Detection and monitoring of water-filled voids using transient electromagnetic method: a case study in Shanxi, China

Shanxi Province is a major coal base for the rapid development in China, but heavy production of coal resources has left abundant water-filled voids, creating significant geologic hazards around coal mines. It is necessary to quickly investigate the position and distribution of voids with effective geophysical methods. The feasibility of transient electromagnetic (TEM) method in detecting and monitoring water-filled voids is analyzed using 3D finite-element numerical simulation results as well as a case study in this paper. The case study was mainly to analyze and monitor the conditions around the site of a power transfer station under construction in the west of Shanxi province where many water-filled, mined-out voids existed. Central-loop TEM sounding was carried out three times from January 2010 to April 2011 around the building footprint. The low resistivity abnormal area had been repeatedly located and the survey results showed that the area of voids increased with time, which indicated that the ground at the site was in an unstable and dangerous state. The surveys provided more detailed geological information to the government for further safety arrangement and building re-design.