Azam Beigi; Naser Mashahadi; Majid Karimpourreihan
Abstract
Mining activities are one of the most persistent causes of soil degradation due to the destabilization of the physicochemical structure of the soil. In this research, quantitative data of soil stability indicators were used to assess the effect of sodium sulfate extraction on soil properties and protective ...
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Mining activities are one of the most persistent causes of soil degradation due to the destabilization of the physicochemical structure of the soil. In this research, quantitative data of soil stability indicators were used to assess the effect of sodium sulfate extraction on soil properties and protective behavior of the earth's surface. The research method was based on tranformations in soil stability indicators, namely, acidity (pH), electrical conductivity (EC), exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP) and sodium absorption ratio (SAR), for natural surfaces (undisturbed topsoil), stripped topsoil layer (displaced soil layer) and sodium sulfate extraction layer. The results show that the concentration of exchangeable sodium percentage and the exchangeable calcium to magnesium ratio in the layer of displaced soil and the extraction layer of sulfate is reduced compared to the natural soil. While the organic matter content of soils does not change in all layers, and the value of electrical conductivity in the sulfate extraction layer is higher than all layers. The results of the soil stability data value show the instability of the displaced soil layer compared to the other two layers. Based on the presented results, it has been shown that the soil instability potential increases due to sodium sulfate extraction.
