Recovery of Compacted Soils in Mojave Desert Ghost Towns

Abstract

Residual compaction of soils was measured at seven sites in five Mojave Desert ghost towns. Soils in these Death Valley National Monument townsites were compacted by vehicles, animals, and human trampling, and the townsites had been completely abandoned and the buildings removed for 64 to 75 yr. The soils studied (generally sandy, mixed, Typic Calciorthids) were derived from granitic or volcanic alluvium at elevations from 1310 to 1730 m. Compaction measurements in the townsites, including penetration depth, penetration resistance, bulk density, and peak shear stress, indicated that only one site had completely recovered to ambient soil conditions after 75 yr. Recovery times extrapolated using a linear recovery model ranged from 80 to 140 yr and averaged 100 yr. The recovery times were related to elevation, suggesting freeze‐thaw loosening as an important factor in ameliorating soil compaction in the Mojave Desert.

Factors affecting seed germination and seedling establishment of a long-lived desert shrub (Coleogyne ramosissima: Rosaceae)

“…is a rosaceous shrub that is often the dominant species on shallow soils in the transition zone between North American warm and cold deserts (Bowns and West 1976). It is known to be slow-growing and exceptionally long-lived for a non-clonal desert plant, with individuals reaching ages of several hundred years (Christensen and Brown 1963;Webb and Wilshire 1980;Webb et al 1987). Our observations over a 12-year-period suggest that C. ramosissima is a mast-seeding species, producing abundant seed crops at intervals of a few to several years, even when years of favorable winter moisture and consequent vegetative growth occur at more frequent intervals (Pendleton et al 1995;Pendleton and Meyer, unpublished data).…”

Recovery of perennial vegetation in military target sites in the eastern Mohave Desert, Arizona

“…Several studies of the natural revegetation of disturbed sites have cited the type of geomorphic surface as a significant factor determining the course of recovery, but past work has focused on the intensity of disturbance or the predisturbance vegetation composition as the primary factors affecting their results. These include studies of excavation pits (Vasek, 1980), utility corridors (Vasek and others, 1975a and b); Kay and Graves, 1980), abandoned agricultural fields (Karpiscak, 1980), nuclear test sites (Romney and others, 1971), abandoned mine sites (Sulenski, 1972), military maneuver areas (Lathrop, 1983;Prose, 1985;Prose and Metzger, 1985;Prose and others, 1987;Prose and Wilshire, 2000), and abandoned mining towns (Wells, 1961;Webb and Wilshire, 1979;Webb and Newman, 1982;Webb and others, 1983Webb and others, , 1986Webb and others, , 1987Webb and others, , 1988. Some of this work was recently summarized in Lovich and Bainbridge (1999).…”

Novel Approaches to the Modeling and Computations of Wave Phenomena

“…In arid ranges, the impacts to vegetation become increasingly severe as training impacts increase in frequency and duration at rates that are disproportionate to early stages of disturbance. Even under natural conditions, severely disturbed sites in the Mojave Desert are projected to take up to 200 years to restore vegetation comparable to pre-disturbance conditions ( Figure 5-3) (Angerer and others, 1995;Vasik, 1980;Webb and Wilshire, 1980). Lands that have been drastically disturbed in deserts create serious challenges to revegetation.…”