Comparative Assessment of Soil Physicochemical Properties across Active Mining, Logistics, Peripheral and Agricultural Zones in the North Karanpura Coalfield, Jharkhand, India

Abstract

This study evaluates differences in topsoil physicochemical properties among four techno-ecological settings in the North Karanpura Coalfield, Jharkhand, India: an active opencast mining site (Amrapali), a coal-logistics zone on reclaimed land (Piparwar village), a mining-peripheral site (Binglath village), and an agricultural/low-disturbance reference site (Honhe village). Composite topsoil samples (0–30 cm) were assessed for soil texture, bulk density, porosity, specific gravity, pH, electrical conductivity (EC), organic matter, available phosphorus, available sulphate, and moisture content. Descriptive comparisons were complemented by exploratory Pearson correlation analysis, principal component analysis (PCA), and a Minimum-Data-Set-informed relative Soil Quality Index (SQI). Because the dataset contains one composite value per site rather than independent replicated observations, the multivariate analyses are descriptive and hypothesis-generating; they are not used for significance testing or causal inference. Available sulphate was excluded from the multivariate and index calculations because its reported values require verification against the original laboratory records. Using eight indicators—pH, EC, bulk density, porosity, clay, available phosphorus, moisture content, and soil organic matter—the recalculated relative SQI values were 0.33 for Amrapali, 0.41 for Piparwar, 0.40 for Binglath, and 0.63 for Honhe. The observed site differences are consistent with a gradient of physical and chemical disturbance, including textural coarsening, lower moisture content, acidic pH, and lower available phosphorus at the mining-influenced sites. However, the single composite observation per site prevents the separation of site effects from sampling variability. The study therefore provides a preliminary comparative baseline and identifies specific measurements that should be replicated and verified in future monitoring rounds.