Abandoned Limestone Quarry Research Articles

Constructed Technosols as a Soil Rebuilding Technique to Reclaim Abandoned Limestone Quarries in the Mediterranean Region: A Field Study

Soil rebuilding represents a major challenge in the recovery of abandoned quarries. In this study, we explored the possibility of using reconstructed Technosols, to achieve soil rebuilding goals at an abandoned quarry site. We first investigated the use of a mixture containing commercial manure and limestone debris (LD) as pedotechnomaterials for an “ad hoc” (re)constructed Technosol (CT), for the recovery of an opencast limestone quarry in one of most concentrated quarry areas in the world. In a field experiment, we tested and monitored different pedotechnosystems (PTSs) made up of constructed Technosol + pasture species + different Mediterranean plant species. Specifically, a control (CT, without any additional treatments) was compared to treatments with organic amendment (CTOA) and conventional fertilizers (CTCF). Data were collected over a 12-month period and included crop performance, plant nutritional state, soil physical-chemical parameters, and metabolites. Analysis of variance compared differences among treatments, while factor analysis (FA) interpreted multiple relationships while explaining observed variability. Results showed that CTOA had better soil physical-chemical properties, greater plant growth, and overall superior agronomic performances compared to all other treatments due to the improved substrate conditions. According to FA, these results appear related to the creation of fertile soil conditions, with most of the investigated metabolites (i) playing a pivotal role in observed outcomes, together with (ii) a clear potential in being considered as a reliable fingerprint for investigating plant responses in constructed PTSs. The proposed pedotechniques in CTOA development show a great potential for the full recovery of abandoned limestone quarries in degraded Mediterranean areas by providing an excellent medium for plant growth, facilitating environmental reclamation.

Plant Community, Soil and Microclimate Attributes after 70 Years of Natural Recovery of an Abandoned Limestone Quarry

With globally more than 100,000 km2 impacted by surface mining at present, and with increasing demand for surface-mined products, land managers are challenged to address landscape degradation of decommissioned quarries, especially in urban areas. In this study, soil, microclimate, and vegetation community data were collected from geomorphologically distinct locations (quarry floor, platform with pond, quarry top, highwall edge) within an urban limestone quarry abandoned 70 years ago without reclamation in central Missouri, USA. Results were compared with two nearby reference sites to bookend conditions in the abandoned quarry, including a recently closed quarry and an urban forest. Results of this study showed that abiotic mining legacies gave rise to distinct vegetation communities comprising 74 native species but also 21 non-native species. Species richness was increased near persistent edges (cliff edge, pond edge) and approached the lower range of species richness found in natural areas in the region. The results of this case study are congruent with the growing body of studies about spontaneous succession on abandoned surface mines worldwide in that spontaneous (vs. managed) revegetation can lead to species-rich, near-natural communities. This finding may justify revision of current legislation requiring technical reclamation of surface mines, especially where favorable substrate, such as limestone, is conducive to swift onset of revegetation. To improve the ecological value of such areas, the provision of funding for long-term invasive species management should also be considered.

Where geodiversity meets biodiversity and culture: a case study from the abandoned limestone quarries of Hády (Brno, Czech Republic)

Abstract Geodiversity represents the basis of landscapes and it has close connections to biodiversity and culture. This complexity is visible in different types of areas and should be taken into account when planning and managing natural resources, considering legal protection and developing sustainable forms of tourism and environmental education activities. Abandoned quarries represent a good example of a specific ecosystem where the relationships between geodiversity, biodiversity and culture are very tight and clearly visible. The Hády quarries (Brno, Czech Republic) is such a case and has significant potential regarding the development of geotourist and geoeducational activities. To recognize and evaluate the mutual links between abiotic, biotic and cultural issues, the ecosystem services concept was applied here and, together with a mind map, it served as a basis for the design of a geotourist map. However, merging these two approaches can be used for other purposes. It may be considered a starting point for designing integrated promotion, conservation and management of natural and cultural heritage. These two tools also enable involving local stakeholders and communities and may be applied in other areas where geodiversity, biodiversity and culture are closely interconnected.

A recent update in red-listing of Estonian lichens: threat status of 168 species was assessed for the first time


 
 
 The threat status of 168 lichenized species growing mostly on rocks or ground were assessed in 2022 for the first time in Estonia. The IUCN Red List system (categories and criteria) were used for that purpose. Most of the assessed taxa were microlichens (163), while five macrolichen species were also evaluated. Among the assessed species, 91 were assigned to the threat categories (Critically Endangered – CR, Endangered – EN and Vulnerable – VU), 17 species were assigned to the category Near Threatened (NT), and 41 species were assigned to the category Least Concerned (LC). Category Data Deficient (DD) was assigned for 17 species and the category Regionally Extinct (RE) for two species. Among the threat categories, 35 species were assigned to the category EN, 34 species to VU, and 22 species to CR. In general, most of the evaluated species (81%, 137 species) were growing on different types of rock, 16% (28 species) of species were growing on soil, mosses or plant debris, and three taxa were growing on other substrata. Most of the threatened epigeic and epilithic microlichens were recorded on alvar grasslands growing on ground, limestone pebbles and flatrock or erratic boulders. Er- ratic boulders in various forest types and calcareous cliffs in clint forest were also important habitats for threatened species. Moreover, different rock substrates of anthropogenic origin (walls, buildings and abandoned limestone quarries) performed as significant habitat type for epilithic species. Bush encroachment of open habitats, especially in semi-natural grasslands, serves as the main threat for epigeic and epilithic lichens.
 
 

Appraisal of groundwater to risk contamination near an abandoned limestone quarry pit in Nkalagu, Nigeria, using enrichment factor and statistical approaches

Appraisal of groundwater to risk contamination near an abandoned limestone quarry pit in Nkalagu, Nigeria, using enrichment factor and statistical approaches

Breaking Away dir. by Peter Yates

Reviewed by: Breaking Away dir. by Peter Yates Sheng-mei Ma Breaking Away (dir. Peter Yates, 1979) For a Taiwanese immigrant to critique the 1979 film Breaking Away—set in the midwestern college town of Bloomington, Indiana, where the Little 500 bicycle race is held annually—may seem downright odd. Interests usually denote self-interest, however the self is defined. When I arrived at Indiana University Bloomington (IU) in 1982 for graduate studies in the English department, I soon became familiar with the film that won an Oscar (Steve Tesich's screenplay) and a Golden Globe (Best Motion Picture—Musical or Comedy). Tesich himself had been trained at IU in the 1960s; in one shot, "English Major" was intentionally scrawled across a used car's windshield. As I had just embarked on my PhD, I should have attended to the taunt: English was a useless major, now that Tesich—a Russian major—had written an award-winning script. I was introduced to the film by Boyd, an IU bus driver who ferried me to campus for classes. Boyd was a typical Hoosier, with a heavy accent that I could hardly decipher—I had enough trouble with Standard English, however "standard" is defined. Boyd obviously took certain pride in this film that depicted the town-and-gown tension. Perhaps because IU was his employer, he harbored mixed feelings about the institution that put Bloomington on the map and food on his table, while also lording over the working-class locals nicknamed "cutters" in the film. If my critique is a nostalgic trip, then it clicks nicely with the central motif of Breaking Away as a flight of fancy into a desired world beyond reach. Returning to the past morphs into a dream for the future—not just for myself, but for the film crew and viewers, past and future. Born in Yugoslavia, the screenwriter Tesich was fourteen when he came to America. A member of Phi Kappa Psi during his years at IU, Tesich seemingly would not have been a typical fit for a midwestern fraternity. Director Peter Yates was an Englishman with no connection to IU until the making of this film. Though his film ends with a freeze frame of a father looking back at his son, Yates never looked back at the Midwest for the remainder of his professional career. None of the leading actors hailed from the Hoosier State, either. Philadelphian Dennis Christopher plays local bicyclist Dave Stohler who wins the Little 500 with injured, bleeding legs and his feet taped to the pedals. Texan Dennis Quaid plays Mike, the high school [End Page 100] quarterback plagued by an inferiority complex in the face of rich frat boys. Hart Bochner, who plays the "hot rodder" Rod on the university swim team and drives a blue Mercedes convertible, is Canadian. And Robyn Douglass arrives from California to play Dave's love interest, Katherine. Clearly, outsiders "broke away" from their biological and experiential selves to fashion this universal dream of the victorious local underdog. The four "B-town boys"—Dave, Mike, Cyril (Daniel Stern), and Moocher (Jackie Earle Haley)—languish after high school graduation over a hot summer. They are confronted by the harsh reality of an "invasive species" of rich, athletic, and beautiful college students taking over Bloomington, from their favorite swimming hole in an abandoned limestone quarry to the town's streets. While Mike seethes in frustration and rage, breaking his head during a swimming duel with Rod in the quarry, Dave fantasizes an exit into an Italian alter ego. Prompted by his interest in Cinzano, an Italian bicycle racing team, Dave shaves his legs (as Italian bicyclists do) and speaks to his parents in half-baked Italian. He even goes so far as to take on the persona of an exchange student to serenade his sorority dream girl Katherine, or "Caterina" in Dave's affected Italian (replete with trilling Rs). Dave's father, Ray (Paul Dooley), is a used car salesman and a caricature of the potbellied, bacon-eating, sharpies-in-shirt-pocket Hoosier. Ray gloats over selling the worst car on his lot to a "smart college kid," which suggests that he is, subconsciously at...

High biodiversity in a city centre: odonatofauna in an abandoned limestone quarry

Limestone quarries are known to be places where the diversity of xerothermophilic organisms is promoting diversity and in some, there are water bodies that potentially support the presence of hydrobionts. These include dragonflies (Insecta: Odonata), which, as amphibiotic insects, use both aquatic and terrestrial habitats. The purpose of this paper was to determine whether there was a high diversity of odonatofauna in an old limestone quarry with well-developed aquatic habitats, located in an urban environment in the Central-European city of Krakow (S Poland). For this purpose, dragonflies in the quarry were monitored regularly, focusing on the reproductive status and relative abundance of each species. In 2017–2018, 37 species belonging to seven families of Odonata were recorded in the quarry, which is 50% of the Poland’s odonatofauna. Of these, 33 species were considered indigenous to the quarry. Among them, 30% were moderately urbanophobic or urbanophobic taxa. Habitat specialists made up 39% of the species. Some rare and declining species, i.e. Leucorrhinia pectoralis and L. rubicunda, were abundant at this site. The study shows that a well-preserved secondary habitat, located in the centre of a city and not subject to urban management, can support a high diversity of odonates. Such limestone quarries in highly transformed urban environments can be valuable sites for this indicator group of organisms and should be identified, evaluated and conserved.

Rock Slope Stability Assessment Using Kinematic Analysis of the Limestone Quarries in Al Huson-Shatana Area, Jordan

The current study presents the first results of a kinematic analysis to investigate the type of failures in six abandoned limestone quarries in the Al-Huson-Shatana area, North Jordan. A serious problem appears in abandoned quarries. When the work in the quarry finish and the companies withdraw their equipment and workers, they leave behind unstable rock masses due to the repeated explosives. This may cause hazards in properties and civilians especially when they are close enough to residential areas. Both stereographic projection and kinematic analysis were used as tools in this study, to determine the mode and orientation of the failures. Results show that toppling, planar and wedge failures are likely to occur in all stations mainly along structural discontinuities, faults and joints. This indicates the role of structures in the rock landslides, particularly those related to planar, wedge and toppling failures. In addition, rock falls were observed in most stations that have steep slope cutting.

The fossil alga Chaetocladus gracilis revisited: new material from the Silurian of Sweden

ABSTRACT In 2006, a new species of non-calcified dasycladalean alga, Chaetocladus gracilis, from the upper Silurian of Skåne (Scania), southernmost Sweden, was erected. The original description was based on a single incomplete fossil recovered from the abandoned limestone quarry at Bjärsjölagård, a classic geologic locality in Scania. Here we present four additional and, importantly, more complete specimens from this same site and type stratum. This new material largely corroborates the general anatomical features of C. gracilis, but also adds some intricate details, most notably with regards to the external sheet-like phytoleim and organisation of the laterals. Elemental mapping confirmed an expected carbonaceous composition of the fossils, which are embedded in a calcareous mudstone. These additional fossils show that the originally described specimen was not a singular occurrence at this locality. Based on the state of preservation of our algal fossils, we note that the mudstone facies of the Ludlow Bjärsjölagård Limestone Member of the Klinta Formation (Öved-Ramsåsa Group), from which all C. gracilis have been recovered, share characteristics with deposits typically referred to as “algal-Lagerstätten”.

Optimal Design of a High Slope for Ice World & Water Park (IWWP) Built Over an Abandoned Quarry: A Case Study in Changsha of China

The Ice World & Water Park (IWWP) is a huge recreational building that stands on the Dawangshan Pit which is an abandoned limestone quarry in Changsha, China. The effective reinforcement of slope is imperative to ensure the slope stability and the safe operations of IWWP project. In this paper, we present a numerical and field testing study on the optimal design of slope in Zone C. First, a comprehensive comparison and analysis of three different types of retaining structures (anchored sheet pile wall, cantilever and anchored double sheet pile walls) behavior under excavation and earthquake conditions are performed using a finite element model. In the meantime, the uncertainty in strength and deformation parameters are considered in the numerical calculations. On this basis, the parametric study was conducted via varying the row distance, pile diameter, pile spacing, coupling beam section and the number of anchor cables to obtain the optimum design parameters of the anchored double sheet pile wall structures. The numerical results and measured data show that the supporting structures were in a safe working state. The pile spacing, pile diameter, the number of anchor cables are the primary factors influencing the performance of the retaining system, and can be regarded as several critical parameters for the optimal design of the anchored double sheet pile wall structures. While the row distance and coupling beam section have insignificant effect on the retaining structures behavior. The conclusions of this paper will help professional when designing the anchored double sheet pile walls system of similar projects.

The flora and vegetation of the NE Mediterranean islet with centuries-long human influences

Abstract This paper is based on the main results of an analysis of spontaneous flora and vegetation on the small islet of Vrnik (0.281 km2), on which there are some abandoned limestone quarries, on the eastern Adriatic coast. The investigations were carried out from 2014 to 2016. Altogether, 251 vascular plant taxa (species and infraspecific units) were recorded on the islet. A total of 11 plant associations, one subassocation and two stands within 10 vegetation classes were identified. Due to high anthropogenic influences during the last centuries, quarrying in particular, the islet investigated showed a relatively low variety of vascular plant taxa. In addition, clear signs of fragmentation of the forest vegetation were observed.

A novel environmental restoration method for an abandoned limestone quarry with a deep open pitand steep palisades: acasestudy.

In general, exploitation of rock materials, such as limestone or granite exploitation, can cause serious damage to the environment near a mine area. With economic development and the ever-increasing demand for ore resources, mining activities have induced very serious environmental issues in China. Therefore, environmental restoration work around mines in China is urgently required. This study explores the Chuankou open-pit limestone quarry in Tongchuan City, Shaanxi Province, Northwest China, as the engineering case. The environmental issues caused by over 40 years of limestone exploitation, including land degradation, land occupation, dust pollution and potential geological disasters, were investigated. Combining the characteristics of this quarry with a summary of previous studies on environmental restoration work, this paper proposes a novel and systematic method that was comprehensively carried out through engineering and revegetation measures. The engineering measure, that is, the construction of an artificial slope by using local abandoned construction materials, solved the environmental problems in this quarry and provided site conditions favourable for revegetation. The revegetation measure restored the local ecosystem. This method provides both a new idea for the sustainable development of a mining area and a useful reference for analogous engineering cases.

Geochemical assessment of water quality for irrigation in abandoned limestone quarry pit at Nkalagu area, southern Benue Trough, Nigeria

In the study, the quality of groundwater for irrigation is assessed. The following parameters were analysed using American Public Health Association standard method: pH, turbidity, electrical conductivity, total dissolved solids, Mg2+, SO42−, Cl−, HCO32−, K+, Na2+ and Ca2+. Important constituents that influence the water quality for irrigation are electrical conductivity which ranges from 4 to 1560 µS/cm, soluble sodium percentage which ranges from 4 to 33%, magnesium adsorption ratio (MAR) which ranges from 30 to 81, Kelly’s ratio which ranges from 0 to 0.5, sodium percentage (Na %) which ranges from 4 to 50%, sodium adsorption ratio which ranges from 0 to 0.6, residual sodium carbonate (RSC) which ranges from 1.5 to 3.5, permeability index which ranges from 157 to 675% and total hardness (TH) which ranges from 102 to 614 mg/L in Nkalagu water. The above estimated parameter values satisfy the various permissible standard values for irrigation except MAR, TH, RSC that are slightly above the various permissible standard values. The hydrogeochemical facies analysis plotted in Piper diagram reveals that 53.85% of the samples are predominantly (Cl−–SO42−) facies, 15.38% are (SO42−–Cl− and SO42−–Cl−–HCO3−) facies, while 7.69% are (Mg2+–SO42−–Cl−–HCO3− and Cl−–SO42−–HCO3−) facies. The water type is Ca–Cl2 with much considerable permanent hardness. Although some samples satisfied the various permissible standard values for irrigation, treatment is, however, very strongly recommended to improve the quality and make it more suitable for irrigation.

Pedotechnologies for the Environmental Reclamation of limestone quarries. A protocol proposal

The omitted reclamation of quarrying sites in the Campania region (Italy), especially in Caserta province, represents a dramatic source of territory instability, landscape deterioration and social-cultural apprehension. The main problems arise from the systematic failure to comply with the Environmental Reclamation laws in force, the weakness of judicial supervisions and the lack of specific sanctions to be applied in the event of non-compliance. Additionally, the environmental reclamation still represents a prohibitive cost for the quarrying entrepreneurs, just because it is not considered as a possible investment for the company’s conversion to new lines of production. On these bases, we considered the chance to turn the closing down of quarrying into other sustainable business activities, able to guarantee not only the environmental safeguarding according to the law, but also the social-economic progress. The present paper describes a study-case intervention of pedotechnologies as a reference protocol – within the whole of reclamation activities – to ad hoc designing and building Technosols, suitable for an environmental reclamation addressed to the agricultural reuse of abandoned limestone quarries.

Topsoil for restoration: Resprouting of root fragments and germination of pioneers trigger tropical dry forest regeneration

Topsoil translocation has been effective for the restoration of plant communities, but until recently this method had not been used for tropical dry forest restoration. We tested different methods of topsoil deposition for restoring a dry forest on an abandoned limestone quarry. We also tested the effects of irrigation during the first dry season after topsoil deposition. The study was conducted in the Federal District of Brazil. A 2.1-ha area was cleared of vegetation, and the topsoil from that site was deposited on an exotic pasture field 1.4km away. First, a secondary forest was clear-cut, and the first 30cm of topsoil were removed and translocated. The soil was transported in dump trucks to the deposition site, which had been scarified in advance, and deposited by either forming 1.25-m-tall mounds or by leveling the soil into a 40-cm or 20-cm deep layer using a hydraulic excavator. The seed bank and the availability of root and stem fragments in the soil were both surveyed. The origin of the regenerants was categorized as either from seed or resprouting. We estimated vegetation cover for each life form, and measured all trees and lianas. After six months, 74% of the tree individuals and 60% of the liana individuals came from resprouting. Ruderal herbs and shrubs germinated from seeds. After 28 months, there were 51 species of trees, 8 species of lianas, 12 species of shrubs, and 34 species of herbs in the deposition treatments. The three deposition treatments were thickly covered with herbaceous/shrubby species, and had nine times the number of species (44 vs. 5) and five times the tree density (1.17 ind./m2vs. 0.25 ind./m2) as the non-deposition control. Tree survival was relatively high in both the non-irrigated and irrigated treatments. The total cost of topsoil translocation was 9604 USD, and the output was 0.43ha deposited/ha excavated when forming mounds of soil, 5951 USD and output of 0.75 when leveling to a 40-cm layer, and 3551 USD and 1.5 for a 20-cm layer of deposited material. However, deposition and transportation costs are fixed costs of establishing a new quarry that can be deducted from the total cost of restoration. Topsoil translocation was effective in kick-starting the succession process of a tropical dry forest.

Rock Falls Impacting Railway Tracks: Detection Analysis through an Artificial Intelligence Camera Prototype

During the last few years, several approaches have been proposed to improve early warning systems for managing geological risk due to landslides, where important infrastructures (such as railways, highways, pipelines, and aqueducts) are exposed elements. In this regard, an Artificial intelligence Camera Prototype (AiCP) for real-time monitoring has been integrated in a multisensor monitoring system devoted to rock fall detection. An abandoned limestone quarry was chosen at Acuto (central Italy) as test-site for verifying the reliability of the integrated monitoring system. A portion of jointed rock mass, with dimensions suitable for optical monitoring, was instrumented by extensometers. One meter of railway track was used as a target for fallen blocks and a weather station was installed nearby. Main goals of the test were (i) evaluating the reliability of the AiCP and (ii) detecting rock blocks that reach the railway track by the AiCP. At this aim, several experiments were carried out by throwing rock blocks over the railway track. During these experiments, the AiCP detected the blocks and automatically transmitted an alarm signal.

Intermittent heat instabilities in an air plume

Abstract. We report the results of heating experiments carried out in an abandoned limestone quarry close to Paris, in an isolated room of a volume of about 400 m3. A heat source made of a metallic resistor of power 100 W was installed on the floor of the room, at distance from the walls. High-quality temperature sensors, with a response time of 20 s, were fixed on a 2 m long bar. In a series of 24 h heating experiments the bar had been set up horizontally at different heights or vertically along the axis of the plume to record changes in temperature distribution with a sampling time varying from 20 to 120 s. When taken in averages over 24 h, the temperatures present the classical shape of steady-state plumes, as described by classical models. On the contrary, the temperature time series show a rich dynamic plume flow with intermittent trains of oscillations, spatially coherent, of large amplitude and a period around 400 s, separated by intervals of relative quiescence whose duration can reach several hours. To our knowledge, no specific theory is available to explain this behavior, which appears to be a chaotic interaction between a turbulent plume and a stratified environment. The observed behavior, with first-order factorization of a smooth spatial function with a global temporal intermittent function, could be a universal feature of some turbulent plumes in geophysical environments.

Revegetation of Rock Slopes with Different Substrates in an Abandoned Quarry in Jinju, Korea

The purpose of this research was to investigate the use of drilled slanted holes filled with different substrates in the revegetation of rock slopes. Slanted holes were drilled on rock slopes using pneumatic drillers in an abandoned limestone quarry area. These holes were filled with twelve different substrates, treated with Trichoderma harzianum. One climbing plant of Ivy (Hedera rhombea), a native woody plant (Lespedeza cyrtobotrya), three native herbaceous plants (Dianthus barbatus, Siberian chrysanthemum and Aster koraiensis) and one exotic grass plant (Festuca arundinacea) were planted in each of the soils. Six months after planting, only Ivy, Festuca arundinacea, Lespedeza cyrtobotrya and Dianthus barbatus were still observed growing on the soils, while the other plant species had already died in all the 12 soil treatments. Leaf mold soil + 50% Trichoderma harzianum provide the best conditions for revegetation of Festuca arundinacea, as this plant had its highest mean height, high survival rate, with impressive growth rate on this soil. Lespedeza cyrtobotrya also had its most favorable growth on Leaf mold soil + 50% T. harzianum. Mixed soil + 100% T. harzianum provide the best conditions for revegetation of Ivy. Leaf mold soil + 100% T. harzianum provide the best condition for revegetation of Dianthus barbatus as it had its highest mean height, highest growth rate and high survival rate on this soil. Siberian chrysanthemum and Aster koraiensis had the worse results as all of the plants died within a short period of time after planting. Ivy had the highest mean height, followed by Festuca arundinacea. The planted Ivy and Festuca arundinacea now form the vegetation of the research site which together with the substrate is now providing habitat to some wildlife like some species of centipedes, earthworms, insects and wild plants. Less than one year after planting, F. arundinacea already produced flowers and seeds which would further increase the plant population after dispersal and germination. Drilling slanted holes on rock slopes is therefore a feasible method to be used for revegetation and restoration of degraded quarries.The revegetation of steep rock slopes of quarries is a very challenging activity. However, the method of drilling slanted holes on rock slopes is a feasible method to be used for restoration of degraded quarries. These holes could serve in soil deposition and water retention that will further enhance plant growth.Methods of improving seed germination as well as enhancing growth of plants are also imperative in revegetation success of such degraded landscapes. Different percentage mixtures of T. harzianum in different soils could enhance plant growth depending on the target plant species. Different substrates could thus be used in such revegetation process depending on the target plant species.Revegetation would provide habitat and improve landscape beauty and stability, thus it is important for successful restoration of rock slopes

Limestone flora of the Simonton Corner Quarry Preserve, Rockport, Maine, USA

Abstract Limestone is a distinctive substrate that has significant effects on soils and plants. The present study characterizes the diversity of vascular plants, bryophytes, and lichens at the Simonton Corner Quarry Preserve, an abandoned limestone quarry in Rockport, Maine, USA, which was in operation in the late 1800s. We document vascular plant diversity and associated edaphic features (i.e., soil pH and elemental chemistry) using 30 5×5 meter plots spread throughout the site. For vascular plants, 114 species in 96 genera and 50 families were observed; few of these species are known to prefer calcareous environments, and 38% are nonnative. Conversely, the soil- and rock-dwelling cryptogam biota, which comprises 21 moss species in 13 families and eight lichen species in three families, contains many calciphilic species. The bryoflora conspicuously lacks liverworts, whereas the lichen biota is dominated by cyanolichens. This study will inform future conservation and reclamation work at this and other hum...

Environmental impact of phosphogypsum stockpile in remediated Schistos waste site (Piraeus, Greece) using a combination of γ-ray spectrometry with geographic information systems.

From 1979 to 1989, ten million tons of phosphogypsum, a waste by-product of the Greek phosphate fertilizer industry, was disposed into an abandoned limestone quarry in Schistos former waste site, Piraeus (Greece). The quarry has been recently closed and remediated using geomembranes and thick soil cover with vegetation. A part of the deposited phosphogypsum has been exposed due to intense rainfall episodes leading to concerns about how could potentially released radioactivity affect the surrounding environment. This study seeks to assess the environmental impact of the phosphogypsum deposited in the Schistos quarry, using laboratory-based γ-ray spectrometry measurements and geographical information systems. Radioactivity concentrations were mapped onto spatial-data to yield a spatial-distribution of radioactivity in the area. The data indicate elevated (226)Ra concentrations in a specific area on the steep south-eastern cliff of the remediated waste site that comprises uncovered phosphogypsum and is known to be affected by local weather conditions. (226)Ra concentrations range from 162 to 629Bq/kg, with an average activity being on the low side, compared to the global averages for phosphogypsum. Nevertheless, the low environmental risk may be minimized by remediating this area with geomembranes and thick soil cover with vegetation, a technique, which has worked successfully over the remainder of the remediated quarry.