Soil Properties of the Quarry Areas in Suleymanpasa-Tekirdağ

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine soil properties of the stone quarry area located in Suleymanpasa district of Tekirdag province of Turkey, and to assess the suitability of these areas for agriculture. The study also explored the effects of the quarries on the environment and examined the legal regulations and environmental relations. For this purpose the Great Soil Groups Map and Land Use Capability Map of the region were analyzed and identified the borders of the quarries on these maps. The borders of the quarries were superimposed on these maps using the software ArcGIS. The research results indicated that the whole area of the quarries covers class II and class III lands and the quarries operate in Grumusol and Brown Forest Soils. The size of agricultural land removed by stripping operations of the quarries was about 206 hectares and the amount of soil lost was estimated to be 4,622,000 tons based on average soil depth and bulk density.