Bulk soil handling for quarry restoration

Abstract

Abstract. The principles and practice of bulk soil handling for mine reclamation are reviewed, with special reference to the agricultural restoration of sand and gravel quarries in the UK. The principal forms of damage to soils when moved are due to trafficking, and include compaction in cohesive soils and loss of structure in granular soils. Of the wide range of soil moving equipment available, earthscrapers are often responsible for severe compaction. New soil handling techniques have been developed to minimize such damage. On chalky boulder clay soils earthscrapers can be combined with excavators for topsoil placement. On more granular soils all soil handling can be carried out by excavators and dumptrucks, with virtually immediate restoration to full agricultural productivity.

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