Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Letter
  • Published:

Availability of Nitrogen to Plants in Acid Coal Mine Spoils

Nature volume 217, pages 768–769 (1968)Cite this article

Abstract

MINING of coal by either strip (open cast) or deep-mining methods leaves large quantities of raw rock overburden and waste on the surface and revegetation of such spoils presents great reclamation problems. Survival and growth of plants are hampered by a variety of physical and chemical features of the spoils; in particular, poor growth has been attributed to lack of plant nutrients, especially nitrogen. Nevertheless, investigations of anthracite coal mine spoils in the vicinity of Tamaqua, Pennsylvania, showed that the nitrogen available to plants may be very abundant in certain spoils composed of black pyritiferous shales.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Cornwell, S. M., thesis, Cornell Univ. (1966).

  2. Hall, A. D., and Miller, N. H. J., J. Agric. Sci., Camb., 2, 343 (1908).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Rayleigh, Lord, Proc. Roy. Soc., A, 170, 451 (1939).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Stevenson, F. J., Science, 130, 221 (1959).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Stevenson, F. J., Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, 26, 797 (1962).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Stevenson, F. J., Bull. Amer. Assoc. Petrol. Geol., 44, 1257 (1960).

    Google Scholar 

  7. Southard, A. R., thesis, Cornell Univ. (1963).

  8. Greweling, T., and Peech, M., Cornell Univ. Agric. Exp. Stn. Bull., 960 (1965).

  9. Schramm, J. R., Trans. Amer. Phil. Soc., 56 (1966).

Download references

Author information

Author notes

  1. S. M. CORNWELL

    Present address: Department of Biology, University of York,

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cornell University, Ithaca, New York

    S. M. CORNWELL & E. L. STONE

Authors
  1. S. M. CORNWELL
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. E. L. STONE
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

CORNWELL, S., STONE, E. Availability of Nitrogen to Plants in Acid Coal Mine Spoils. Nature 217, 768–769 (1968). https://doi.org/10.1038/217768a0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/217768a0

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing