Use of termite mounds in geochemical exploration in North Ethiopia

✍ Scribed by Fassil Kebede

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 2004
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 335 KB
• Volume: 40
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1464-343X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jafrearsci.2004.06.002

✦ Synopsis

The geochemistry of the termite mounds was studied in lower Giba River basin, Kolla Tambien district, northern Ethiopia to show that they are useful in searching for metals. Specimens from the termite mounds and parent materials were collected to quantify gold, silver, copper, zinc, cobalt, manganese, iron and nickel. The results of the geochemical analysis of the samples indicated that these metals exist both in the termite mound and the parent material in the surrounding area. Correlation analysis shows that termite mounds and the parent materials are positively correlated for gold (r = 0.75*), copper (r = 0.77*), silver (r = 0.56*) and manganese (r = 0.72). This positive correlation leads to the conclusion that there is a direct relation between the concentration of metals in termite mound and the parent rocks. Termite mounds can therefore be used as tools in exploring for these metals.