ERODIBILITY OF STRIP-MINE SPOILS

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Abstract
Erosion remains one of the greatest problems in reclaiming strip-mine areas. We evaluated the erodibility of spoil samples from lignite-bearing geological deposits along the Gulf Coast, using a rainfall simulator and predictive methods developed for agricultural soils. The materials studied represented a wide range of physical and chemical characteristics. They were subjected to two 100-year 30-min rainfall events at inclinations of 2, 9, and 18%. The eroded and splashed materials were collected and quantified. The topographical factor LS in the universal soil loss equation (USLE) was adjusted to allow extrapolation from small plots to the standard unit plot. The erodibility factor K was thus determined, and the resultant values were compared with those calculated from the physical and chemical properties of the samples by the equation developed by Wischmeier. The comparison indicates that K values estimated from the physical properties of mine spoil are larger than those experimentally determined. The erodibility factor of mine spoil (Km) may be calculated as Km = 0.339 Kw0.48 where Kw is the erodibility factor estimated from the physical properties of the spoil using the Wischmeier equation. © Williams & Wilkins 1984. All Rights Reserved.

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