Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 15.4.
Dozer with winged tine (arrowed) used for deep-ripping (subsoiling)
of bauxite mine pits after the return of soil layers.
25
p
= 0.365
20
15
Figure 15.5.
Total emergence of 18
Jarrah forest seedlings following sowing
in mid dry season (dark grey bar), late
dry season (light grey bar) and at the
break of season (clear bar ). Values are
means
10
5
SE. (n
ΒΌ
5) (after Worthington
et al.
2006
).
0
to 'kick-start' the incipient ecosystem and replace losses of nutrient that
occurred due to plant removal and the physical mixing of the soil. Fertilisation
application tends to be ground based in the northern mines, while the south-
western mines rely on airborne (helicopter) delivery in order to avoid re-
compaction of the soil. Typically, the fertilisers used are phosphorus based, as
this is the major limiting nutrient in the Jarrah forest soils (Chen et al.
2008
).
Single super phosphate and diammonium phosphate are typically used as the
major nutrient sources (Hinz
1992
; Vlahos et al.
1999
; Koch
2007b
).
The development of ecosystems and their successional processes after
mining is a contentious and complex matter. A true understanding of ecosys-
tem development must include above- and below-ground components of the
developing systems and consider a range of biotic and abiotic parameters.
