Positive and negative impacts of longwall mine subsidence on a sandstone aquifer

 Subsidence due to longwall underground coal mining changes the hydraulic properties, heads, yields, and in some cases the groundwater chemistry of overlying bedrock aquifers. A 7-year study of a sandstone aquifer overlying an active longwall mine in Illinois has supported a comprehensive model of these impacts. Subsidence caused increases in permeability and storativity over the longwall panel. These changes initially caused a major decline in water levels in the sandstone, but the aquifer recovered slightly within a few months and fully within several years after mining. The enhanced hydraulic properties combined with potentiometric recovery resulted in a zone of greater well yield. However, at sites with very poor transmissivity and inadequate recharge pathways, recovery may not occur. Also, at the study site, the physical enhancement was accompanied by a deterioration in groundwater quality from slightly brackish, sodium bicarbonate water to more brackish water with increased sulfate levels. Received: 17 March 1997 · Accepted: 9 September 1997     

Groundwater as an environmental constraint of longwall coal mining

Groundwater impacts are a common reason for opposition to longwall mining. Most impacts are due to subsidence-related fracturing. Although upper aquifers are protected from drainage to the mine by a confining zone, water levels decline due to fracture dilation, and drawdown expands outward a few hundred meters. Recovery of water levels is common.     

采煤塌陷裂缝对沙蒿吸水来源影响试验研究

采煤塌陷引起的地裂缝不仅造成地质灾害,还会影响矿区植被的生长发育,破坏矿区生态系统。为深入探讨采煤塌陷裂缝对沙蒿吸水来源的定量影响,在神东矿区活鸡兔井田22312工作面选取了受采煤塌陷裂缝影响程度不同的3个试验区进行同位素标记水模拟降水试验。3个试验区根据沙蒿与裂缝的距离不同划分,其采煤塌陷情况分别为未开采区(试验样地内沙蒿距离裂缝大于50 m)、受采煤塌陷影响但无明显裂缝区(简称无明显裂缝区,试验样地内沙蒿距离裂缝大于5 m)以及裂缝区(试验样地内分布有宽度15 cm左右的裂缝通过,且距离沙蒿0~20 cm)。本次试验选择6株沙蒿作为研究对象,划分6个土壤剖面,采用液态水同位素分析仪LGR和Isoprime 100同位素比值质谱仪IRMS分别计算不同土层土壤水和植物样本木质部水的δ18O和δ2H同位素含量,并利用R脚本的MixSIAR贝叶斯混合模型量化降水后不同土层对沙蒿吸水的贡献,探讨土壤水分补给机制和植物水分来源。结果表明:(1) 裂缝区的优先流比例为18.2%;(2) 在未开采区,沙蒿吸收的59.7%的水分来自10~20 cm的土层;(3) 在无裂缝区,沙蒿主要从40~60 cm土层(46.6%)和0~10 cm土层(39.4%)吸水;(4) 在裂缝区,沙蒿吸收的85.9%的水分主要来自40~60 cm的土层。研究结果对揭示采煤塌陷裂缝区土壤水补给机制以及沙蒿吸水模式具有重要意义。      

Groundwater geochemistry in shallow aquifers above longwall mines in Illinois, USA

 Aquifers above high-extraction underground coal mines are not affected by mine drainage, but they may still exhibit changes in groundwater chemistry due to alterations in groundwater flow induced by mine subsidence. At two active longwall mine sites in Illinois, USA, glacial-drift aquifers were largely unaffected by mining, but the geochemistry of the bedrock aquifers changed during the post-mining water-level recovery. At the Jefferson site, brackish, high-sulfate water present in the upper bedrock shale briefly had lower values of total dissolved solids (TDS) after mining due to increased recharge from the overlying drift, whereas TDS and sulfate increased in the sodium-bicarbonate water present in the underlying sandstone due to downward leakage from the shale and lateral inflow of water through the sandstone. At the Saline site, sandstones contained water ranging from brackish sodium-chloride to fresh sodium-bicarbonate type. Post-mining recovery of the potentiometric levels was minimal, and the water had minor quality changes. Longwall mining affects geochemistry due to subsidence-related fracturing, which increases downward leakage from overlying units, and due to the temporary potentiometric depression and subsequent recovery, whereby water from surrounding areas of the aquifer recharges the affected zone above and adjacent to the mine. Received, December 1998 / Revised, August 1999 / Accepted, August 1999     

Application of a Generalised Influence Function Method for Subsidence Prediction in Multi-seam Longwall Extraction

The purpose of mining subsidence prediction is to produce a reliable assessment of ground movement arising from underground mineral extraction. The results of the prediction are used to assess the likelihood of the associated effects on surface structures. In most countries, the assessment of mining subsidence has become an essential part of mining plans, which must be approved by relevant government bodies and mining regulators. It is therefore important to develop a subsidence prediction method that is suitable for a particular country or mine field. Further to the recent development of a Generalised Influence Function Method (GIFM) for subsidence prediction at RMIT University, a case study in Hunter coalfield of in New South Wales, Australia is presented to illustrate the applicability of the GIFM approach for subsidence prediction in multi-seam longwall mining. A computer program is used to calculate subsidence, horizontal displacement and principle strains arising from the extraction of longwall panels. The observed subsidence across the longwall panels and the corresponding ground movements are compared to the model’s output and the results analysed. A discussion of the discrepancies between the GIFM models and the behaviour of complex geological strata is presented. The GIFM method is found to be a powerful tool when applied to complex extraction configurations and can produce useful output for mining subsidence assessments. Of particular importance is its ability to provide both tensile and compressive strain information over the whole affected areas which would otherwise not have been available for the assessment of damage potential to surface structures.     

河北省沙河市北掌勘探区地质灾害预评价

通过对北掌勘探区地质构造、水文地质条件、各煤层赋存情况及钻孔取样试验成果的分析研究,评价了本区在将来开采过程中出现地面塌陷与地裂缝、矿区荒漠化、地下工程地质灾害、瓦斯爆炸与煤层自然和矿井突水等主要地质灾害类型的可能性,以及对人们正常生产生活和矿井安全生产等环境方面的影响,并提出了预防和减轻各类地质灾害的措施建议。     

合山煤田矿井水害防治措施探讨

合山煤田是典型的岩溶充水矿床．矿井开采水害严重。煤层的直接顶、底板为碳酸盐岩类,岩溶极为发育,为矿井的直接充水含水层;煤层底部的茅口组为强岩溶含水层,与煤系地层的联系密切,为间接充水含水层;位于煤田两侧的红河水是矿井充水最主要的补给水源。断裂、节理和破碎带等通道是矿井充水的主要通道。通过分析井下突水点的发育特征,认为强岩溶导水带是矿井突水的关键部位,防治矿井水害的重点是切断岩溶导水带,对强导水带进行封堵,防止红水河的侧向补给,对四煤底板灰岩进行加固。总结出地面防治的主要方法为帷幕式、截堵式、堵水点式和地面铺盖式。对井下防治水,提出了有疑必探,先探后掘,设置防水闸门、防水墙,实行分层、分区开采,加强井下排水等防治措施。     

遥感技术在肥城矿区突水构造探测中的应用

在系统解译肥城矿区ＴＭ图像的基础上,解译出了５条近平行等距的南北向构造带。随九、十层煤开采,东部三矿都曾发生过严重的突水事故。突水资料及放水实验说明出水点多发生在带内的南北向、北北东向及北西向断裂附近,以及这些断裂与其他断裂的交汇部位。矿区西部地质构造更加复杂,通过西部构造带的影像特征,初步圈定西部三矿突水范围,并提出避免水害的一些措施。     

神府—东胜矿区采煤塌陷对包气带结构的影响

通过对比采煤前和采煤塌陷过程中及稳定后包气带结构的变化,详细研究了神府—东胜矿区采煤塌陷对包气带结构的影响。研究结果表明:在采煤塌陷前,包气带组成岩性主要为风积砂岩和萨拉乌苏组粗砂岩,相对较薄,包气带组成介质层序较清晰,各岩性介质颗粒排列有序、均一,包气带内部结构以孔隙为主;在采煤发生后的塌陷非稳定阶段,塌陷裂隙贯通含水层,使地下水大量渗漏,同时产生大量贯穿地表的裂隙,引起岩土孔隙性发生变化,使得塌陷区包气带变厚,在一定深度上结构不均,浅部包气带结构转化为以裂隙为主;到塌陷稳定阶段,包气带结构变化趋于稳定,厚度增加,但在地表以下仍存在一些断续的裂缝(隙),使塌陷区包气带形成以孔隙为主,间夹断续裂隙的特殊包气带结构。     

Grout injection into bed separation to control surface subsidence during longwall mining under villages: case study of Liudian coal mine,China

Surface subsidence can cause many environmental problems and hazards (including loss of land area and damage to buildings), and such hazards are particularly serious in coal mining districts. Injecting grout into the bed separation in the overburden has been proposed as an effective control measure against surface subsidence during longwall mining. However, no field trials of this technique have been implemented in mines under villages in China, and thus, its ability to control subsidence in such areas has yet to be demonstrated. In this study, field trials using this technique were carried out during longwall mining under villages in the Liudian coal mine, China. The maximum surface subsidence observed after the extraction was only 0.298 m, which accounts for 10 % of the mining height and is 79 % less than the predicted subsidence. Moreover, no damage occurred to the village buildings either during or after extraction and these buildings remain stable. Thus, this study represents the first successful attempt to control surface subsidence under villages in China using grout injection during longwall mining.     

Subsidence development with time — experiences from longwall operations in the Appalachian coalfield

Summary The development of mining subsidence, from the immediate roof to the surface, has a dynamic character and it is related to the progress of underground mining and time. Subsidence prediction methods which can pre-calculate the final and intermediate stages of this process are important in mine design. In this paper a prediction method proposed by Knothe (1953), and based on Gauss distribution of influences and Mitsherlich's law of limited increase, is presented and applied to determine the subsidence development over time in the Appalachian coalfield. The method has yielded very promising results and it was verified for a number of longwall case studies.     

Mining Thick Coal Seams Under Thin Bedrock–Deformation and Failure of Overlying Strata and Alluvium

In underground coal mines, the failure of overlying strata can have disastrous effects where the working face is overlain by thin bedrock covered with thick alluvium. Roof failure under these conditions can cause a massive water and sand inrush. This paper presents a case study for a design to prevent such disasters in the Baodian mine, China. First, the engineering geological and hydrogeological conditions of the overlying lithified strata and the alluvium were obtained from field and laboratory studies. Numerical models were then built with different bedrock thicknesses using distinct-element modelling software. The deformation, failure, and subsidence of the overlying strata during simulated coal mining were studied using these computer models. Finally, the results of the model studies were combined with the geological data to design a reasonable layout for the longwall panel to be mined in the Baodian mine. Initial results showed that the alluvium was somewhat impervious and water-poor. The models showed that the first caving and weighting intervals of the roof decreased with decreasing bedrock thickness, and decreasing bedrock thickness also increased maximum subsidence of the alluvium. The maximum height of the caving zone and the minimum height of the sand-prevention coal and rock pillars were 34 m and 46 m, respectively. Knowing this allowed a somewhat shorter (204 m) but safe working face to be designed. This research provides a good background for the design of safe mines under similar conditions.     

开采沉陷土体变形与孔隙水压相互作用研究进展

本文通过实验、实测和理论分析研究了开采沉陷土体变形与孔隙水压力之间的相互作用,结果表明,随着开采的进行,土体的应力变形发生变化造成了超静孔隙水压力的产生和消散,反映在土体变形上出现随开采时间延续而发展的附加压缩和膨胀变形,这种压缩或膨胀在土体的不同部位相互叠加,有时还叠加了底部含水层水位下降引起的地面下沉。这些结果揭示了厚松散含水层地区开采沉陷特殊性的机理,对开采沉陷预测及水体下采煤具有重要意义。     

Performance of a mixed-waste landfill amid geologic uncertainty—learning from a case study: Altamont Hills,California, U.S.A.

The Jharia coalfield is the most important and active minig region; it experiences groundwater inflow and affects groundwater levels in overlying aquifers, and it provides the basis for a conceptual model of the hydrogeological impacts of coal mining. The several sandstone aquifers of the overburden are separated by aquitards that limit vertical hydraulic connection, but the inflow responds to seasonal events and seems to be linked to shallow groundwater behavior. The mine drainage behavior suggests a hydraulic connection between the mine and the shallower groundwater system. The greatest declines are directly above the panels, with an immediate response to coal mining. The inflow is localized by natural and induced fracture zones and is mostly into recent workings. The groundwater behavior is controlled by hydraulic property changes caused by mine-induced fracturing. The hydrological and chemical qualities of the shallow groundwater regime in 13 mining collieries in Mukunda Block have been investigated. Water samples collected from 30 shallow monitoring dug wells were chosen for the study. Rainfall, runoff, and infiltration rates have been calculated in the area. The water-quality plottings were used to interpret the distribution of individual chemical parameters and in predicting the water quality. The underground mine water has been classified as: (1) unconfined groundwater in the calcareous siltstone and sandstone—its composition is Na, Ca, SO₄ and Na-MgHCO₃ with moderate total dissolved solids (TDS) 200–1480 ppm; (2) the deep groundwater originating from the coal seams and associated sediments in the near-surface environments—this is a Na-HCO₃ water with higher TDS; and (3) spoil dump waters are essentially Na-HCO₃ with high TDS. This article presents some hydrologic results and conclusions relating to the hydrogeological and environmental impacts of the coal mining in the Jharia coalfield.     

Regional and economic geology of Pennsylvanian age coal beds of West Virginia

West Virginia is the only place in the United States where an entire section of Pennsylvanian age (Upper Carboniferous) strata can be seen. These strata occur within a wedge of rock that thins to the north and west from the southeastern part of the State. The progressive north-northwesterly termination of older Pennsylvanian geologic units beneath younger ones prominently outlines the center of the Appalachian basin of West Virginia. Over most of West Virginia, Lower and/or Middle Pennsylvanian strata unconformably overly Upper Mississippian (Lower Carboniferous) strata. Sediment deposition was accomplished by a complex system of deltas prograding north and west from an eastern and southeastern source area.More than 100 named coal beds occur within the Lower, Middle, and Upper Pennsylvanian rocks of West Virginia and at least 60 of these have been or are currently being mined commercially. Collectively, these coal beds account for original in-ground coal resources of almost 106.1×10⁹ t (117×10⁹ tons). West Virginia ranks fourth in the United States in demonstrated coal reserves. In 1988, West Virginia produced 131.4×10⁶ t (144.9×10⁶ T) of coal, third highest in the United States. Of this annual production, 75% was from underground mines. In 1988, West Virginia led the nation in the number of longwall mining sections currently in place. West Virginia's low-volatile coal beds are known worldwide as important metallurgical-grade coals, while the higher-volatile coal beds are utilized primarily for steam production.     

东胜煤田乌拉素矿区水文地质特征及充水因素研究

近年不断发生的突水事故,给煤矿安全生产带来严重威胁,研究矿区水文地质特征,分析矿井充水因素有重要现实意义。根据东胜煤田乌拉素矿区地质勘探和水文地质资料,对煤层开采导水裂隙带高度进行计算,结果表明:直罗组底部、含煤系地层的裂隙承压水含水层和上部煤层采空区内的积水,是煤层开采时矿井涌水的主要充水水源,矿井充水通道有断层裂隙带、封闭不良钻孔、采动导水裂隙带;其中导水裂隙带会将上部煤层采空区积水导通,使充水强度增大,矿坑涌水量增加。建议开采过程中要做到边探边采,探采结合,预防突水问题。     

世界主要产煤国煤田与煤矿开采地质条件之比较

分析了世界主要产煤国家的煤田和煤矿开采地质条件。受东亚晚古生代以来板块构造演化影响,我国煤田(除鄂尔多斯煤盆地外)的地质条件,比美国、印度、澳大利亚、德国、南非、加拿大、俄罗斯近郊煤田和波兰卢布林煤田复杂得多。我国适于露天开采的煤田少,地下井工开采将是煤矿的主要生产方式。以我国目前的开采技术水平,华南、滇藏含煤区的煤田不具备建设大型煤矿的基本地质条件,东北、华北和西北(鄂尔多斯盆地除外)许多煤田的开采地质条件对于建设安全、高产、高效、大型煤矿来说,也面临重大挑战。      

A New Blastability Index for Hard Roof Management in Blasting Gallery Method

The presence of hard and massive sandstone above the coal seam in underground coal mines often leads to delay in caving of overlying rock beds thereby causing excessive load on supports and posing danger to underground workings. The problem is more prominent in blasting gallery (BG) as well as longwall mining methods in Indian coal mines. Induced caving by blasting is a promising means for hard roof management in underground coal mines. Based on extensive studies and data collected from different mines in India, a Blastability Index (BI) has been developed which can be used for the classification of roof according to the degree of ease in caving by induced blasting. Different charge factors have also been suggested based on the Blastability Index. Due to wide change in the method of extractions, ??Cavability Index?? for longwall panel was found ineffective in case of BG method of working as well as bord and pillar working. For this reason, this proposed Blastability Index would be of immense help for caving of hard roof by induced blasting.     

淮安市洪泽盐盆地质环境监测网建设的实践

随着岩盐矿床逐步得到开发利用,盐矿开采过程中引发的地质环境问题也日益受到人们的关注,而目前对盐矿开采引发的地面沉降和地下水污染等地质环境问题以理论研究居多,鲜有实际监测数据支撑,虽然有少量盐矿开展了监测工作,但其监测范围也多限于单个矿区、监测内容多为单个地质环境问题(如地面沉降的专项监测)。洪泽盐盆地质环境监测网是我国首个在整个盐盆范围内(覆盖现有开采区及规划开采区)统一规划建设的、集地面沉降和地下水污染为一体的综合监测网络,它的建设不仅极大地全面推进了洪泽盐盆矿山地质环境保护的进程,而且其建设经验、监测手段、运行管理模式也为其他地区盐类矿床的地质环境保护提供了有效的借鉴,同时,长期的监测数据也能为进一步研究盐矿开采区的地质环境问题提供可靠的基础资料。     

吴堡矿区首采地段水文地质特征及矿床充水条件分析

从鄂尔多斯盆地东部地下水类型、含水岩组等区域水文地质条件入手,对陕北石炭二叠纪煤田吴堡矿区首期开采地段水文地质条件进行了分析。分析表明,区内第四系松散层含水层在首采区虽然分别较广,但水量相对较小,正常情况下与其下含水层贯通的可能性较小,对于煤矿开采影响较小;基岩风化裂隙潜水、太原组灰岩溶隙裂隙及砂岩裂隙承压水及奥陶系灰岩岩溶承压水是煤矿开采中最为主要的突水类型。从矿坑充水水源、充水通道和充水强度角度对首期开采地段进行了矿床充水因素的研究。研究认为,矿井充水水源为煤层顶底板砂岩裂隙水、灰岩裂隙溶隙承压水及奥陶系岩溶承压水;充水通道主要是煤层开采后顶板形成的冒落带和导水裂隙带以及底板受其承压水的影响而产生的破坏带。建议在矿井设计前对首采地段进行三维地震勘探,进一步查明区内断层性质、规模和易发生矿井涌水的部位,为建井设计、矿坑底板的突水和防治提供依据。