Surface mining - using mixed overburden to create prime farmland

Conference · Wed Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1997

OSTI ID:613870

Bearden, E D ^[1]

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1. TU Services, Dallas, TX (United States)

Mining companies are required by regulation to replace prime farmland by sequential soil horizon during the reclamation phase of mining. However, by the use of selective handling techniques, prime farmland soils can be produced using mixed overburden. Overburden characterization is performed using gridded geophysical logs and cores to determine the best material available to use during reclamation. A postmine soil mapping project indicated the Grayrock, Grayvar, and Bigbrown soil series at two mine sites in east Texas could meet the criteria for prime farmland soils. At the Monticello Winfield Mine, the Grayrock and Grayvar soils on 1 to 5 percent slopes were declared as prime farmland by the U.S. Soil Conservation Service in 1991. The Bigbrown soil series on 1 to 5 percent slopes was declared a prime farmland soil by the SCS in 1993 at the Big Brown Mine. Postmine prime farmland soils at Monticello Winfield Mine compose 65.9 percent of the mined area, compared to 38.8 percent prime farmland soils within the permit area prior to mining. Prime farmland soils at the Big Brown Mine made up 4.7 percent of the area before mining but 58.6 percent of the postmine soils. Use of selected overburden material, especially in areas where native soils have low to moderate productivity, is considered a viable alternative based on this and other studies.

• OSTI ID: 613870
• Report Number(s): CONF-9705128--
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
AGRICULTURE
COAL MINES
ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS
LAND RECLAMATION
OVERBURDEN
REMEDIAL ACTION
SOILS
SURFACE MINING
TEXAS