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

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- 608 SENCINDIVER & AMMONS based on weighted means of whole pedon values for organic carbon, bulk density, and sand content, and the presence or absence of a scalped land surface. XIV. MINESOIL MAPPING Indorante et al. (1992) have pointed out that views on the use of mined lands have changed over the Last few years. Once considered to be a waste or by- product of mining, this soil resource is now considered to have value and should be more extensively studied, characterized, mapped, classified, and interpreted. Reliable records of descriptions of soil properties should be maintained so that accurate maps can be made and interpreted. Initial mapping of minesoils involved simply the drawing of a line around the disturbed land area and naming the mapping unit as a mine dump or some other term reflecting the type of disturbance. When these earth materials were finally-considered to be soils, they were mapped as Udorthents (Wright et al., 1982) or Typic Udorthents (Ritchie et al., 1978). In some instances, the Udorthent mapping unit name did not provide as much information as the old mine dump name. At least the old name clearly identified the genesis of the soil and indicated that management of these soils may be different than for the contiguous soils. As the study of minesoils continued, property ranges for taxa were developed, and series were established (Table 23 -2) and mapped ( Indorante & Jansen, 1984; Rubel et al., 1981). Cooney et al. (1991) presented a computer modeling system for mapping minesoils in eastern Texas where gridded soil samples were required by the state for postmine monitoring. Ammons and Sencindiver (1990) mapped phases of proposed minesoil families, and Schafer (1979b) reported that liberal use of phases was necessary because current Soil Taxonomy taxa were inadequate for classifying and mapping minesoils. XV. EVOLUTION OF MINESOIL CLASSIFICATION EFFORTS One of the earliest documented discussions of minesoil classification took place at the 1974 Northeast Soil Survey Work Planning Conference (Soil Surv. Staff, 1974). Although, informal discussions continued into the next decade, minesoil classification was not a high priority item of concern in soil survey activ- ities until a general discussion of disturbed soil properties was introduced in the Southern Regional Soil Survey Work Planning Conference (Soil Surv. Staff, 1988). In the 1990 Southern conference, a list of literature citations was compiled focusing on disturbed soil properties (Soil Surv. Staff, 1990). Soil survey cooper- ators from the southern and northeastern regions met jointly in 1992 and shared ideas on common properties of disturbed soils (Soil Surv. Staff, 1992). Classifi- cation, mapping, and interpretation of disturbed soils were revisited in recent dis- cussions at the Northeast Soil Survey Conference (Soil Surv. Staff, 1994b). All forms of disturbed soils were discussed at the National Soil Survey Conference in Burlington, Vermont (Soil Surv. Staff, 1993). It was decided to separate dras- tically disturbed soils from eroded soils and paddy soils. A tentative definition of MINESOIL GENESIS AND CLASSIF drastically disturbed soils was for Planning conference in Little Ro catty disturbed soils consist of sc from their original context and r clock at time zero. These soil n techniques, large civil works pro cultural land that has been disturl erties commonly observed in dra 1. Bridging voids related to di voids are randomly locatec 2. Disordered coarse fragmer 3. Pockets of dissimilar mate 4. Color mottling not related 5. Irregular distribution of oxic Recently, an International C was established. Committee activ that have been drastically altered have been altered by long -term at X Minesoils are pedogenical by human activities, and they hN tiguous soils. Initially, most min horizons form quickly, usually have A -C or A -AC -C profiles N, have mollic, cambic, sulfuric, o horizons depend on mining and i mineralogical properties of the Thirty -four minesoil or a correlated in the USA. All of the they have no diagnostic horizoi series are Udorthents, five are I psamment. Although not offs trochrepts, Sulfochrepts and po Except for Sulfochrepts, the tax . unique genesis, properties, and] eral modifications to Soil Taxor posed Spolents as a new suborc ing garbic, spolic, and urbic mat of Udorthents, etc. Others have Soil scientists have mapp have been given taxonomic nan soils were recognized on soil r