Abstract

Seasonal assessment of the levels of some heavy metals (Zn, Pb, Fe, Cu and Cd) in soils caused by mining activities in Dareta village of Anka local government area of Zamfara state-Nigeria was carried out using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry (AAS) technique. The mean concentration of metals in the soil during dry season was; 94.23 ± 24.37, 67.32 ± 47.06, 746.21 ± 27.87, 720.09 ± 51.87 and 6.25 ± 4.67 mg/kg for Zn, Cu, Fe, Pb and Cd, respectively; while 76.15 ± 9.37, 61.87 ± 13.38, 619.45 ± 94.31, 464.66 ± 34.57 and 5.86 ± 2.32 mg/kg was recorded for rainy season samples. The concentration of some of the metals analyzed are quite above the maximum permissible limit set by World Health Organization (WHO) and National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NASREA) and therefore such soil is considered contaminated by those heavy metals.