Study of Anthropogenic Soils on a Reclaimed Dumpsite and their Variability by Geostatistical Methods

Abstract

Soils of reclaimed dumpsites after coal mining are considered as typical anthropogenic soils. These soils are at the beginning of their development and have certain specific characteristics. The aim of this study was to describe a soil survey performed on anthropogenic soils of a reclaimed dumpsite, to analyse spatial variability of selected properties using geostatistical methods, and to evaluate the development of reclaimed dumpsite soils. It has been shown that geostatistical methods are suitable for a description of anthropogenic soil properties and their variability. However, characterization of soil properties on the border between areas with different types of reclamation can be difficult due to sharp discontinual transitions caused by human activity. Properties of these soils vary profoundly greatly dependent on the properties of the soil substrate and the type of reclamation. The average content of organic carbon in the topsoil (0-20 cm) was 1.92% on the area covered with a layer of natural topsoil and 0.92% on the area covered by a layer of loess. An initial A horizon can develop even in 10 years under favourable conditions.

Keywords

• soil survey
• soil reclamation
• anthropogenic soils
• spatial variability
• geostatistics