Impact of Limestone Mining and Cement Production on Bulk Density, Porosity and Moisture content of Soils in Yandev, Gboko, Benue State, Nigeria

Lucy Onyikwu Edache, Ishaku Ibrahim Yari Mallo

Abstract


This research is on the impact of limestone mining and cement production on soils in Yandev, Gboko Benue State, Nigeria. The core cutter method was used to sample the soil physical parameters. Student’s t-test was used to compare the bulk density, porosity and moisture content of the control and impacted sites and the extent of compaction between the two sites. The results show mean bulk density at the impacted site to be 1.84g/cm3with a standard deviation of 0.03g/cm3while that of the control site is 1.54g/cm3, with a standard deviation of 0.3g/cm3. The mean porosity at the impacted site is 30.2% with a standard deviation of 1.32% and a mean porosity of 41.2% at the control site with a standard deviation of 1.23%. The mean moisture content at the impacted site is 3.4% with standard deviation of 1.77% while the mean moisture content at the control site is 9.4% with a standard deviation of 2.74%. Statistically it has been confirmed that there are high significant differences of bulk density, porosity and moisture content between the control and impacted sites at 0.05 level of significance due to vehicular traffic, human clearing for mining activities and fuel wood harvesting. The work revealed that limestone mining and cement production have impacted negatively on the environment. Thus, there is need for government to conduct an environmental impact assessment in the study area.


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MAYFEB Journal of Environmental Science
MAYFEB TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
ISSN 2371-7092