Dynamics of mine rocks and artificial soils physical and chemical characteristics under the impact of long-term reclamation
Authors: Zverkovsky V. M. , Zubkova O. S. 
Published: February 2020

The physicochemical characteristics of mine rocks and artificial soils of forest recultivation plot № 1 of «Pavlogradska» main were studied. The absorbed moisture, maximal absorbed moisture, volume weight, unit weight, porosity of soils, content of water-soluble elements, pH of soils’ solutions, salinity and wilting point of plants were described. The dynamics of mine rocks and artificial soils physicochemical characteristics, which have an influence on forests suitability and silvicultural effect, gradually changing due to long-term reclamation, were ascertained. Variants of artificial soils, created on the experimental forest recultivation plot, have qualitative differences from natural etalon soils, disturbed destructive soils and differences between themselves. During the creation of various soil constructioins at the technical stage of recultivation it is often not taken into account the possible distant consequences that arise in connection with the dynamic features of the climate, topography, lithology, hydrology and other indicators of technogenic landscapes. Due to the functioning of these soil constructions on the biological stage of recultivation there are significant changes in physical properties and processes, occurring in the remediation root layer, therefore the monitoring of pedogenesis and evolution of these structures becomes relevant. Tehnozems, formed during reclamation process, are significantly different from zonal soils in the level of fertility (trophicity), physical, water-physical, agrochemical and other important ecosystem indicators. Spatial variability of artificial soils properties leads to a diversity of ecological conditions of mikrobocenosis, phytocenosis and zoocenosis functioning on the recultivation plots. The most important properties for evaluation of the prospects of ways and methods of mine dumps forest reclamation are the following physico-chemical parameters of mine rock and artificial soils as the actual acidity, content of water-soluble salts and humus, fraction composition of the clay fraction, mechanical (granulometric) composition, water-physical properties within a recultivation layer. The aim of the research is investigation of the dynamics of physico-chemical properties and forests suitability of bulk substrates on the forest recultivation plot № 1 of «Pavlogradska» main, with area of 3.2 hectares, where different constructions of forest plantations are being tested since 1976 on the different versions of artificial soils. The novelty of the work is that the findings substantiate the environmental assessment of artificial soils properties dynamics under influence of the long-term biological remediation. Over a long period of reclamation an acidity of main rock remains exceeding because of high sulphates content (up to 3,1 %). Salinity of substrates, contacting with main rock, decreased by 14–22 % in comparison with an initial salinity due to water-soluble salts migration and reclamation influence of experimental forest cultures. Bulk soil constructions on mine dumps of the forest recultivation plot in the steppe conditions can be attributed to humus-accumulative tehnozems with gradually increasing silvicultural effect.