Abstract
Underground and opencast mining adversely affects the surrounding environment. This process may continue even decades after the end of actual mineral extraction. One of the most significant effects of ceased mining are secondary deformations. Safe, new development of post-mining areas requires reliable information on potential deformation risk zones, which may be difficult to obtain due to a lack of necessary data. This study aimed to investigate and understand the secondary deformation processes in the underground mining area of the former “Babina” lignite mine, located in the unique glaciotectonic environment of the Muskau Arch, in western Poland. A combination of GIS-based historical mapping, geophysical 2D/3D microgravimetry, and Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) measurements allowed the identification of subsidence-prone areas and the determination of potential factors of sinkhole development. The latter are associated with anthropogenic transformation of rock mass and hydrogeological conditions, by shallow underground mining. The results confirmed that multi-level mining of coal deposits in complex and complicated glaciotectonic conditions cause discontinuous deformations, and may be hazardous as long as 50 years after the end of mining operations.
Highlights
Introduction iationsPost-mining areas, resulting from both underground and open-cast operations, experience negative consequences even decades after the end of mining operations [1,2,3,4,5]
The research presented in this paper aimed at creating a digital inventory of the selected post-mining workings, located in a unique postglacial environment, and mapping the extent of the rock mass disturbed by underground brown coal mining, with the objective of identifying weaker areas susceptible to present-day mine collapse and secondary land deformation
Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, based on archival cartographic documenThe scanned maps were obtained from the State Mining Authority archives, and are drawn tation comprising of 67 scanned paper maps representing underground and open-pit at a scale of 1:1000
Summary
Post-mining areas, resulting from both underground and open-cast operations, experience negative consequences even decades after the end of mining operations [1,2,3,4,5] These effects include, among other things: flooding of the subsided areas [6,7]; sinkholes and other forms of discontinuous deformations, as a result of sudden destruction of underground workings, especially shallow ones [8,9]; secondary deformations (uplift), as a result of the restoration of groundwater levels [10,11,12,13]; erosion of mining waste heaps; fires related to coal mining waste heaps; pollution caused by waste heaps [14,15,16,17]; difficulties with the introduction of vegetation and degradation of vegetation conditions due to unfavorable soil characteristics; and subsidence and flooding [18,19,20,21]. As these areas are no longer monitored, e.g., by mine surveying services, the extent and intensity of these processes remain largely unknown
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