Abstract
Abandoned mine lands continue to serve as non-point sources of acid and metal contamination to water bodies long after mining operations have ended. Although soils formed from abandoned mine spoil can support forest vegetation, as observed throughout the Appalachian coal basin, the effects of vegetation on metal cycling in these regions remain poorly characterized. Iron (Fe) and manganese (Mn) biogeochemistry were examined at a former coal mine where deciduous trees grow on mine spoil deposited nearly a century ago. Forest vegetation growing on mine spoil effectively removed dissolved Mn from pore water; however, mineral weathering at a reaction front below the rooting zone resulted in high quantities of leached Mn. Iron was taken up in relatively low quantities by vegetation but was more readily mobilized by dissolved organic carbon produced in the surface soil. Dissolved Fe was low below the reaction front, suggesting that iron oxyhydroxide precipitation retains Fe within the system. These results indicate that mine spoil continues to produce Mn contamination, but vegetation can accumulate Mn and mitigate its leaching from shallow soils, potentially also decreasing Mn leaching from deeper soils by reducing infiltration. Vegetation had less impact on Fe mobility, which was retained as Fe oxides following oxidative weathering.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 13 |
| Pages (from-to) | 1-19 |
| Number of pages | 19 |
| Journal | Soil Systems |
| Volume | 3 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Mar 2019 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Funding
This research was funded by the Farris Family Innovation Award to E.M.H. from Kent State University. The authors would like to acknowledge Daniel Wood, Bryan Agee, Laura Zemanek, and Mallory Klein for assistance with sample collection and processing, and Nicholas Johnson for technical assistance. We thank Marissa Lautzenheiser and the Huff Run Watershed Restoration Partnership for site access and logistical support, and Chad Kinney for assistance with plant identification. Beamline support at 12-BM was provided by Benjamin Reinhart. This research used resources of the Advanced Photon Source, a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science User Facility operated for the DOE Office of Science by Argonne National Laboratory under Contract No. DE-AC02-06CH11357. Funding: This research was funded by the Farris Family Innovation Award to E.M.H. from Kent State University. Acknowledgments: The authors would like to acknowledge Daniel Wood, Bryan Agee, Laura Zemanek, and Mallory Klein for assistance with sample collection and processing, and Nicholas Johnson for technical assistance. We thank Marissa Lautzenheiser and the Huff Run Watershed Restoration Partnership for site access and logistical support, and Chad Kinney for assistance with plant identification. Beamline support at 12-BM was provided by Benjamin Reinhart. This research used resources of the Advanced Photon Source, a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science User Facility operated for the DOE Office of Science by Argonne National Laboratory under Contract No. DE-AC02-06CH11357.
Keywords
- Abandoned mine lands
- Biogeochemical cycles
- Iron
- Manganese
- Spectroscopy