Resolving Abandoned Mine Conditions Susceptible to Surface Subsidence

Details

• Personal Author:
  Cohen KK ; Trevits, Michael A.
• Description:
  Surface subsidence attributable to abandoned underground mines ranks high among abandoned mine land issues. Resolving the conditions that lead to unplanned mine subsidence remains a problem to geotechnical personnel charged with such tasks. A poor understanding of the conditions that lead to subsidence and geotechnical tools with limited subsurface resolving power compound the problem of determining abandoned mine land susceptible to subsidence. Drilling on closely spaced centers is a standard approach to characterizing an area of investigation. Alternative technologies that augment standard procedures have been tested to a limited extent, and are investigated here. Two case studies that represent different stages of subsidence assessment are presented, including an abandoned iron ore mine site in New Jersey investigated with magnetometry and an abandoned anthracite coal mine site in Pennsylvania investigated with seismic techniques. Results from the two case studies demonstrated that the alternative technologies of magnetometry and seismic techniques were valuable in assessing the extent of mining and in identifying different physical conditions within the mine level and overburden. A review of these and other subsidence investigations identified the following tasks as useful in assessing abandoned mine properties: (1) delineating the areal extent of mining, (2) developing models for mine and overburden conditions, (3) conducting field studies with appropriate alternative technologies to target instability zones, and ( 4) if warranted, implementing a program to monitor mine overburden stability through time. Alternative technologies identified to augment standard drilling practices include geophysical techniques, remote sensing, geochemical surveys, and displacement sensors. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Mining Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Abandoned Mines Mining Industry Underground Mines Underground Mining
• Series:
  Mining Publications
• Publisher:
  U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Mines
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Proceedings
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 3 ; Pennsylvania
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  PRC - Pittsburgh Research Center
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  19-28
• Volume:
  4
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20050438
• Citation:
  Proceedings of the International Land Reclamation and Mine Drainage Conference and Third International Conference on the Abatement of Acidic Drainage April 24-29, 1994, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Pittsburgh, PA: United States Department of the Interior, Bureau of Mines, Special Publication SP 06C-94, 1994 Apr; 4:19-28
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1994
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Source Full Name:
  Proceedings of the International Land Reclamation and Mine Drainage Conference and Third International Conference on the Abatement of Acidic Drainage April 24-29, 1994, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:7431c650ed8b525164ad36c88099d8631b921a871630e8d377fa25334e3d6074b9a24be766b8a3e0b74688b7eee21bc480be0e82f9c3f3dea9da14bd1a9bb702
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/227568/cdc_227568_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 348.81 KB ]