Abstract
This paper covers a GIS1 approach to identifying hazardous areas at the Sterkfontein Caves. It makes a contribution to risk assessment of land with shallow caves underneath it. The aim of the study is to ensure public safety in a concentrated area frequently visited by the public and is part of a programme to identify appropriate digital technologies for mining. The geo-hazard subsidence model includes historic subsidence occurrances, terrain (water flow) and water accumulation. Water accumulating on the surface will percolate and reduce the strength of the soil mass, possibly inducing subsidence. Areas for further geotechnical investigation are identified, demonstrating that a GIS, geospatial reclassification tool has great potential for strengthening current risk assessment approaches in mining
Highlights
Land subsidence is a result of either gradual or sudden movement of the Earth’s surface due to subsurface movement of the rock or strata
The Sterkfontein caves are located about 50 km north-west of Johannesburg within the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site
As the area under investigation is only confined to the boundary of Sterkfontein caves and its surroundings, it was necessary to extract the area of interest from the complete digital data
Summary
Land subsidence is a result of either gradual or sudden movement of the Earth’s surface due to subsurface movement of the rock or strata. Land-subsidence hazard is common in limestone cave formations such as at Sterkfontein caves This type of subsidence is associated with subcircular surface depression or structure collapse when small underground voids collapse(R. Et al (2002) studied Karst mapping using GIS and described hydrology as one of the factors of subsidence and sinkhole formation. They included bedrock, fractures and faults, and soil depth as major contributing factors. The Sterkfontein caves are located about 50 km north-west of Johannesburg within the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site It is situated in the Gauteng province of South Africa and the site straddles the boundary between the Oaktree and Monte Christo formations. The spatial data were georeferenced to conform to WGS 844 projection and converted to GIS format for multi-criteria analysis
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