Comparison of Morphological, Physical, and Chemical Properties of a Minesoil and a Natural Soil of Southeast Kansas

Abstract

Morphological, physical and chemical properties of minesoil were determined and compared to natural soil in southeast Kansas. The morphological and physical properties of the minesoil were less favorable for plant growth than those of the natural soil and probably would be major limiting factors in the establishment and growth of plants on minesoil. The minesoil lacked well-developed and contrasting horizons and contained shale fragments ranging in amounts from less than 5 to 25 percent. The structure of the minesoil was mostly clods, varying in shape and size, with many open voids in the subsoil. The average coarse-fragment (> 2 mm) content of the minesoil was 15 percent compared to less than 2 percent for the natural soil. The minesoil contained more material in the sand-size ranges of the fine-earth (<2 mm) fraction. Averaged over depth, the amount of silt-size material in the minesoil was less than that of the natural soil, and the amount of claysize material was nearly equal. The surface 12 inches of the minesoil contained from 35.3 to 61.8 percent less plant-available water than the natural soil. The major differences between the chemical properties of the minesoil and the natural soil were essentially in their distributions with depth. In the natural soil elemental concentrations increased with depth, and in the minesoil they were more uniformly distributed. Averaged over depth the chemical properties of the two soils were quite similar indicating that from a chemical perspective the minesoil was adequate and maybe more favorable for plant growth than the natural soil. The slight differences that existed were attributed to different fertilizer management histories and weathering of primary minerals in freshly exposed shale fragments in the minesoil. Surface coal mining disturbs large areas of land and alters the natural soil in a mined area. Soil is a natural resource and over the long term its value This content downloaded from 157.55.39.118 on Mon, 06 Mar 2017 18:36:51 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms VOLUME 91, NUMBERS 3-4 109 may be greater than that of coal. Natural processes of soil formation are slow and can take decades to form new soil. To hasten soil formation processes and to achieve a soil productivity level equal to or greater than the premined condition, man implements land reclamation procedures and constructs a new soil. The characteristics of this new soil or minesoil depend on the kinds and sequences of reclamation procedures employed. Few data exist on properties of Kansas minesoils (Brady and Livingston, 1979). Comparisons of properties of minesoils and natural soils to assess the effects of mining and reclamation procedures on the properties of minesoil are limited. This study was initiated to provide some basic data on soil properties of minesoil on surface-mined land in southeast Kansas. The specific objectives were to determine the morphological, physical, and chemical properties of minesoils and compare these to the same properties of the predominant natural soil in the area to assess the potential of the minesoil for sustaining plants.