Dispersion of heavy metals in the stream sediments of eastern Oban massif, southeastern Nigeria. – U. U. Oboho, S. J. Ekwere, T. N. Nganje and C. I. Adamu
ABSTRACT
A total of 110 stream sediments samples were collected from streams in the eastern part of Oban Massif. The samples were analysed for Pb, Zn, Cu, Sn, Ta and U using atomic absorption spectrophotometer VGP system, model 210. The mean concentration for the elements were Pb (4.0), Zn (42.0), Cu (9.0), Sn (3.0), Ta (0.45) and U (0.23) ppm. Element concentrations were generally low but uniform. Histogram plots reveal that the distribution of these elements were log-normal and showed positive skewness, implying that the distribution is influenced by only one factor, lithology. The geochemical data were also examined using correlation analysis to establish how the character and distribution of element associations relate to processes responsible for the overall data distribution.