Aleš Kapička

Copper ore mining and processing are among the most harmful anthropogenic influences for the environment and they are a subject of international and national law regulations. Recultivation of areas influenced by mining and processing industry is commonly applied and monitored in order to restore as much as possible the natural environment. In this study, environmental magnetic methods are applied in order to assess the degree of soil restoration in terms of soil development, after remediation of waste dump from Cu-processing plant. Soils developed under birch forest stands of different age (5, 15, and 25 years) as well as raw waste material were sampled along depth down to 20–30 cm. Variations in magnetic parameters and ratios obtained (magnetic susceptibility, frequency-dependent magnetic susceptibility, anhysteretic remanence (ARM), isothermal remanence (IRM), ARM/IRM_100mT) suggest the presence of magnetic enhancement in the upper 0–15 cm, the thickness of this layer varying depending on the age of the forest stand. Magnetic mineral responsible for this enhancement is of magnetite type, while waste material contains a large amount of hematite, as evidenced by coercivity analysis of IRM acquisition curves and thermal demagnetization of composite IRM. Magnetic grain-sized proxy parameters suggest that magnetite particles are coarser, magnetically stable, while no or minor amount of superparamagnetic grains were detected at room temperature. A well-defined linear regression between the topsoil magnetic susceptibility and the approximate age of the forest stand provides an indication that the magnetic enhancement is of pedogenic origin. It is concluded that the observed magnetic enhancement of recultivated soils studied is linked to a combined effect of pedogenic contribution and possible additions of industrial ashes as a liming agent for soil restoration.

Open Access Agricultural Journals published by Institute of Agricultural Economics and Information

Identification of Andosols is primarily based upon the content of their colloidal constituents—clay and metal‐humus complexes—and on the determining of andic properties. This needs time and cost‐consuming geochemical analyses. Our primary aim of this study is to describe the magnetic and geochemical properties of soils rich in iron oxides derived from strongly magnetic volcanic basement (in this case Andosols). Secondary aim is to explore links between magnetic and chemical parameters of andic soils with respect to genesis factors: parent material age, precipitation, and thickness of the soil profile. Six pedons of andic properties, developed on basaltic lavas, were analyzed down to parent rock by a set of magnetic and geochemical methods. Magnetic data of soil and rock samples reflect the type, concentration, and particle‐size distribution of ferrimagnetic minerals. Geochemical data include soil reaction (pH in H₂O), cation exchange capacity, organic carbon, and different forms of extractable iron and aluminum content. Our results suggest the following: (1) magnetic measurements of low‐field mass‐specific magnetic susceptibility can be a reliable indicator for estimating andic properties, and in combination with thermomagnetic curves may be suitable for discriminating between alu‐andic and sil‐andic subtypes. (2) In the studied Andosols, strong relationships were found between (a) magnetic grain‐size parameters, precipitation, and exchangeable bases; (b) concentration of ferrimagnetic particles and degree of crystallization of free iron; and (c) parameters reflecting changes in magneto‐mineralogy and soil genesis (parent material age + soil depth).

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