Date of Award
10-31-2011
Document Type
Capstone
Degree Name
M.S.
Keywords
Reclaimed coal-mine areas, Vegetation growth, Topsoil distribution
Department
Geography
First Advisor
Steven R. Hick
Second Advisor
Andrew Goetz
Abstract
A necessary precursor to ensure proper vegetation growth on reclaimed coal-mine areas is even distribution of topsoil. This capstone discusses development of surface models to describe the accurate determination and visualization of the distribution of topsoil. Prediction surfaces from topsoil-depth point samples were created using the surface interpolation methods, Inverse Distance Weighted and Kriging. The validity and accuracy of each method was assessed to determine the best method to evaluate actual topsoil distribution at a coal mining site. The model can be utilized by non- spatially trained personnel working in the mining arena as an aid in assessing how appropriately the topsoil has been distributed over newly reclaimed mine areas.
Recommended Citation
Ferarese, Janine, "Surface Modeling Topsoil Distribution on a Reclaimed Coal-Mine Site at Blackmesa Mine Complex, Kayenta, Arizona" (2011). Geography and the Environment: Graduate Student Capstones. 16.
https://digitalcommons.du.edu/geog_ms_capstone/16
Comments
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