The microbiology of strip-mine spoil.

Abstract

West Virginia-Pennsylvania (WV-Pa): Fayette County, Pennsylvania. Some attempt possibly had been made to reseed the strip-mine spoil as both alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) and red clover (Trifolium pratense L.) were present. The pH of the soil was also indicative of this. Pennsylvania: Fayette County. An abandoned area which had become naturally reseeded to Andropogon sp. The iron ore spoil areas were formed sometime between 1822 and 1866. At the time these were sampled they were covered by stands of oak (Quercus sp.) and yellowpoplar (Liriodendron tulipifcra L.) about 30 years old (22). An A, horizon had developed in these spoils. The three areas are designated as Johnson Hollow, Quarry Run, and Cheat. All were in Preston County, West Virginia. Materials and Methods All pH determinations were made electrolytically on a soil (spoil): water 1.5: 1 mixture which had stood for one hour with frequent shaking. The moisture determinations were made by drying the spoil and soil to constant weight at 105-1 10 c C. Further details concerning materials and methods will be described in connection with the experiments discussed or reference will be made to the original publications for the details. Studies on Microorganisms NUMBERS OF BACTERIA, FUNG!, AND ACTINOMYCETES (33) The numbers of microorganisms in spoil are influenced by a number of environmental factors, including pH, energy sources, nitrogen and other elements, moisture, and temperature. Since organic matter in spoil is essentially nil, nitrogen also is limited. Many spoils, particularly in the West Virginia coal region, become highly acid; pH levels between 3.0 and 3.5 are not uncommon. At times, particularly during the summer, the levels of both moisture and temperature are unfavorable for microbial growth, especially at the spoil surface. Methods Xonvegetated (barren), vegetated (reseeded by man or naturally reseeded), and undisturbed (adjacent soil) samples were analyzed. The samples represented the to 4-and 4 to 8-inch depths. All samples were a Complete details are given in:

Nitrogen Mineralization and Nitrification in Amended Colliery Spoils

“…Several workers have commented on the low levels of available nitrogen in these materials (Wilson 1965;Schramm 1966;Doubleday 1971) and Davison & Jefferies (1966) found that plants responded to nitrogen fertilizer added to spoil.…”

Natural recovery of microbial populations in mixed overburden surface‐mine spoils of texas

“…The decreases in numbers at increasing depth in unmined soil were very similar to those tabulated by Mishustin (1975) and are commonly observed in normal undisturbed soil profiles. Wilson (1965) noted greater numbers of bacteria and actinomycetes in nonvegetated spoil at 10-15 cm than at 0-10 cm depth, but did not investigate greater depths. The concentration of ATP (an indicator of microbial biomass) in spoil has been reported to decrease with depth (Hersman and Temple 1978) although in young spoil a maximum was found at 20 cm depth (Schafer et al 1979).…”

“…The rapid recovery to premining levels within 1 to 1 Vz years after disturbance is probably related to the revegetation of the land within 1 year after mining. Fresquez et al (1986) in New Mexico and Wilson (1965) in West Virginia found significantly greater numbers of microorganisms in vegetated spoils than in nonvegetated spoils. Increased microbial numbers in mine spoils as compared with unmined sites, found in some of our samples, were also noted on occasion by Wilson (1965).…”

“…Fresquez et al (1986) in New Mexico and Wilson (1965) in West Virginia found significantly greater numbers of microorganisms in vegetated spoils than in nonvegetated spoils. Increased microbial numbers in mine spoils as compared with unmined sites, found in some of our samples, were also noted on occasion by Wilson (1965). Visser et al (1979) concluded that an increase in pH Table 3 Numbers of Bacteria, Actinomycetes, and Fungal Propagules at Various Depths (from 4.5 to 7.0) was probably responsible for higher numbers after mining in Alberta.…”

“…With the exception of early work by Wilson andco-workers (1956, 1965) and more recently by Visser et al (1979) and Fresquez and Lindemann (1982), most studies have examined the effect of mining on only a few groups of microorganisms (for example, Starks 1979, 1980, studied algae). The majority of these studies were conducted in the Midwest where top soil was replaced after mining or in colder climates as in the United Kingdom (Harris and Birch 1989).…”