The importance of non-carbonate mineral weathering as a soil formation mechanism within a karst weathering profile in the SPECTRA Critical Zone Observatory, Guizhou Province, China

Coal mine spoil is widespread in US coal mining regions, and the potential long-term leaching of toxic metal(loid)s is a significant and underappreciated issue. This study aimed to determine the flux of contaminants from historic mine coal spoil at a field site located in Appalachian Ohio (USA) and link pore water composition and solid-phase composition to the weathering reaction stages within the soils. The overall mineralogical and microbial community composition indicates that despite very different soil formation pathways, soils developing on historic coal mine spoil and an undisturbed soil are currently dominated by similar mineral weathering reactions. Both soils contained pyrite coated with clays and secondary oxide minerals. However, mine spoil soil contained abundant residual coal, with abundant Fe- and Mn- (oxy)hydroxides. These secondary phases likely control and mitigate trace metal (Cu, Ni, and Zn) transport from the soils. While Mn was highly mobile in Mn-enriched soils, Fe and Al mobility may be more controlled by dissolved organic carbon dynamics than mineral abundance. There is also likely an underappreciated risk of Mn transport from coal mine spoil, and that mine spoil soils could become a major source of metals if local biogeochemical conditions change.

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Landscape response to tipping points in granite weathering: The case of stepped topography in the Southern Sierra Critical Zone Observatory

Applied Geochemistry ◽

10.1016/j.apgeochem.2011.03.026 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 26 ◽

pp. S48-S50 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Barbara S. Jessup ◽

W. Jesse Hahm ◽

Scott N. Miller ◽

James W. Kirchner ◽

Clifford S. Riebe

Keyword(s):

Critical Zone ◽

Tipping Points ◽

Critical Zone Observatory ◽

Landscape Response ◽

Granite Weathering

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Dataset for Observed Suspended Sediment and Particulate Organic Carbon Concentrations and Modeled Long-Term Suspended Sediment and Particulate Organic Carbon Yields (1994-2017) from the Reynolds Creek Experimental Watershed and Critical Zone Observatory in Southwestern Idaho, USA

Boise State ScholarWorks ◽

10.18122/reynoldscreek.25.boisestate ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Kayla A. Glossner ◽

Kathleen A. Lohse ◽

Alison P. Appling ◽

Zane K. Cram ◽

Erin Murray ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Organic Carbon ◽

Particulate Organic Carbon ◽

Suspended Sediment ◽

Critical Zone ◽

Critical Zone Observatory ◽

Reynolds Creek ◽

Carbon Concentrations

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Spatiotemporal Patterns of Soil Matric Potential in the Shale Hills Critical Zone Observatory

Vadose Zone Journal ◽

10.2136/vzj2014.11.0167 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 14 (7) ◽

pp. vzj2014.11.0167 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Haoliang Yu ◽

Peiling Yang ◽

Henry Lin

Keyword(s):

Critical Zone ◽

Spatiotemporal Patterns ◽

Soil Matric Potential ◽

Matric Potential ◽

Critical Zone Observatory ◽

Shale Hills

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Walker and Syers enter the critical zone: Integrating decadal scale root development with longer term soil development to understand terrestrial nutrient cycling

10.22541/au.161052911.13869160/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Emma Hauser ◽

Jon Chorover ◽

Charles Cook ◽

Daniel Markewitz ◽

Craig Rasmussen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Soil Development ◽

Critical Zone ◽

Mineral Weathering ◽

Forest Growth ◽

Vegetation Development ◽

Nutrient Sources ◽

Development Models ◽

Rooting Zone ◽

Plant Soil ◽

Decadal Scale

Most terrestrial nutrient sources are hypothesized to shift in dominance from mineral- to organic matter (OM)-derived over millennia. We investigated how overlaying this hypothesis with plant rooting dynamics that can feedback to soil development offers insight into ecosystem functioning. To test the hypothesis that the nutritional importance of OM as mineral weathering proceeds is mediated by rooting system nutrient economies that vary with vegetation development, we paired litterfall decay experiments with soil mineralogical data from diverse forests across the Critical Zone (CZ) Observatory Network. We demonstrate that sources of phosphorus shift from OM-bound stocks to minerals as the rooting zone expands during the transition from mid to late stages of forest growth. Root-driven, plant-soil feedbacks thus can prompt inconsistencies with soil development models that posit a unidirectional transition from mineral to organic nutrient dominance, and illuminate how forest growth and land use influence nutrient bioavailability in Earth’s CZ.

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