Spoil Type Influences Soil Genesis and Forest Development on an Appalachian Surface Coal Mine Ten Years after Placement

Surface mining for coal (or other mineral resources) is a major driver of land-use change around the world and especially in the Appalachian region of the United States. Intentional and well-informed reclamation of surface-mined land is critical for the restoration of healthy ecosystems on these disturbed sites. In Appalachia, the pre-mining land cover is predominately mixed hardwood forest, with rich species diversity. In recent years, Appalachian mine reforestation has become an issue of concern, prompting the development of the Forestry Reclamation Approach, a series of mine reforestation recommendations. One of these recommendations is to use the best available soil substitute; however, the characteristics of the “best” soil substitute have been an issue. This study was initiated to compare the suitability of several types of mine spoil common in the Appalachian region: brown sandstone (Brown), gray sandstone (Gray), mixed spoils (Mixed), and shale (Shale). Experimental plots were established in 2007 with each spoil type replicated three times. These plots were planted with a mix of native hardwood species. Ten years after plot construction and planting, tree growth and canopy cover were highest in Brown, followed by Shale, Mixed, and Gray. Soil conditions (particularly pH) in Brown and Shale were more favorable for native tree growth than Mixed or Gray, largely explaining these differences in tree growth and canopy cover. However, soil chemistry did not clearly explain differences in tree growth between Brown and Shale. These differences were more likely related to differences in near-surface soil temperature, which is related to soil color and available shade.

Sub-Surface Investigation Using Vertical Electrical Sounding: Chennai Metropolitan Area

The data or information on the sub-stratum, nature of aquifers, their spatial disposition, their hydrogeological characteristics and other information, are limited particularly in urban context. The study was performed in the Chennai metropolitan area. The objective of the study was to get the sub-surface information of the study area. The vertical electrical sounding was performed at ninety locations to identify the sub surface lithology. The Archaeans consisting of Charnockites, gneisses and dolerite occupy the southern part of the Metropolitan area. The lower portion of gondwanas belonging to the Talchir beds consist of light brown and green colored Shales occurring below the alluvium in the area between Nandanam on the east to Nandambakkam on the west. These Shales are overlying the older crystalline rocks. The lower portion of gondwanas belonging to the Talchir beds consist of light brown and green coloured Shales occurring below the alluvium in the area between Nandanam on the east to Nandambakkam on the west The Tertiary bed comprising friable white and reddish brown Sandstone occurs on the western side near Chembarambakkam and on the northwestern side between Thirunindravur and Villiwakkam. The thickness of the alluvium ranges between 5m on the southern side to a little more than 20m on the east central part of the Metropolitan area.

Newly identified Carboniferous units (the Pointe Sawyer and Chemin-des-Pêcheurs formations) in the Gaspé Peninsula, Quebec; implications regarding the evolution of the northwestern sector of the Maritimes Basin

The Upper Member of the Cannes-de-Roches Formation was recently recognized overlying the Bonaventure Formation in the New Carlisle area, over 100 km southwest of the previously documented exposures of this unit. Moreover, remnants of the La Coulée Formation, which are unconformably overlain by the Bonaventure Formation, have also been recognized underlying, with a similar type of contact, the Lower Member of the Cannes-de-Roches Formation. From this and from facies similarities, the Lower and Middle members of the Cannes-de-Roches Formation are now considered to be equivalent to the Bonaventure Formation. It is proposed to abandon these two member designations and to only keep the Bonaventure Formation. The remaining Upper Member of the Cannes-de-Roches Formation is renamed the Pointe Sawyer Formation. A late Viséan to early Namurian age is attributed to this grey clastic formation from spore analysis. Dark reddish-brown sandstone conformably overlie the Pointe Sawyer Formation in the Mal Bay area. They correspond to the beginning of sedimentation from more distant sources within the regional Carboniferous stratigraphic succession, which was until then characterized by sedimentation from proximal sources. This previously unidentified unit is here referred to as the Chemin-des-Pêcheurs Formation.

Geology of the Golden Gate Highlands National Park

The Golden Gate Highlands National Park is underlain by stratigraphic units belonging to the upper part of the Karoo Sequence. These units include part of the Beaufort Group and the Molteno, Elliot, Clarens and Drakensberg Formations. Dolerite dykes and sills are intruded into the succession while recent alluvium and scree cover the valley floors and mountain slopes. The Beaufort Group is represented by red mudstone and light brown fine-grained feldspathic sandstone of the Tarkastad Subgroup. The Molteno Formation consists of medium- to coarse-grained trough cross-bedded sandstone, while the Elliot Formation comprises a thick succession of red mudstone, siltstone and interlayered fine- to medium-grained, light yellow-brown sandstone. The most characteristic feature of the park is the yellowish sandstone cliffs of the Clarens Formation. Cave formation is caused by exudation, differential weathering due to different degrees of carbonate cementation and undercutting of the sandstone. The highest peaks are capped by numerous layers of amygdaloidal and massive varieties of basaltic lava of the Drakensberg Formation. A possible volcanic pipe occurs in the eastern part of the park. The Elliot and Clarens Formations are rich in vertebrate fossil remains, especially Massospondylus sp. Remains of Notochampsa sp., Pachygenelus monus, Clarencea gracilis, Lanasaurus scalpridens and a cluster of unidentified dinosaur eggs have also been found. The formations underlying the Golden Gate Highlands National Park were formed during the Late Triassic Epoch and the Jurassic Period (roughly 150 to 230 million years ago). The strata in the park show very little structural deformation and the only obvious structures are faults which are intruded by dolerite.

MICROMORPHOLOGICAL, PHYSICAL, CHEMICAL, AND MINERALOGICAL PROPERTIES OF A CATENA OF SOILS FROM PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND IN RELATION TO THEIR CLASSIFICATION AND GENESIS

The four soils, developed in compact, reddish brown, sandstone-derived till, ranged from well to poorly drained. Eluviation of clay and sesquioxides had occurred in all of the soils as indicated by their light gray, acid Ae horizons that were depleted of clay, Fe, Al, and Mn, However, only the two better drained soils, Tignish and O'Leary, had the B horizon of accumulation of amorphous organic matter-Fe, -Al complexes that is diagnostic of Podzolic soils. Weakly expressed horizons of clay accumulation occurred in all of the soils and they were somewhat more developed in the more poorly drained soils. Subsoils of all four soils had low hydraulic conductivities, high bulk densities, and a mixed clay mineralogy consisting of mica, chlorite, kaolinite, and expansible minerals. The properties of the four soils were closely similar to those of reddish brown soils of similar texture and drainage class from Nova Scotia. Two were classified as Bisequa Grey Luvisols and the others as Gleyed Gray Luvisol and Low Humic Eiuviated Gleysol.