Assessing the quality of the soil around a shale gas development site in a subtropical karst region in southwest China

The construction of shale gas facilities disturbs large areas of land and affects soil quality and function. In this study, we investigated the properties (including physical, chemical, and microbiological indicators) of soil at three different distances from a shale gas development site (<30 m, 30-50 m, and 50-100 m) in a karst area in 2017 and 2020. Our results showed that the soil water content; available carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus concentrations; total nitrogen and total phosphorus concentrations; microbial biomass, and enzyme activities increased (P < 0.05) as the distance from the well pad increased, and the total carbon content, pH, electrical conductivity, and some ions (magnesium, sodium, and potassium) decreased with distance from the well pad (P < 0.05). The differences in the soil properties were most noticeable in 2017. The increases in the available nutrients were greater than in the total nutrients. The overall soil quality after the shale gas well pad construction was limited by the microbial biomass and sodium contents. The soil properties recovered most quickly at 30-50 m from the well pad, because of local farmland management practices that improved the soil properties and microbial biomass, and reduced the microbial stress. Therefore, we recommend planting sodium-tolerant crops on the land closest to the well pads, to facilitate restoration of the soil that was disturbed during the construction period.