COMPARISON OF SOME SOIL PROPERTIES ON NATURAL AND RECLAIMED HILLSLOPES

Handling of soil materials during surface mining may substantially modify their physical and chemical properties. In this report, a comparison is presented among: (1) bulk density, (2) particle-size distribution, (3) soil reaction, and (4) organic matter content of soils on natural and reclaimed hillslopes at the Dave Johnston Mine, Glenrock, Wyoming. At this site, no significant difference occurred in bulk density between the soils of natural and reclaimed hillslopes. No significant difference occurred in gravel content, but sand content was significantly higher on the soils of natural sites than on those of reclaimed sites. There were no significant difference in average pH between the soils of the natural and reclaimed hillslopes for the first decimeter of depth; however, the average pH of soils on the reclaimed hillslopes was significantly lower than those on the reclaimed hillslopes for the second, third, and fourth decimeters. Finally, no significant difference occurred in organic matter values between the soils of natural and reclaimed hillslopes for the first decimeter, but the difference was significant in the second decimeter.