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Appalachia's Coal-Mined Landscapes pp 85–109Cite as

Soils on Appalachian Coal-Mined Lands

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Abstract

Mine soils are anthropogenic soils formed in mine spoils. Mine soils on older sites were not purposefully placed and slowly changed with soil-forming processes to form plant growth media. Some early mine soils were made of materials such as large rocks, coal remnants, carbonaceous shales, and acid sandstones which are poorly suited for productive vegetation. Later mine soils were constructed with spoil materials selected to serve as plant growth media or the original topsoil. Mine soils constructed with redistributed topsoil and weathered spoils generally have properties more similar to those of natural soils than do mine soils constructed from unweathered rock originating from deep below the pre-mining land surface. Primary influences on mine soil properties are the materials used for construction, the degree of compaction caused by mining equipment, and the time over which they have developed. Their suitability for managed land uses and productive and desirable plant communities can be assessed by observing the vegetation present and by evaluating physical and chemical properties. Mine soils’ suitability for livestock agriculture, forest tree growth, and other common uses and associated hydrologic properties vary widely. Over extended time, most mine soils become more like natural soils but retain characteristics unique to their origin.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA

    Jeff Skousen

  2. Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA

    W. Lee Daniels & Carl E. Zipper

Authors
  1. Jeff Skousen
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  2. W. Lee Daniels
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  3. Carl E. Zipper
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Correspondence to Jeff Skousen .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA

    Carl E. Zipper

  2. Division of Plant and Soil Science, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA

    Jeff Skousen

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Skousen, J., Daniels, W.L., Zipper, C.E. (2021). Soils on Appalachian Coal-Mined Lands. In: Zipper, C.E., Skousen, J. (eds) Appalachia's Coal-Mined Landscapes. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-57780-3_4

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