Morphological, physical and chemical characterization and soil rehabilitation alternatives for abandoned coal mine site soils

Mining is one of the most important activities that can cause soil degradation. Therefore, in areas where mining activities are conducted, it is important to determine alterations in soil characteristics and to define and implement economically sustainable methods related to soil rehabilitation and soil protection. This study aimed to identify the negative interactions occurring in soil characteristics in coal mining areas and to evaluate potential alternatives for the rehabilitation of soils in abandoned coal mining areas. Thirty six surface soil samples (0-20 cm) were collected, and 3 soil profiles were dug within the coal-mining area in Cankiri province, Turkiye. The soil-test values indicated that the soils have high amounts of iron (>4.5 mg kg-1 Fe) and copper (>0.2 mg kg-1 Cu), but low amounts of zinc (