Abstract
Because of the arid climate and fragile ecological environment in Xinjiang, China, land reclamation should be carried out after mining. The core of land reclamation is the water content of the surface covering soil. In this paper, the law of water distribution in reclamation reconstructed soil of nonmetal mines in Xinjiang was studied. In order to obtain the law of water distribution in reconstructed soil, we set up an observation system of the neutron probe and tensiometer. The neutron probe was used to monitor the soil water content. The tensiometers were used to obtain the matrix potential of soil for verifying the water distribution in reconstructed soil. Volumetric water content and matrix potential of reconstructed soil during 1‐year period of management and irrigation were obtained by long‐term monitoring. After one year’s field in situ test, 2424 sets of neutron probe data and 1368 sets of tensiometer data were obtained. By studying the above parameters, we summarized the law of water distribution in reconstructed soil of variable thickness and degree of compaction with nonmetallic waste rock filling. The results showed that covering soil was helpful to retain water content. Whether the soil was compacted or uncompacted, the soil water content at the depth of 10 cm was less than that at other depth of reconstructed soil because it was greatly affected by meteorological factors. The water content of reconstructed soil at 30 cm depth was greater than that at other depths. Under the influence of factors such as the thickness and compaction of the soil, the response time of soil water content and matrix potential to each irrigation infiltration was different. According to the characteristics of reclamation‐vegetation such as alfalfa growth in Xinjiang, the thickness of surface reconstructed soil should be not less than 50 cm. Over time, soil that was compacted once was better for the vegetation. The research results could provide a reference for the land reclamation of nonmetallic mines in Xinjiang, China.
Highlights
Because of the arid climate and fragile ecological environment in Xinjiang, China, land reclamation should be carried out after mining. e core of land reclamation is the water content of the surface covering soil
In order to obtain the law of water distribution in reconstructed soil, we set up an observation system of the neutron probe and tensiometer. e neutron probe was used to monitor the soil water content. e tensiometers were used to obtain the matrix potential of soil for verifying the water distribution in reconstructed soil
By studying the above parameters, we summarized the law of water distribution in reconstructed soil of variable thickness and degree of compaction with nonmetallic waste rock filling. e results showed that covering soil was helpful to retain water content
Summary
E neutron probe was used to determine the water content of the reconstructed soil at different depths. The thickness of the surface soil for mine land reclamation in Xinjiang is generally set at 30–70 cm. In this test, a total of 6 test barrels were used for the experiment. When calculating the volumetric soil water content, the neutron probe data from the stainless steel tube were used for the calculation. Θ, volumetric soil water content (%); R, average of neutron readings at different depths of soil (counts/s); Rω, calibration number of neutron probe (counts/s).
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