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SENCINDIVER & AMMONS
<br />rganic carbon, bulk density,
<br />alped land surface.
<br />iG
<br />views on the use of mined
<br />isidered to be a waste or by-
<br />ed to have value and should
<br />, classified, and interpreted.
<br />hould be maintained so that
<br />[he drawing of a line around
<br />it as a mine dump or some
<br />1 these earth materials were
<br />s Udorthents (Wright et al.,
<br />ome instances, the Udorthent
<br />nation as the old mine dump
<br />nesis of the soil and indicated
<br />n for the contiguous soils. As
<br />for taxa were developed, and
<br />(Indorante & Jansen, 1984;
<br />a computer modeling system
<br />ed soil samples were required
<br />i Sencindiver (1990) mapped
<br />(1979b) reported that liberal
<br />.xonomy taxa were inadequate
<br />IFICATION EFFORTS
<br />of minesoil classification took
<br />Arming Conference (Soil Surv.
<br />°timed into the next decade,
<br />of concern in soil survey activ-
<br />- operties was introduced in the
<br />Conference (Soil Surv. Staff,
<br />terature citations was compiled
<br />taff, 1990). Soil survey cooper -
<br />met jointly in 1992 and shared
<br />oil Surv. Staff, 1992). Classifi-
<br />)ils were revisited in recent dis-
<br />e (Soil Surv. Staff, 1994b). All
<br />ational Soil Survey Conference
<br />It was decided to separate dras-
<br />y soils. A tentative definition of
<br />MINESOIL GENESIS AND CLASSIFICATION
<br />drastically disturbed soils was formulated in the 1994 Southern Soil Survey Work
<br />Planning conference in Little Rock, Arkansas (Soil Surv. Staff, 1994a), "Drasti-
<br />cally disturbed soils consist of soil materials that have been completely removed
<br />from their original context and redeposited by man which resets the pedogenic
<br />clock at time zero. These soil materials originate from various surface mining
<br />techniques, large civil works projects, major urban excavation projects, and agri-
<br />cultural land that has been disturbed to a depth of one or more meters" Soil prop-
<br />erties commonly observed in drastically disturbed soil profiles are as follows:
<br />1. Bridging voids related to deposition by various mechanical methods. These
<br />voids are randomly located.
<br />2. Disordered coarse fragments.
<br />3. Pockets of dissimilar materials that are randomly oriented.
<br />4. Color mottling not related to drainage.
<br />5. Irregular distribution of oxidized carbon not associated with fluvial processes.
<br />Recently, an International Committee on Anthropogenic Soils (ICOMANTH)
<br />was established. Committee activities have been divided into classification of soils
<br />that have been drastically altered by human activities and classification of soils that
<br />have been altered by long -term agricultural use.
<br />XVI. SUMMARY
<br />Minesoils are pedogenically young soils developing on landscapes altered
<br />by human activities, and they have properties that differ dramatically from con-
<br />tiguous soils. Initially, most minesoils are devoid of soil horizonation, but thin A
<br />horizons form quickly, usually within a few years. Therefore, most minesoils
<br />have A -C or A -AC -C profiles with ochric epipedons. A few individual pedons
<br />have mollic, cambic, sulfuric, or other diagnostic horizons. Occurrence of these
<br />horizons depend on mining and reclamation methods and physical, chemical, and
<br />mineralogical properties of the parent materials.
<br />Thirty -four minesoil or anthropogenic soil series have been defined and
<br />correlated in the USA. All of these series have been classified as Entisols because
<br />they have no diagnostic horizons except an ochric epipedon. Twenty -six of the
<br />series are Udorthents, five are Udarents, two are Udorthents, and one is a Udi-
<br />psamment. Although not officially correlated, individual pedons of Dys-
<br />trochrepts, SulfochrePts and possibly other great groups have been recognized.
<br />Except for Sulfochrepts, the taxa used for minesoils do not adequately reflect the
<br />unique genesis, properties, and management needs of these soils. Therefore, sev-
<br />eral modifications to Soil Taxonomy have been proposed. The authors have pro-
<br />posed Spolents as a new suborder. Scientists in Maryland have suggested defin-
<br />ing garbic, spolic, and urbic materials and scalped land surface for new subgroups
<br />of Udorthents, etc. Others have proposed a new order, Anthrosols. in units
<br />Soil scientists have mapped minesoils for many years, but mapping
<br />have been given taxonomic names in only the past 15 to 20 yr. Originally, mine-
<br />soils were recognized on soil maps as "strip mines," "mine dumps," etc. Then
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