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The Impact of SMCRA on Select Soil Properties in Reclaimed Mine Sites Determined by Geochemical and Hydrological Analyses

Holsinger, John Frederick
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1406134738

Abstract Details

2014, Master of Science, Ohio State University, Geological Sciences.
Surface mine reclamation results in the removal and redistribution of soil materials, which has a profound effect on many soil properties. The Surface Mine Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA) of 1977 was enacted by Congress to mitigate some of the negative consequences of surface mining. The goal of this research was to understand the impact of SMCRA on the development of permeability within the soil, as it relates to soil aggregate formation in the development of soil structure. To determine this, field saturated hydraulic conductivity (Kfs) measurements were made in three areas, one area reclaimed prior to SMCRA, one area reclaimed under the guidelines set forth by SMCRA, and one area that had not been mined. Soil samples were also gathered in order to assess whether soil aggregation was proceeding normally, or whether it was disrupted in any of the three areas. A wet sieving process was used to separate soil the soil aggregates into three size fractions. Organic material that was not contained within the soil aggregates was removed by physical separation, and the soil aggregates within each size fraction were analyzed for d13C and C/N. These data were then used to ascertain whether aggregation was proceeding normally. It was hypothesized that if aggregation was proceeding according to patterns established I the literature that the soil would be developing structure, and would thus have a higher measured Kfs. The aggregate dynamics study demonstrated that the unmined reference site was developing according to expected patterns (normally), and that the post-SMCRA reclaimed area was developing more normally than the pre-SMCRA area. The unmined area did not have the highest Kfs values, but the post-SMCRA site had a higher average Kfs than the pre-SMCRA site, based on limited data.
Anne Carey, Dr. (Advisor)
William Lyons, Dr. (Committee Member)
Michael Durand, Dr. (Committee Member)
87 p.
Earth; Environmental Geology; Environmental Science; Geology
soil; aggregates; aggregation; del13C; carbon nitrogen ratio; hydraulic conductivity; reclamation

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Holsinger, J. F. (2014). The Impact of SMCRA on Select Soil Properties in Reclaimed Mine Sites Determined by Geochemical and Hydrological Analyses [Master's thesis, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1406134738

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Holsinger, John. The Impact of SMCRA on Select Soil Properties in Reclaimed Mine Sites Determined by Geochemical and Hydrological Analyses. 2014. Ohio State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1406134738.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Holsinger, John. "The Impact of SMCRA on Select Soil Properties in Reclaimed Mine Sites Determined by Geochemical and Hydrological Analyses." Master's thesis, Ohio State University, 2014. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1406134738

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1406134738
449
© 2014, some rights reserved.Creative Commons License The Impact of SMCRA on Select Soil Properties in Reclaimed Mine Sites Determined by Geochemical and Hydrological Analyses by John Frederick Holsinger is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. Based on a work at etd.ohiolink.edu.
This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.