Dataset on enrichment of selected trace metals in the soil from designated abandoned historical gold mine solid waste dump sites near residential areas, Witwatersrand Basin, South Africa

Soil is a naturally occurring non-renewable resource, and good soil quality is a prerequisite for the survival of plants, animals and humans. Soil quality depends on the content and distribution of trace elements. Gold mining in the Witwatersrand Basin in South Africa left behind enormous unrehabilitated mining waste tailings near the City of Johannesburg that are contaminated by trace elements. Heavy metals change the physical and chemical properties of the soil derived from the mining waste material, consequently disturbing the normal functions of the soil and posing a potential health risk to plants, animals, and humans. To assess soil quality from abandoned historical gold mine residues, three conglomerate samples were petrologically examined using hand specimen, polished thin sections viewed under a reflected light microscope, and X-ray diffraction, to determine the mineralogical composition. The minerals include quartz, mica, chlorite, calcite and sulphides. Geochemical data of major elements measured by weight percent (wt%) were generated using X-ray fluorescence (XRF) technique and are NiO < Cr(2)O(3) < V(2)O(5) < ZrO(2) < MnO < P(2)O(5) < TiO(2) < Al(2)O(3) < CaO < MgO < Na(2)O < K(2)O < Fe(2)O(3) < SiO(2). The geochemistry of trace elements, pH, and electrical conductivity (EC), were determined from 21 soil samples. The samples were collected from 30 to 150 cm depths from nine sites and investigated using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-EOS) and XRF. ICP-EOS data (mg/kg): Fe > S > Cu > Mn > Cr > Zn > Ni > Co > Mo > P, and XRF data (mg/kg): S > F > Cl > V > Cr > Zn > Co > Cu > Ni > Mo. The trace elements data are variable in the tailing soil than in the crustal background soil. According to ICP-EOS data, the surveyed sites show increased Cu content, pH values of 1.9–5.3 and EC values of 43–679 mS/m, indicating soil contamination.