Determination of pathfinder elements for gold in the Kano state’s Schist belt, Nigeria: A statistical approach

Abstract

A statistical study to establish the pathfinder elements for Gold (Au) in the Kano state’s
Schist belt, Nigeria is presented in this article. The strenuous activity of artisanal miners to
locate the mineral due to the complex regolith of the study area is a thing of concern. To
achieve the aim, multivariate statistics of Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was applied
to the geochemical data from eight rock samples obtained through Microwave Plasma
Atomic Emission Spectroscopy. The PCA indicated three components in the data account-
ing for 84.03% of the total variability. The second component, which explains 28.065% of
the total variance, has Calcium (Ca), Chromium (Cr), Manganese (Mn), and Silver (Ag) with
some positive association with Gold (Au) and Iron (Fe). This component is attributable to
the chemical sediments drift between the rock formations accompanied by other constit-
uents of minerals present. It is expected that these elements (Ca, Cr, Mn, and Ag) can be
used as pathfinders for gold in the study area.