SOM as a soil state development parameter for rehabilitation of mined or degraded soils

Disturbed or newly built landforms and associated soils are commonly depleted or lack of SOM. Through soil forming processes controlled by the inherent abiotic conditions and climate of a specific site and location, SOM will be accumulated over time. Properties related to soil health are often linked to SOM. They may change over time and develop towards a climax state. This process may take considerable periods of time and will occur over years or decades.   
Using examples from several mine rehabilitation sites in Australia, the trajectory of the accumulation of SOM has been quantified. The impact of SOM on soil functional properties (soil hydrological and soil mechanical properties) is presented for a soil with rehabilitation dating back to more than 40 years. SOM is not only affecting functional properties, the quality of SOM is equally changing over time. Examples from SOM quality analysis are presented for rehabilitated soils of different age.
Using the trajectory of change of properties expressed as soil health status and represented by SOM for the assessment of the state of soil rehabilitation would allow the incorporation of the temporal dynamic of soil development and its local potential. A future application is seen in the derivation or prediction of a typical state of climax equilibrium and hence through identifying a current development status to provide a more objective measure for assessing success of soil rehabilitation or soil reclamation.