Structural status of technogenic soils and the development of preferential water flows.

摘要

A technogenic soil (technozem) created on the surface of the former sludge pond of the Lebedinskii iron-ore quarry in the course of land rehabilitation was studied. The upper chernozemic fill in the technozem was underlain by the sandy or loamy layers. The water regime of this soil differed from the water regime of background automorphic natural soils and was characterized by a periodic stagnation of water at the boundary between the two layers. In 20 years, this type of the water regime resulted in the development of a columnar structure in the lower part of the chernozemic layer. The coatings on ped faces in this part of the profile had an increased content of Fe and Ca ions, and the soil texture became coarser under conditions of the alkaline medium. There was no differentiation of the carbon of organic substances and carbonates in the soil profile. Field studies of water flows in this soil with the use of starch label and laboratory experiments on infiltration of salt solutions through the soil columns with determination of ion concentrations in separate portions of the filtrate demonstrated the existence of preferential water flows in the technozem. Rapid infiltration of water through preferential water paths in the chernozemic layer after abundant rainfalls and during the snowmelt season leads to the development of perched water above the textural boundary. Temporary water stagnation in this zone ensures an increased water content in the intraped mass of columnar peds in the lower part of the chernozemic layer.