2002-07-08_GENERAL DOCUMENTS - M2002004 (3)

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596 II. MINESOIL MORPHOLOGY SENCINDIVER & AMNIONS Type B Spoil. Predominantly alkaline to moderately acid spoil derived from geologic sections with calcareous shale and limestone strata with pyritic roof coals and black pyritic shales — Pittsburgh and Redstone seams. Type C Spoil. Moderately to slightly acid spoil derived from geologic sec- tions consisting of shales and sandstones — Bakerstown and Freeport seams. This separation, based on these spoil properties, proved to be useful and it was expanded and used in another study by Tyner, Smith, and Galpin (1948) in northern West Virginia. Early soil survey reports identified mined lands on maps and referred to them as mine dumps (Patton et al., 1959) or strip mines (Losche & Beverage, 1967) with few or no land -use interpretations given. In some areas, mine -land reclamationists grouped surface materials on mined lands into various categories to assist with treatment for revegetation (Patton et al., 1959; Davis, 1965; Soil Conserv. Serv., 1973). Usually these groupings were based on pH, texture or par- ticle size, stoniness or rockiness, and slope. In the 1970s, increased interest in minesoil classification generated proposals for a new suborder (Sencindiver, 1977; Sencindiver et al., 1978) in Soil Taxonomy: A Basic System of Soil Classi- fication for Making and Interpreting Soil Surveys (Soil Surv. Staff, 1975), and mapping units were given taxonomic names primarily at the great group level (Polone, 1976; Ritchie et al., 1978). In the 1980s, minesoil series were estab- lished (Rubel et al., 1981). Although a number of minesoil series have been established, pedologists continue to question the proper classification of these soils, and renewed interest has been generated at regional, national, and international levels. Therefore, the objective of this chapter is to summarize some of the published information rela- tive to the genesis and classification of minesoils. Minesoils and contiguous native soils have distinctly different morpholog- ical features. Minesoils are very young soils that are developing from mixtures of fragmented rock and soil. Therefore, their properties are often determined by human - controlled influences rather than by natural processes. Some of these properties may be predicted if premining soil and overburden characterization data are available and the mining and reclamation methods are known (Indorante & Jansen, 1981; Schroer, 1978; Smith & Sobek, 1978). Most native soils con- tiguous to minesoils have been formed by processes acting through thousands of years and have therefore achieved some form of equilibrium with their soil form- ing environment. Although minesoil properties may continue to approach and someday be very similar to those of native soils, some properties may remain unchanged. On the other hand, surface mining may accelerate the soil - forming processes by breaking up the consolidated rock so that air, water and plant roots may more rapidly penetrate these materials. MINESOIL GENESIS AND CLASSI Minesoil textures vary fro from which the soil is developii ing undisturbed soils, but some been substituted for the native s but most minesoils in the easter 1984; Ciolkosz et al., 1985; D2 Short et al., 1986a; Thurman et Plains are loamy (Schafer et al. rill et al., 1980; Sandoval et al., oping in materials of the Wile( and commonly have a higher s Dixon et al., 1980). IV. ROCK FRAG Although not all minesoi 1992; Strain & Evans, 1994), r have a greater rock fragment ci al., 1984; Thurman & Sencin 70% or more rock fragments Ashby et al. (1984) summari showed that rock fragment col fragments are weakly cement( cles in a few decades. Bridging voids are coma et al., 1985; Roberts et al., 198E overlapping rock fragments do rial during the backfilling proc( in diameter to as big as 0.5 m turbed soils. These voids may i ity in some minesoils, but cou reservoirs of low tension water lead to differential settling. TI terns where significant rock fl conducted before specific inter Many minesoils have i genic horizonation (Smith & described in some minesoil chroma) colors often are des_ sarily related to current redo)