Underground Salt Mine Research Articles

Suitability for tourism of Târgu Ocna and Cacica resorts and the salt mines on their territory

This study analyses the bioclimate of Cacica and Târgu Ocna resorts and of the salt mines on their territory, based on the Thermo-Hygrometric Index (THI). The bioclimate was analyzed based on hourly data (air temperature and relative humidity) from 2020-2022. The annual and diurnal regime of THI in the two resorts and the two underground salt mines were investigated and periods of bioclimatic comfort were identified. Thus, at Cacica, the comfort period covers the months of June-July-August and partly September, while at Târgu Ocna the period starts one month earlier (in May) and extends by one month compared to Cacica resort (until September). It is worth noting the presence of clusters of days or hours with thermal discomfort caused by heat, especially in Târgu Ocna (in July and August). Over the course of a day, bioclimatic comfort based on the THI index is reached in Cacica, during the summer, from 6.00 a.m. and lasts until midnight. In the transition months, April, May and October, comfort is felt between 11.00 a.m and 6.00. p.m. In Târgu Ocna the bioclimatic comfort is specific to summer throughout the day, with a more pronounced discontinuity in the afternoon hours, when the discomfort caused by the heat sets in. The salt mines benefit from a thermal stability that is reflected in the slightly variable THI values and in a slight cooling discomfort. The stable atmosphere and the microclimatic uniformity give Cacica and Trotu? salt mines certain balneoclimatic qualities recommended both for tourists and patients (with respiratory diseases).

Improved imaging of ground deformation and brine seepage around abandoned flooded salt mines by joint inversion of multiphysics data

Centuries of bad mine-flooding practice have left a legacy of underground salt mine collapse and contaminated discharges, the scale of which is only slowly being revealed now that ground processes have caused instability over decades to >100 years. Geophysical methods are used for mapping ground subsidence and groundwater contamination at such sites but suffer individually from non-uniqueness and with the underlying mechanism and processes not being well understood. Here, to reduce uncertainty and maximize accuracy we recover subsurface models with structural similarity enforced via crossgradients joint inversion of seismic refraction and dc resistivity data for the top 40 m at former mining areas in Carrickfergus region of Northern Ireland. The models in combination with multispectral image fusion, enable us to identify hitherto unknown mechanism of deformation and compositional changes consistent with the Chebotarev geochemical evolution of groundwater. We found evidence of concealed gravitational slump structures interpreted as being caused by water ingress weakening the gypsum-bearing marl bedrock (via gypsum dissolution and increased fluid pressures within marl) and leading to gravitational gliding deformation, expressed as curved subsidence bands and stepped thrusts coincident with surface zones of brine-mud seepage and sinkhole collapse. Our results have wide-ranging implications for best-practice assessment and management of abandoned flooded salt mines and the hazards they pose to ground stability and water resources world-wide.

Study on visco-elastoplastic fractional creep model of surrounding rock of salt cavern gas storage

The cavities formed by the water solution mining of underground salt mines is an ideal storage place for natural gas, which has the advantages of superior sealing properties, low construction expenses, ample storage capacity, and high peak regulating efficiency. However, during the years of operation in the salt cavity gas storage, the salt rock will inevitably creep, which will jeopardize the entire underground cavity. Therefore, it is essential to conduct further research on the creep properties of salt rock to maintain the security and stability of salt cavern storage. In this paper, a 210-day triaxial compression test was conducted to analyze the creep characteristics of salt rock, and an improved isochronal stress-strain inflection point approach was put forward. This enhanced method reduces the subjective influence of the traditional method on the selection of the inflection point, and the result is more accurate, which provides valuable information for estimating the effective life of the salt cavity gas storage. This paper used a nonlinear visco-elastoplastic body to characterize the accelerated creep strain characteristics of rock and combined it with the Hooke body and fractional-order element to derive a novel creep constitutive model. The new model is in good accordance with the experimental results, which could accurately capture the entire process of salt rock creep and serve as a theoretical foundation for the research of creep characteristics and the stable running of salt rock gas storage.

Ground Displacements in NY Using Persistent Scatterer Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar and Comparison of X- and C-Band Data

In this study, we investigated the quality of Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) data to measure surface displacements in upstate New York, an area with dense vegetation, snowy winters, and strong seasonal signals. We used data from the German Space Agency’s TerraSAR-X and TanDEM-X satellites (X-band, 3.1 cm radar wavelength) as well as the European Space Agency’s Sentinel-1 satellite (C-band, 5.6 cm radar wavelength); both datasets covered a ~3-year time period from 2018 to 2021. Using persistent scatterer interferometry (PSI), we were able to observe several deforming features in the region with sub-centimeter/year deformation rates. We also examined a version of the X-band data that we spatially averaged to the same pixel size as the Sentinel-1 imagery in order to separate out the effects of wavelength and pixel size on PSI accuracy and coverage. Overall, the largest number of stable PS points was found in the full-resolution X-band data, which was followed by the C-band data and then by the downsampled X-band data. Our analysis also included a subset of snow-free imagery so that we could assess the effect that snow-covered images had on the distribution and accuracy of PS points and the resulting time series. This analysis revealed that PS populations increased by 50–60% for the snow-free data when compared with analyses using the full datasets. The average deformation rates inferred from the time series generated using only snow-free images were nearly identical to those estimated from the full time series. We assessed the accuracy of the inferred rates through comparisons between the results of different datasets and with limited ground survey data. We found that all of the inferred deformation rates from each of the datasets agreed with in situ measurements in an area of known ground subsidence above an underground salt mine in Lansing, NY. The S1 datasets, however, had higher levels of noise.

Life cycle assessment of air-pollution-control residues from waste incineration in Europe: Importance of composition, technology and long-term leaching

Air pollution control residues (APCr) are hazardous materials generated from municipal solid waste incineration and require appropriate management. This life cycle assessment (LCA) study investigates the environmental impacts of current and alternative management options, considering the possibility of a cascading management of APCr, where one treatment technology is followed by another. In total, 14 base case scenarios and 30 sensitivity scenarios were evaluated. The effects of APCr composition, leaching, time horizon, and uncertainties were investigated. The APCr management options with the lowest environmental impacts and the smallest uncertainties were i) backfilling of underground salt mines and ii) neutralization treatment followed by backfilling (Langøya, Norway). These options were followed by iii) scenarios that included Zn extraction, iv) cement stabilization of fresh APCr followed by landfilling and v) production of cement aggregates made from carbonated APCr followed by their utilization in construction works. Recovery of salts from APCr required further performance optimizations before being environmentally competitive with other options. Long-term leaching emissions of Zn, Cr and As were among the largest contributors to toxicity-related impacts, emphasizing the need for management strategies that minimize their leaching. The investigated scenarios demonstrate that increased “processing” and cascading utilization of the residues, contribute with increased uncertainty of the results compared to landfilling and may not necessarily lead to decreased environmental impacts. LCA studies of APCr management should address the full management chain, rather than just the first treatment. Overall, the results of this study were found robust, also considering potential changes in the surrounding energy system.

Cover Picture: Geomechanics and Tunnelling 6/2021

AbstractThe Borth underground salt mine with an annual production volume in the range of 2 m t of halite is amongst the largest underground mines in Central Europe. All mined halite is transported to the central hoisting shaft with belt conveyor systems. To ensure a safe and efficient operation of the main conveyor belt, precautionary support measures in geotechnically stressed areas of various stopes were necessary. For the rehabilitation measures, an innovative anchoring system was applied using 3.7 to 5.7 m long hollow bar anchors which were first anchored mechanically in a borehole, pre‐stressed and then fully grouted with resin.

Hallstatt miners consumed blue cheese and beer during the Iron Age and retained a non-Westernized gut microbiome until the Baroque period

SummaryWe subjected human paleofeces dating from the Bronze Age to the Baroque period (18th century AD) to in-depth microscopic, metagenomic, and proteomic analyses. The paleofeces were preserved in the underground salt mines of the UNESCO World Heritage site of Hallstatt in Austria. This allowed us to reconstruct the diet of the former population and gain insights into their ancient gut microbiome composition. Our dietary survey identified bran and glumes of different cereals as some of the most prevalent plant fragments. This highly fibrous, carbohydrate-rich diet was supplemented with proteins from broad beans and occasionally with fruits, nuts, or animal food products. Due to these traditional dietary habits, all ancient miners up to the Baroque period have gut microbiome structures akin to modern non-Westernized individuals whose diets are also mainly composed of unprocessed foods and fresh fruits and vegetables. This may indicate a shift in the gut community composition of modern Westernized populations due to quite recent dietary and lifestyle changes. When we extended our microbial survey to fungi present in the paleofeces, in one of the Iron Age samples, we observed a high abundance of Penicillium roqueforti and Saccharomyces cerevisiae DNA. Genome-wide analysis indicates that both fungi were involved in food fermentation and provides the first molecular evidence for blue cheese and beer consumption in Iron Age Europe.

Mineralogical and Chemical Tracing of Dust Variation in an Underground Historic Salt Mine

The aim of this study was to investigate the causes of the evolution of atmospheric dust composition in an open-to-public subterranean site (UNESCO-recognized historic mine) at increasing distances from the air intake. The role of the components imported with atmospheric air from the surface was compared with natural and anthropogenic sources of dust from inside the mine. Samples of deposited dust were directly collected from flat surfaces at 11 carefully selected sites. The morphological, mineralogical, and chemical characteristics were obtained using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and inductively coupled plasma spectroscopy (ICP). The study showed that the air in the underground salt mine was free of pollutants present in the ambient air on the surface. Most of the components sucked into the mine by the ventilation system from the surface (regular dust, particulate matter, gaseous pollutants, biogenic particles, etc.) underwent quick and instantaneous sedimentation in the close vicinity of the air inlet to the mine. The dust settled in the mine interior primarily consisted of natural geogenic particles, locally derived from the weathering of the host rock (halite, anhydrite, and aluminosilicates). This was confirmed by low values of enrichment factors (EF) calculated for minor and trace elements. Only one site, due to the tourist railroad and the associated local intensive tourist traffic, represented the anthropogenic sources of elevated concentrations of ferruginous particles and accompanied metals (P, Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, As, Mo, Cd, Sn, Sb, Pb, and W). The gravitational deposition of pollutants from these sources limits the effects of the emissions to the local range. The used methodology and the results are universal and might also apply to other mines, caves, or underground installations used for museums, tourists, or speleotherapeutic purposes.

Horizontal single hole blast testing – Part 2: Field observations and experimental trends from SHB campaigns at two underground salt mines

This results presented in this paper follow the basic principles and methodology developed for horizontal Single Hole Blast (SHB) testing using terrestrial laser scanning (TLS), introduced in Part 1, and shows specific SHB test applications as a mean to investigate rock blasting behavior. Part 1 introduced a detailed procedure for consistent and systematic SHB testing to provide the means for reproducible and comparable data collection and characterization. The concept of crater breakout angle was expanded to account for the observed non linear shape, based on measurements made at small increments along the blasthole to capture variability of the overall geometry.This paper describes SHB testing campaigns conducted at two underground salt mines. Traditional reporting parameters (e.g. breakout angle, crater area) are presented in an enhanced approach by capturing their variation along the blasthole, and with respect to measured burden dimensions. A new crater model is proposed to better capture and represent the observed crater shape, and avoid the simplification of best-fitting triangular crater shapes. Results from the field campaigns are presented in details using LiDAR point clouds and SHB characteristic plots of the crater geometry. The crater model is calibrated from the test results to obtain site-specific burden-dependent trends of the crater shape. Two methods are then proposed for implementing SHB test results into blast pattern designs using the proposed crater model.

Origin, distribution, and perspective health benefits of particulate matter in the air of underground salt mine: a case study from Bochnia, Poland

The composition and distribution of airborne particles in different locations in a salt mine were determined in terms of their origin, the distance from the air inlet, and the adaptation of post-mining chambers and corridors for tourists and general audience. The composition of aerosols in air was also evaluated from the perspective of human health. Air samples were collected on filters by using portable air pumps, in a historical underground salt mine in Bochnia (Poland), which is currently a touristic and recreation attraction and sanatorium. The particulate matter (PM) concentration was determined using the gravimetric method by weighing quartz filters. The content of carbon, water-soluble constituents, trace elements, and minerals was also determined. A genetic classification of the suspended matter was proposed and comprised three groups: geogenic (fragments of rock salt and associated minerals from the deposit), anthropogenic (carbon-bearing particles from tourist traffic and small amounts of fly ash, soot, and rust), and biogenic particles (occasional pollen). The total PM concentration in air varied between 21 and 79 μg/m3 (with PM4 constituting 4–24 μg/m3). The amount of atmospheric dust components coming from the surface was low and decreased with the distance from the intake shaft, thus indicating the self-cleaning process. NaCl dominated the water-soluble constituents, while Fe, Al, Ag, Mn, and Zn dominated the trace elements, with the concentration of majority of them below 30 ng/m3. These metals are released into air from both natural sources and the wear or/and corrosion of mining and tourists facilities in the underground functional space. No potentially toxic elements or constituents were detected. The presence of salt particles and salty spray in the atmosphere of salt mine, which may have anti-inflammatory and antiallergic properties, is beneficial to human health. This study will allow for a broader look at the potential of halotherapy in underground salt mines from a medical and regulatory point of view.

Geological CO2 quantified by high-temporal resolution stable isotope monitoring in a salt mine

The relevance of CO2 emissions from geological sources to the atmospheric carbon budget is becoming increasingly recognized. Although geogenic gas migration along faults and in volcanic zones is generally well studied, short-term dynamics of diffusive geogenic CO2 emissions are mostly unknown. While geogenic CO2 is considered a challenging threat for underground mining operations, mines provide an extraordinary opportunity to observe geogenic degassing and dynamics close to its source. Stable carbon isotope monitoring of CO2 allows partitioning geogenic from anthropogenic contributions. High temporal-resolution enables the recognition of temporal and interdependent dynamics, easily missed by discrete sampling. Here, data is presented from an active underground salt mine in central Germany, collected on-site utilizing a field-deployed laser isotope spectrometer. Throughout the 34-day measurement period, total CO2 concentrations varied between 805 ppmV (5th percentile) and 1370 ppmV (95th percentile). With a 400-ppm atmospheric background concentration, an isotope mixing model allows the separation of geogenic (16–27%) from highly dynamic anthropogenic combustion-related contributions (21–54%). The geogenic fraction is inversely correlated to established CO2 concentrations that were driven by anthropogenic CO2 emissions within the mine. The described approach is applicable to other environments, including different types of underground mines, natural caves, and soils.

Sensitivity analysis of factors influencing pillar stability in the deep stope of underground salt mine

The orebody and the surrounding rock of underground salt mine are generally divided into soft rock or extremely soft rock. In these mines, the strip room pillar method is primarily used. Continuous pillars with a certain width are left between every two mining strips. These pillars are used to provide support to the overlying surrounding rock. However, the stability of the pillars restricts the stope structural parameters of the mining method. Thus, it is important to first determine the main factors that affect pillar stability and analyze the influence level of these factors. Using a deep mining underground salt mine as an example, the characteristics of pillar instability and the pillar load are analyzed. The safety factor of the pillar refers to the ratio of pillar strength to pillar load, which can be used to quantitatively evaluate pillar stability. Based on the formula of pillar stress and the empirical formula of pillar strength, the formula of the pillar safety factor is deduced. Based on this formula, the primary factors affecting pillar stability are comprehensively analyzed. Moreover, the sensitivities of these factors are compared and analyzed based on the orthogonal range theory. According to the calculation results of the range, the factors influencing pillar stability in the underground salt mine are the mining depth and uniaxial compressive strength of ore, which are the most significant factors, followed by the height and width of pillars, and then the room width and unit weight of the overlying strata, which have relatively small influence. The safety factor of the pillar is positively correlated with the pillar width and uniaxial compressive strength but negatively correlated with the mining depth, pillar height, room width, and the unit weight of the overlying strata. The specific reasons of each factor affecting the safety coefficient are analyzed in detail. The changing trend of the pillar safety factor with various influencing factors can provide an important basis for the optimal design of stope structural parameters and the determination of support scheme.

Augmenting the in-situ rock bolt pull test with distributed optical fiber strain sensing

A high spatial resolution distributed optical fiber strain sensing technology is demonstrated to advance the assessment of support element behaviour during in-situ pull tests. A technique to instrument typical tendon support elements with a fiber optic sensor is discussed and was trialed at an underground salt mine through a series of pull tests on instrumented rebar elements. It is shown that a continuous strain profile can be measured along the length of a support element under pull test load, which, in turn, allows the interfacial shear stress distribution and deformation of the support element to be resolved. In comparison to load and displacement measurements solely at the support element head, which is what is traditionally reported for in-situ pull tests, the optical fiber strain sensor is found to provide significantly more insight into the mechanistic behaviour of the support element by readily measuring highly variable strain distributions and by quantifying the load development length of the support element. The sensor arrangement allowed the conventional handling and installation procedures to be followed without any implication to the integrity of the sensor. Accordingly, an instrumented reinforcement element can be installed with minimal interruption to on-going mining/construction procedures at the given project.

Zanieczyszczenie powietrza w uzdrowiskach polskich – problem gmin uzdrowiskowych oraz kuracjuszy = Air pollution in Polish health resorts – a problem for both local authorities and patients

Health resorts beside mineral water and muds should provide the best air quality which enables climatotherapy conducted in the open air. However the air in health resorts is polluted by particulate matter PM10, PM2.5 and benzo(a)pyrene the same as the rest of Poland – the most polluted European country. In Poland there are 45 statutory health resorts, 1 organized in underground salt mine excavation and 8 towns with a status of a spa protection area. In the years 2010-2018 permanent monitoring of PM10 was conducted only in 14 Polish spas and among them only in 5 since 2010. PM2.5 and B(a)P is measured in even less number of stations. The paper analyses the values of the average annual concentration of pollutants, the number of days with permissible levels, the annual courses but also the reasons for this state. A large part of the causes of poor air conditions are due to the lack of a state policy promoting renewable energy sources and clean technologies, maintenance and co-financing of unprofitable coal mines, but also because of ordinary poverty, and often the lack of reflection and knowledge about fatal consequences of the burning things that should never be burned at low temperatures. There are many more problems, but first of all without abandoning coal heating, without a wise state policy, spa municipalities cannot cope alone with the problem of air pollution.

Salt tectonics in front of the Outer Carpathian thrust wedge in the Wieliczka area (S Poland) and its exposure in the underground salt mine

Salt deposits in the Wieliczka area (Wieliczka Salt Deposit – WSD) in southern Poland comprise salt-rich strata belonging to an evaporite succession that originated in the Carpathian Foredeep basin in the Middle Miocene Badenian (Serravallian) times, ca 13.81–13.45 Ma. Although they have been mined since the 13th century and decades of investigations provided abundant data on their origin and structure, some aspects of their geological evolution are still not fully understood. This study presents current concepts on the lithostratigraphy and tectonics of the WSD. The salt-bearing facies developed near to the southern basin margin, delineated by the Carpathian orogenic front. Such a location triggered the redeposition of sediments and gravity-driven deformation followed by tectonic deformation related to the forelandward advancement of the Carpathian thrusts. As a result, the WSD consists of folds and slices composed of two main salt members: (1) the stratified salt member, with intercalating salt, sulphates and siliciclastics, and (2) the boulder salt member, built of clays with large, isolated blocks of salt. The stratified member contains abundant meso-scale tectonic structures recording the soft-sediment deformation and deformation related to the northward tectonic push exerted by the advancing Carpathian thrust wedge. The boulder member originated due to the syntectonic erosion of evaporites along the basin margins and their redeposition during progressive northward migration of the Carpathian front. Recent interpretations of seismic data imply that the WSD constitutes the core of a triangle zone developed at the contact of the Carpathian orogenic wedge with the backthrust-displaced foredeep sedimentary fill. Meso-scale examples of sedimentary and tectonic structures in the salt-bearing succession exposed in the underground Wieliczka Salt Mine are described and their formation modes discussed.

Alpine halite-mudstone-polyhalite tectonite: Sedimentology and early diagenesis of evaporites in an ancient rift setting (Haselgebirge Formation, eastern Alps)

The Permian Haselgebirge Formation of the eastern Alps is among the most highly deformed evaporites worldwide. In underground salt mines, it is composed of a melange of halite, anhydrite, and mudstone, with a subordinate amount of magmatic rocks. The only potassium mineral is polyhalite [K2Ca2Mg(SO4)(4)center dot 2H(2)O]. Its extreme tectonic deformation provides a challenge for reconstructing the tectono-sedimentary environment. In this context, we were able to compile a set of characteristic sedimentary and early diagenetic features of the non-halite components. In particular, mudstone and anhydrite pseudomorphs after gypsum preserve synsedimentary structures. While mudstone represents the overall background sedimentation, sulfate precipitated mainly at the brine surface under pelagic conditions. The large amount of mudstone (50%) was probably trapped as mud in a quiet lagoonal basin. Its magnesium-dominated mineral composition is in accordance with coeval halite precipitation from seawater. Earthquake-induced deformation structures formed in the semiductile mud sediment as mostly ramified, centimeter-scale sedimentary dikes, which originated intrastratally by liquefaction. Permian volcanism is documented by a basaltic body from the Hallstatt salt mine, which exhibits a sedimentary contact with the mudstone. Its immobile trace-element composition favors an intraplate origin consistent with a rift stage. During subsequent burial, authigenic minerals such as quartz and feldspar started to grow. The origin of polyhalite relates to the mobilization of complex fluids and roughly coincides with the final, late Middle Triassic opening of the Meliata Ocean. All evidence from syn-sedimentary deformation and early diagenesis confirms the deposition of the evaporites in a late thinning stage of an ancient rift.

Rock-Mass Movement Monitoring System in Historical Salt Mines, Using the Example of the Bochnia Salt Mine

The old workings may still generate mining menace hazard around the Polish historic salt mines of Wieliczka and Bochnia, despite the fact that adequate protection support have been provided along the underground tourist routes. The water and collapse hazards dominate in underground salt mines. Water hazard is manifested by leaks, excessive leaching, or water disasters which may lead to catastrophic flooding, while collapse hazard is marked by cracking and rock erosion. Such processes caused ceiling collapses in previous centuries, followed by sinkholes above shallow workings. Our analysis indicated that salt-mine collapse hazard monitoring is usually reduced to the observation of the rock-mass movement on the scale of both mining area and locally. Mining area movements are observed by taking measurements of the vertical displacements of land-surface and mine levels. Local movements are observed by several methods: measurement of workings’ convergence, shelf and pillar deformation, and rock-layer deformation close to walls and ceilings. The frequency of measurements depends on the assumed accuracy. This paper describes the rock-mass monitoring methods applied in the Polish underground salt mines, with presentation of specific measurement results. Our analysis demonstrated that the monitoring systems used in present-day mining practice are rather reduced to rock-mass movement recording. However, such records cannot be the grounds for determination of the collapse hazard status. First of all, the measurement results should be used for a quantitative description of the rock-mass movement caused by human activity and obtaining the values of the parameters for constitutive laws applied in geomechanical models. Only the knowledge of the phenomena which occur in the rock mass will allow us to define the indicators that are usable to determine the degree of hazard and estimate the threshold values that would suggest the necessity to start implementing proper countermeasures

HALOTHERAPY FOR PREVENTION AND MEDICAL REHABILITATION IN PEDIATRIC HEALTH CARE

The primary focus of medical rehabilitation is the approach of model simulation of natural environment. Halotherapy is one of the nonpharmacological methods widely used in Russian public health care delivery including prophylaxis and rehabilitation in children. This method is based on the recreation of the air environment of a natural underground salt mine. The article presents an innovative method using a next generation of equipment for halotherapy: a guided halocomplex where the control on dosage regiments and aerodisperse medium parameters is implemented. The mechanisms of the effect of halotherapy are considered, the data of the clinical effectiveness for various paediatric diseases are outlined.

Techno-economic review on storage of petroleum products in abandoned underground salt mines: A case study on underground salt mines of Sardareh region, Garmsar, Iran

During the past few decades, along with creation of new needs, large spaces of underground mines (especially abandoned mines) have found new applications, e.g., storage of petroleum products. Utilization of empty spaces of these mines as hydrocarbons storage facilities decreases the costs of construction of underground spaces, which can be very expensive and costly. On the other hand, crude oil and other hydrocarbons nowadays are one of the most important factors affecting political and a major part of the domestic economy is achieved through them. Thus, in this paper, a feasibility study has been performed on the application of underground salt mines near the city of Garmsar on the southern edge of Alborz mountains and on the north of the central desert of Iran. Through studies of documentaries, field observations and considering technical, geometrical and defensive criterion, the most suitable abandoned underground mine for reutilization as a storage facility is selected and presented.

SPELEOTHERAPY DEVELOPMENT IN ROMANIA ON THE WORLD CONTEXT AND PERSPECTIVES FOR USE OF SOME SALT MINES AND KARST CAVES FOR SPELEOTHERAPEUTIC AND BALNEOCLIMATIC TOURISM PURPOSES

Speleotherapy (ST) is a relatively new method of complementary medicine, although, as is well known ancient tribes appreciated isolation in underwater caves, salt or karst caves, or possessing various ores and was officially recognized in the years 1950-1960 in Germany (K.Spannagel, 1961) and Poland (M. Skulimowski, 1965). Professor Mieczyslaw Skulimowski has granted of speleotherapy in Wieliczka Salt Mine, the name of subterraneotherapy, soon to be also called the Skulimowski method. Number of speleotherapeutic centers and speleotherapy symposiums has increased considerably (H.Trimmel, 1994). Speleotherapy in the underground now is an effective therapeutic method for the treatment of obstructive respiratory tract diseases, especially of patients with bronchial asthma (BA), the upward and effective practice in Central and Eastern Europe, but also in the West: Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Poland, Russia, Slovakia, Ukraine, Belarus, Hungary etc. In the World, known about 60 underground salt and other mines, carst caves used for ST or are under experimental study to evaluate the possibility to be used for speleotherapy, including: Germany, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria, Slovenia, Ukraine, Romania and other countries. In salt mines with 9-24 °C temperature operating 15 speleotherapy centers, 34 in karst caves with 9-18 °C, and 4 centers in thermal caves with temperatures higher than 24 C (Iu. Simionca et al., 2005). In the last twenty years ST occupies an important place in salt mines mines and carst caves with different parameters: Wieliczka, Poland; Solotvino / Slatina, Ukraine; Bad Bleiberg, Austria; Klutert Hohl, Germany; Zlate Hory and Cisarska Cave, Czech Republic; Bystrianska Jaskyna, Slovakia; Tapolca Seehohle, Hungary; Unirea Salt Mine Slanic Prahova, Romania and will occupy a significant place the Turda Salt Mine, Cacica, Tg. Ocna, and Praid salt mines from Romania (Iu.Simionca et al., 2006, 2009). Is of scientific and practical interest formation in world of new directions in the treatment of the most common and severe allergic diseases asthma, namely the use of underground environmental factors in order to reduce human outcome of the action of environmental allergy. In this context, the use of salt mines and caves as natural therapeutic factors also known as speleotherapy, is a special scientific interest, a perspective direction in the areas of health and environment. Today speleotherapy is known as the therapy of patients with various diseases in the underground salt mines and caves possessing natural therapeutic factors (Iu.Simionca et al., 1998, 2005, 2006, 2009). Analysis of the speleotherapy domain status allowed to establish that use saline or cave underground natural environmental factors which own curative properties for prevention, treatment and rehabilitation of patients with certain diseases, often