Suitability evaluation of land reclamation as arable land in coal mining area based on catastrophe theory

Abstract

Abstract A catastrophe progression model for the suitability evaluation of land reclamation as arable land in coal mining area was put forward based on the catastrophe theory. The suitability classification of land reclamation as arable land in coal mining area was divided into four grades: suitable, moderately suitable, less suitable, and unsuitable. On the basis of comprehensive consideration of three factors including land quality, soil nutrients and engineering suitability in the reclamation area, eleven parameters including terrain slope grade, effective thickness of soil layer, soil parent materials, soil contamination, organic content, alkali hydrolyzable nitrogen (N), available phosphorus (P), available potassium (K), ground collapse, land destruction extent, and conditions of irrigation and drainage were selected as evaluation indicators, and the classification standards of each evaluation indicator was determined. Using MATLAB software to generate 800 total samples (200 samples per level) between the arrays corresponding to each level of standards according to the principle of normal distribution, of which 600 were used as training samples to establish the catastrophe progression criteria, and 200 were used as test samples to verify the reliability of the proposed criteria, and the proposed criteria also were verified by engineering examples. The suitability of land reclamation as arable land in coal mining area in Shaodong county, China, was comprehensively evaluated by using the proposed model. The research results have reference and guiding significance for the comprehensive evaluation of the suitability of land reclamation as arable land in coal mining areas.