2019 pp. 491-496 Vol. 18 p-ISSN: 0972-6268 No. 2 Nature Environment and Pollution Technology An International Quarterly Scientific Journal Original Research Paper e-ISSN: 2395-3454 Open Access Distribution Characteristics of Micronutrients in Mining Induced Subsided Land of an Underground Coal Mine of South Eastern Coalfields, India Ashish Kumar Vishwakarma†, Rajesh Rai and B. K. Shrivastva Department of Mining Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology (Banaras Hindu University), Varanasi-221005, India †Corresponding author: Ashish Kumar Vishwakarma ABSTRACT This paper aims to study the distribution of available micronutrients (Fe, Mn, Cu and Zn) for plants in an underground coal mining induced subsided land of South Eastern Coalfield Limited (SECL), India. Depth-wise changes in soil texture, soil organic matter (SOM) and micronutrient components were evaluated in crack (Profile 2 or P2), slope (Profile 3 or P3) and maximum subsided zone (Profile 4 or P4) of a subsided land and a neighbouring undisturbed land (Profile 1 or P1). Contents of available Fe, Mn, Cu and Zn were in the range of (mg.kg -1 ) 50.58-85.17, 40.50-64.93, 3.15-10.43 and 2.13-6.20, respectively at P1 and P4, while the contents at P2 and P3 were in the range of (mg.kg -1 ) 4.10-10.25, 1.26-1.74, 0.12-0.19 and 0.31-0.52, respectively. Considering the critical levels of amounts (mg.kg -1 ) of DTPA extracted micronutrients, the soils at P1 and P4 were found to have an adequate amount of Fe, Mn, Cu and Zn while P2 and P3 were having lower amounts than the critical levels except the Fe. Positive changes in the content values of the above elements were observed at P4, as demonstrated by increases of 54.90%, 12.98%, 127.02% and 38.30%, respectively. P3 and P2 had shown a negative change. The dispersion patterns of accessible Cu and Zn throughout the soil depth were very similar. By simple linear regression analysis, it was observed that mutual affinity for SOM might influence their distribution in soil. Amount of Fe and Mn displayed different but more consistent distribution within a soil layer. Nat. Env. & Poll. Tech. Website: www.neptjournal.com Received: 05-10-2018 Accepted: 09-12-2018 Key Words: Coal mining Subsidence Micronutrients Trace elements Soil texture INTRODUCTION The forest trees play an important role in the environmental balance on earth, and hence they have the ability of fulfill- ing relevant ecological functions (Kern & Schmitz 2013). Study about nutritional limits of trees may provide impor- tant information regarding the effect of changes taking place in trees after various soil nutritional fluctuations. Coal ex- traction from underground mining results in land subsid- ence causing the aboveground forest to face various structural changes in land, consequently the changes in the soil at which they depend for their nutrition. A study based on urban forestry by Lilly (2015) indicates that there is fre- quently a requirement for treatment with fertilizer in mature stages when trees are not appropriately fertilized at younger stages. A typical mining subsided area has a tensile zone, a slope and a zone of maximum subsidence. The tensile zone where cracks are generated, results in physical damages to the roots causing problems in nutrient uptakes, conse- quently physiological disturbances in the tree. The slope, where maximum soil erosion takes place causing a distur- bance in nutrient equilibrium, soil textural changes etc. and the area of maximum depression where most of the nutrients accumulate due to runoff and mineral weathering. Investi- gations related to the micronutrient levels in tree species found in the forest ranges are rare. The heavy metals and trace elements occur naturally in earth’s crust and their content depends upon soil’s local- ized changes (Bowen 1979). Due to natural processes like weathering or some anthropogenic processes like applica- tion of phosphate fertilizers to the fields, heavy metals enter into the soil (Alloway 2013). It acts as an important source for heavy metals occurrence in the soil and by their con- tinuous application they resulted into the bioaccumulation. Generally, heavy metals are considered as contamination in minerals and natural materials, that is why they might exist in phosphate or other chemical fertilizers. Trace elements necessary for plants such as Fe, Mn, Zn and Cu are the most important micronutrients required in a very small amount for the proper growth of plants. Only chelated, soluble and exchangeable micronutrients are absorbed by the plants, and hence the measurement of total concentrations avail- able in the soil cannot predict the behaviour of micronutrients (Kabata-Pendias 1993, Buccolieri et al. 2010). Because of the complications associated with the inter- actions between plants and environmental factors, there is