This paper presents the abundances of heavy metals in the sediments of terraces and riverbeds of the Mambahé catchment
area, an area with high potential for gold mineralisation in the Central Region of Cameroon. These sediments have been
studied to establish the geochemical baseline conditions prior to any mining activities. The data can be used as an analogy
for similar metallogenic provinces in regions with a humid tropical climate. The sediments of the river beds and terraces of
the Mambahé basin, which drains the gold deposits that have begun to be exploited in other basins, are infuenced by the
rapid chemical alteration of the surrounding rocks and present high contents of Al (23,241–254,516 mg/kg), Fe (20,003–
125,021 mg/kg) and Cr (15–1390 mg/kg), compared to the geochemical background (upper continental crust), generally
used for environmental studies. However, other elements have lower values than these geochemical backgrounds. The range
of average concentrations measured for these metals is as follows: Mn (258.24–2324.16 mg/kg), V (30.9–159.3 mg/kg),
Ni (3.6–38.71 mg/kg), Zn (13–71.1 mg/kg), Cu (4.1–40.6 mg/kg), Co (2.39–21.69 mg/kg), Pb (2.22–12.09 mg/kg), Cd
(0.018–0.153 mg/kg) and Mo (0.2–1.64 mg/kg). Considering the factors governing sediment accumulation such as geology,
climate and anthropogenic activities as well as the correlation with commonly used environmental geochemical backgrounds,
it is proposed that the data from this study can be considered as a baseline of environmental contamination in this area of
planned major mining developments in the region. The results may assist mine planners in setting realistic targets for monitoring and remediation programs.