and underground mines must therefore constantly be dewatered in order to forestall over-flooding and its attended effects on mining machinery, infrastructures industrial health, and productivity. In mine planning and design the cost of dewatering of mines is often captured as capital costs at the initial stage of mine development and afterwards in the cause of mining as operating costs both playing significant roles in profit or loss of Mining companies. Mines are often excavated below the water table where mine voids serve as low-pressure sinks inducing groundwater to move to the openings from the surrounding saturated rock. The result is the dewatering of nearby rock units via drainage of fractures and water-bearing strata in contact with the mine workings...

Abstract: The major problem associated with the use of rock aggregates in engineering construction, is the difficulty of predicting their probable field performance. This is mainly due to the inadequate understanding of the decisive factors that control their engineering behavior. The mineralogy and fabric of the Miango granite porphyry was studied to assess their influence on engineering properties. The uniaxial compressive strength and aggregate crushing values show that the rocks are weak while other tests such as aggregate impact strength, water absorption, and absorption under saturation, soundness and specific gravity values are fairly good. However, thin section studies revealed three distinctive features which greatly influence the physico-mechanical properties: (a) abundant fractures of varying sizes (b) Sericitization of the orthoclase and or plagioclase feldspars (c) intergrowth of quartz and or orthoclase feldspars. The quartz grains shows extensive cracking which furthe...

The principal objective in geotechnical testing is to know the properties and behavior of soil as an engineering material. The performance of soil in engineering practice is greatly influenced by the natural environmental conditions and conditions imposed by construction of structures. The aim of soil testing is to obtain reasonably representative values of the soil properties that are reliable and have direct and significant bearing upon the solution of the practical problems involved especially in various aspects of civil engineering. This important more so that Nasarawa State is relatively young with high prospects for growth and development. Several representative samples taken at an average depth of 1.25 m have been studied within a 48 km 2 area with the view of establishing geotechnical properties of the soils around Nasarawa- Eggon and its environs. The study involves some geotechnical testing of soils such as Sieve Analysis, Atterburg Limits (Liquid, Plastic and Shrinkage Li...

A study of the sub-surface (Loto) mining activities around Kuru Village- a suburb of Jos City revealed the activities of Artisanal Miners where mining is presently being carried out on an old mining lease belonging to Bisichi Jenta Ltd. This former British mining company carried out mining activities in the 1950’s with intensity in area of coverage which suggests that the company stood out amongst its peers especially with regards to the effective deployment of mechanized mining using hydraulic mining equipments including the hydraulic Jigs, mine Dredges and large haulage machineries. The mining of cassiterite along two relatively adjacent steams in the Kuru area witnessed the exploitation of tin and Columbite initially in alluvial deposits in the downstream stream and graduating into elluvial and subsequently upstream to the primary source of decomposed granite. The hydraulic mining operation then concentrated in the mining of deposits with cut-off grades of more than 0.6g/ton. The...

Over the past decade Nigerian has made attempt to liberalize its investment regime for mining by establishing the Mining Cadastre and privatizing formerly state-owned mineral assets. In response, Nigeria has in recent times witnessed increased interest in foreign direct mineral investment. The restructuring of fiscal and regulatory regime to encourage foreign investment, and the associated anticipated influx of mining capital, technology and skills will require appropriate capacity building in the mineral sector in order to transform traditional relationships between mining firms, local communities and the government. This transformation necessitates a re-evaluation of the technical capacity to capture the expected increased economic and social benefits from mineral production. Consequently, the challenges associated with capacity building in mining institutions are highlighted with the view of reviewing the roles of the private sector and government within the context of global eco...

Acid mine drainage (AMD) is one of the most significant environmental challenges facing the mining industry worldwide. It occurs as a result of natural oxidation of sulphide minerals contained in mining wastes at developmental, operating and closed/decommissioned mine sites. This contamination occurs when moving fresh surface water interacts with the rock through fissures, pores and faults, and over time it is changed chemically. These changes often make the water less than ideal for domestic use, and in extreme cases it can be dangerous. AMD may also adversely impact the surface water in streams and groundwater quality and land use due to its typical low pH, high acidity and elevated concentrations of metals and sulphate content. The development of AMD must be put under check because once it develops at a mine; its control can be difficult and expensive. Many a mining environment especially coal mining areas have suffered degradation as a result of acid mine drainage. The proposed ...

Artisanal mining plays a pivotal role in alleviating poverty in the developing world, and contributes significantly to national revenues and foreign exchange earnings. Its contribution has been recognized by the United Nations and is being encouraged to be carried out in a sustainable and environmental friendly manner. This paper examines the characteristics of mining activities of a selected artisanal mining locality in Jos Plateau while underscoring the need for friendly environmental mining practice that will check the furtherance of menace of land degradation within acceptable measures pertinent to the industry. Two mining clusters were reviewed to ascertain the mining methods used and the extent of environmental degradation and exposures to possible radiation by the artisanal Miners. The traditional sub-Surface Loto mining methods were employed with little or no regard to health, safety and environmental considerations. Land subsidence observed in the mining environment resulte...

Abstract: The urgent demand for appropriate mitigation of the activities of Artisanal and Small-scale Miners in Africa has become necessary in view of the immense contribution of the mining activities to poverty alleviation in the continent. The concept of appropriate social contract for artisanal and small-scale mining(ASM) emerged amid calls for more humane working conditions for this cadre of miners, whose contribution to the alleviation of poverty especially in the developing nations of the world has been recognized by the United Nations. The sector which is a form of subsistence mining provides a direct or indirect livelihood for over 100 million people in the developing world out of which about 5 million are from Africa. Of particular note is the contribution of this sector to the world supply of strategic minerals for industrial growth and advancement. The presence of ASM is very often associated with challenges, including poor environmental, health and safety practices, the ...

Nigeria is endowed with enormous mineral occurrences and deposits these include Base and Precious metals minerals which have remained largely under developed due to Nigeria's preoccupation with its oil industry. Although these two groups of minerals have been mined since 1903 as evidenced by the existence of several abandoned colonial base and precious metal camps on the Jos Plateau , Sokoto, Kaduna, llesha and Calabar, the experience gained has not translated to modern mining as the case is for example with mines of South African, Ghana and Zambia. Whereas the proven tin reserves on the Jos Plateau stands at about 31,773 tonnes, that of Iron Ore is about 200 million tonnes with an estimated life-span of over 100 years. The commercial ore grades range in ferrous (Fe) content from rich ores with over 50 per cent Fe, mediurn grade ores (30 - 50 per cent Fe), to poor ores (25 - 30 per cent Fe). The iron ore is expected to feed the Ajaokuta Steel Plant and for the production of supe...

The urgent demand for appropriate mitigation of the activities of Artisanal and Small-scale Miners in Africa has become necessary in view of the immense contribution of the mining activities to poverty alleviation in the continent. The concept of appropriate social contract for artisanal and small-scale mining(ASM) emerged amid calls for more humane working conditions for this cadre of miners, whose contribution to the alleviation of poverty especially in the developing nations of the world has been recognized by the United Nations. The sector which is a form of subsistence mining provides a direct or indirect livelihood for over 100 million people in the developing world out of which about 5 million are from Africa. Of particular note is the contribution of this sector to the world supply of strategic minerals for industrial growth and advancement. The presence of ASM is very often associated with challenges, including poor environmental, health and safety practices, the spread of ...

A study of the sub-surface (Loto) mining activitie s around Kuru Villagea suburb of Jos City reveale d the activities of Artisanal Miners where mining is pres ently being carried out on an old mining lease belo nging to Bisichi Jenta Ltd. This former British mining co mpany carried out mining activities in the 1950’s w ith intensity in area of coverage which suggests that t e company stood out amongst its peers especially w ith regards to the effective deployment of mechanized m ining using hydraulic mining equipments including t he hydraulic Jigs, mine Dredges and large haulage mach ineries. The mining of cassiterite along two relati vely adjacent steams in the Kuru area witnessed the expl oitation of tin and Columbite initially in alluvial deposits in the downstream stream and graduating in to elluvial and subsequently upstream to the primar y source of decomposed granite. The hydraulic mining operation then concentrated in the mining of deposi ts with cut-off grades of more than ...

Acid mine drainage (AMD) is one of the most significant environmental challenges facing the mining industry worldwide. It occurs as a result of natural oxidation of sulphide minerals contained in mining wastes at developmental, operating and closed/decommissioned mine sites. This contamination occurs when moving fresh surface water interacts with the rock through fissures, pores and faults, and over time it is changed chemically. These changes often make the water less than ideal for domestic use, and in extreme cases it can be dangerous. AMD may also adversely impact the surface water in streams and groundwater quality and land use due to its typical low pH, high acidity and elevated concentrations of metals and sulphate content. The development of AMD must be put under check because once it develops at a mine; its control can be difficult and expensive. Many a mining environment especially coal mining areas have suffered degradation as a result of acid mine drainage. The proposed ...

The major problem associated with the use of rock aggregates in engineering construction, is the difficulty of predicting their probable field performance. This is mainly due to the inadequate understanding of the decisive factors that control their engineering behavior. The mineralogy and fabric of the Miango granite porphyry was studied to assess their influence on engineering properties. The uniaxial compressive strength and aggregate crushing values show that the rocks are weak while other tests such as aggregate impact strength, water absorption, and absorption under saturation, soundness and specific gravity values are fairly good. However, thin section studies revealed three distinctive features which greatly influence the physico-mechanical properties: (a) abundant fractures of varying sizes (b) Sericitization of the orthoclase and or plagioclase feldspars (c) intergrowth of quartz and or orthoclase feldspars. The quartz grains shows extensive cracking which further reduces ...

This work focuses mainly on the Geotechnical properties of mapped areas in Gombe town which forms part of the Upper Benue trough. Representative soil samples were collected from these areas and were investigated for their Geotechnical properties with a view to classifying for their suitability or otherwise for infrastructural development. Hitherto, this has not been done in the Gombe town area. The recent growth which is associated with urbanization in Gombe Township calls for appropriate geotechnical investigation of soils of the area. Twelve representative samples were collected from different locations of the mapped areas around Kanol, Hamatatu, Wurro Daji, Kalshing Forest, Titi Baba, Chongo, Danba, Wurro Ladde, Pantame, Tempure, Tonde, and Kulalum. Samples from each site were collected at 1m depth and analyzed using the following tests: Moisture content test, Particle size distribution test, Atterberg limit test, Specific gravity test, Compaction test. All these tests were carri...

A study of the engineering properties of the subsurface soil in the Greater Jos Master Plan development area has been carried out to address the paucity of engineering data in the area. The study became necessary because the rapid urbanization has led to limited construction land with more ground prone to instability due to reworking by mining and related activities. The study area is located within Latitudes 09º 48' 20'' to 09º 53'20''N and Longitudes 08º 53' 54'' to 08º 57 '00'' E and extending over 54km2 on Naraguta Sheet 168NE. Surface geological mapping was carried out to confirm the existing geology. Geotechnical properties of soils were determined by analysis of soil samples for 38 locations. While 94 static water level measurements provided additional information on groundwater conditions. The area is underlain by the Jos-Bukuru Complex rocks predominantly biotite granites differentiated on the basis of mode of formation, miner...

Background: Artisanal Mining of Cassiterite at Bisichi (Kara II) and Kuru-Jentar is a very tedious activity that is carried out by artisanal miners. It involves the use of primitive tools like digger, spade, shovel and to mention a few. Most of the artisanal mining activity in the study area is done with no prior knowledge about the geochemical constituent of the mineral deposit in the area but in order to solve the above stated problem, a geochemical analysis was conducted on the obtained samples of cassiterite from the study area and a geologic map of the mining pit was digitized using Ilwis 3.1 academic and Surfer 12. Result: A random sampling method was used to obtain ten (10) samples of cassiterite from the various visited pit at the study area with each weighing 10g. A laboratory analysis was also conducted using X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) analysis which shows that samples from Pit 1 to Pit 5 in the mine site at Kuru-Jentar has 44.45% - 44.9% of Tin (Sn) and 7.86% - 9.00% of Iro...

The history of mining in Nigeria is as old as the country taking into consideration that man depended on rudimentary implements derived from primitive mining for hunting, shelter and food gathering. This fact is substantiated from the archeological findings across the lengths and breaths of Nigeria and notably the outstanding Nok culture amongst others. The discovery of tin on the Jos plateau was actually traced to the availability of tin straws stumbled upon by British Explorers in the Northern Nigerian markets. It was to be discovered later that long before the coming of the Europeans, there existed foundries on the Jos Plateau and environs where tin smelting had taken place several centuries earlier. The coming of the British and European Explorers around the 18 th century therefore, heralded the era of the Private sector mining in Nigeria. The Private Sector Mining Driven Period. The activities of mining started in Nigeria by European and British explorers and notably with the Royal Niger Company discovering the traces of tin and columbite along the Delimi of the Jos Plateau in the early 1900s. The country was to later witness the influxes of such mining companies as Ex-Lands Nigeria, Gold and Base Metals Company, The Amalgamated Tin Mining Company of Nigeria (ATMN) etc. Although the activity interfered with the traditional methods of smelting of minerals such as tin and iron which hither remained in its rudimentary stage, these companies took active part in organized mining in many parts of Nigeria. Modern mining machinery and equipment such as bulldozers , power shovels, draglines, caterpillars, Heavy Duty Haulage trucks; dredging equipment; Mineral processing equipment etc. where deployed to several mines. The resultant effect was an up rise in the production and mineral export potential of Nigeria and its subsequent inclusion in the mineral production map of the countries of the world.