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<p>This study evaluates spatial patterns of soil quality across mining-affected landscapes of the Rajmahal Coalfield located in Godda District, where opencast mining has significantly altered landforms and soil processes. Twelve physicochemical indicators were analyzed from 12 sampling sites (<i>n</i> = 12) representing agricultural land, forest areas, resettlement zones, and overburden dumps of three age classes (5, 15, and 35&#xa0;years), forming a chronosequence of post-mining soil development. Indicator importance was determined using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), which assigned higher weights to pH, organic carbon, and macronutrients because of their role in soil recovery processes. The pairwise comparison matrix produced a consistency ratio (CR = 0.07), indicating acceptable consistency in expert judgments. These weighted indicators were integrated into a Soil Quality Index (SQI), and Ordinary Kriging was applied to examine its spatial distribution. Results suggest a gradient of soil quality across the dump-age chronosequence, with older dumps showing relatively improved soil characteristics. The interpolated SQI surface further reveals spatial clustering, with lower values around active dumping areas and higher values near older reclaimed zones, forests, and settlements. These findings indicate that soil quality variation is associated with dump age, vegetation establishment, and land-use intensity under a chronosequence framework. The integrated AHP–SQI–Kriging approach provides a useful framework for evaluating soil condition and supporting reclamation planning in mining landscapes. However, the relatively small sample size suggests that further studies with larger spatial coverage are needed to confirm these patterns across the broader coalfield region.</p>

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Multi-criteria evaluation of soil quality in the Rajmahal coalfield using AHP: A chronosequence analysis of dumping

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年6月15日

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  • Md Danish Zia,
  • Syed Naushad Ahmad

摘要

This study evaluates spatial patterns of soil quality across mining-affected landscapes of the Rajmahal Coalfield located in Godda District, where opencast mining has significantly altered landforms and soil processes. Twelve physicochemical indicators were analyzed from 12 sampling sites (n = 12) representing agricultural land, forest areas, resettlement zones, and overburden dumps of three age classes (5, 15, and 35 years), forming a chronosequence of post-mining soil development. Indicator importance was determined using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), which assigned higher weights to pH, organic carbon, and macronutrients because of their role in soil recovery processes. The pairwise comparison matrix produced a consistency ratio (CR = 0.07), indicating acceptable consistency in expert judgments. These weighted indicators were integrated into a Soil Quality Index (SQI), and Ordinary Kriging was applied to examine its spatial distribution. Results suggest a gradient of soil quality across the dump-age chronosequence, with older dumps showing relatively improved soil characteristics. The interpolated SQI surface further reveals spatial clustering, with lower values around active dumping areas and higher values near older reclaimed zones, forests, and settlements. These findings indicate that soil quality variation is associated with dump age, vegetation establishment, and land-use intensity under a chronosequence framework. The integrated AHP–SQI–Kriging approach provides a useful framework for evaluating soil condition and supporting reclamation planning in mining landscapes. However, the relatively small sample size suggests that further studies with larger spatial coverage are needed to confirm these patterns across the broader coalfield region.