Online Copy Journal of Environmental Biology, Vol. , 523-528, July 2016 37 © Triveni Enterprises, Lucknow (India) Introduction Coal mining operations damage the environment and ecosystem to an unacceptable degree. Sustained utilization of land resources after mine closure therefore, requires concurrent conservation and reclamation initiatives. Reclamation by various physical and biological processes converts degraded land to productive land with sustained benefits. This also helps to preserve and maintain eco- diversity similar to pre-mining conditions. Till date several researchers have reported various effects of mining on the environment (Ekka ., 2011). Generally physical, chemical and microbiological properties of soil are affected et al in the process of opencast mining, spoiling the top soil layer and making it unfit for growth of vegetation (Ghosh, 2004; Biswas ., 2014). Growth of vegetation or plantation on overburden dumps for post mining land reclamation is usually difficult due to deficiency of nutreints (Rai ., 2011). Coal mining also causes enrichment of a number of heavy metals into the surroundings waste dumps and tailings which due to their persistent nature is a subject of concern for the environment and human health (Anh ., 2011). These heavy metals find their way to nearby water bodies and agricultural crops grown in the vicinity of mining areas and lead to bioconcentration and biomagnification in food chain (Roy ., 2010; Dutta and Ghosh, 2013). Regular et al et al et al et al , Assessment of soil characteristics in the vicinity of open cast coal mine and its suitability for vegetative reclamation in Charhi and Kuju of Jharkhand, India Amudala Prathap, Vivek Kujur, Sukalyan Chakraborty* and Tanushree Bhattacharya Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra, Ranchi – 835 215, India *Corresponding Author E-mail: sukalyanchakraborty@bitmesra.ac.in Abstract Key words Coal mining is inevitable for economic growth of a country, but at the same time deteriorates the quality of the environment. Open cast mine, especially affects the top soil most negatively. In the present study, soil samples from three representative areas of mining proposed, operational and abandoned sites from Charhi and Kuju of Jharkhand were collected and analysed for physico- chemical parameters and metals with an objective to determine their suitability for vegetative reclamation. Soil samples appeared to be slightly acidic (5.97 ± 0.66) with low EC values (101± 76 μScm ) , total organic carbon (0.71 ± 0.35 %), organic matter (1.34 ± 0.66 %) and overall nutrient, especially nitrogen (167± 64 kg ha ) contents than required for reclamation by revegetation. However, bulk density was found conducive for reclamation. Total Cr (317 ± 287 to 417 ± 393 mg kg ), Cu (121 ± 72 to 344 ± 143 mg kg ), Ni (171 ± 46 to 373 ± 134 mg kg ) and Pb (114 ± 115 to 182 ± 145 mg kg ) content were found to be higher in soil. Sitewise variation was also significant for Cu and Ni. Pearson's correlation suggested significant (p 0.05) positive inter elemental correlation between Cr-Fe, Cr-Mn, Cu-Ni, Fe-Mn and Mn-Ni. This baseline data could be utilized for vegetative reclamation planning of the study area in future. Correlation, Geostatistical calculations, Heavy metals, Open cast coal mine, Reclamation. viz -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 £ Positive geoaccumulation index (Igeo) values for all the metals except Fe, overall contamination degree of 31.10 and significant enrichment factor indicated considerable contamination. Publication Info Paper received: Revised received: Accepted: 31 March 2015 05 October 2015 13 February 2016 Re-revised received: 21 December 2015 Journal of Environmental Biology ISSN: 0254-8704 (Print) ISSN: 2394-0379 (Online) CODEN: JEBIDP Website : www.jeb.co.in E-mail : editor@jeb.co.in JEB