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Environmental Implications of Regional Geology and Coal Mining in the Appalachians

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Appalachia's Coal-Mined Landscapes

Abstract

The history of the Appalachian Mountains commenced with breakup of a supercontinent in the Late Precambrian era, followed by passive-margin development in the Cambrian through Middle Ordovician. Collision with island arcs in the Late Ordovician and Devonian was followed by collision with Africa at the end of the Paleozoic, resulting in building of the Appalachian Mountains. Sandstones vary in composition from feldspathic to lithic to quartzose, reflecting changes in source-area compositions during evolution of the Appalachian Orogenic Belt. Coal seams of Pennsylvanian and Permian age are interspersed within sandstones and finer-grained sedimentary rocks that respond to surface weathering dependent on their composition. Feldspathic and lithic sandstones are prone to weathering via dissolution and hydrolysis of feldspar and chlorite schist-mica, respectively, whereas quartzose sandstones are durable when exposed to surface weathering. Durable sandstones are favored for mined-land fill and water conveyance structures. Physical properties of mine soils derived from rock-type mixtures are more favorable for plants than soils from pure sandstones or shales; while pre-weathered oxidized strata produce lower mine-soil rock content and more acidic conditions. The abundance of pyrite vs. neutralizers like carbonates and feldspars is related to differences in rock depositional environments and influences mine-soil chemistry and water quality.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    The Pocahontas and Dunkard Basins are not depositional basins but resulted from gentle folding after deposition of the sediments. Thus, they are termed structural basins.

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Acknowledgements

Figures 3 through 6 were drawn by Kathryn Haering and Fig. 2 was drawn by Jody Booze-Daniels; these figures are based on reference materials cited by the figure captions.

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    Kenneth A. Eriksson & W. Lee Daniels

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  1. Kenneth A. Eriksson
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Correspondence to Kenneth A. Eriksson .

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  1. School of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA

    Carl E. Zipper

  2. Division of Plant and Soil Science, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA

    Jeff Skousen

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Eriksson, K.A., Daniels, W.L. (2021). Environmental Implications of Regional Geology and Coal Mining in the Appalachians. In: Zipper, C.E., Skousen, J. (eds) Appalachia's Coal-Mined Landscapes. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-57780-3_2

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