Elsevier

Engineering Geology

Volume 122, Issues 3–4, 10 October 2011, Pages 169-178
Engineering Geology

Variations in the building site categories in the underground mining region of Doubrava (Czech Republic) for land use planning

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enggeo.2011.05.008Get rights and content

Abstract

In terms of demands and needs of ground investigation and foundation engineering, the engineering-geological conditions in the underground mining territories represent anthropogenically influenced areas in the most complicated manner, since they suffer the impacts from the underground mining of mineral resources. The subjects of observation are the so-called building site categories, which represent a certain risk factor that must be taken into consideration during foundation engineering and engineering-geological studies in the undermined territories. It is necessary to realise that underground mining is an anthropogenic geodynamic process which significantly varies over time due to mining change, and consequently with variations in the position, shape and size of subsidence in a subsidence basin. All the above mentioned variations should be mandatory knowledge for land use planners, engineering geologists, geotechnicians, foundation engineers and designers because of the evident logicality of these needs. This work presents a case study (Ostrava-Karvina Coal District in the north-east of the Czech Republic) of variations in the building site categories over time, and the results show that the chronology of the changes has a very significant influence in this area of interest. The results of the building site category evaluation imply that the majority of the interest area falls within relatively good conditions for founding all kinds of structures. However, it was then necessary to consider variations over time in the surface area of less suitable building site categories. A trend certainly confirmed the existence of the previously presumed mutual relationship between building site categories and subsidence size distribution. It is apparent from the analytic results of the relationship between building site categories and planned development that the negative impacts of mining have been only partly considered, or completely disregarded, in the development planning process. Consequently, future land use planners should carefully consider these particular building site categories as the most important and significant factors in the undermining of a region. In this manner, development can be successfully planned for present and future safety.

Highlights

► Engineering-geological conditions in underground mining territories represent anthropogenically influenced areas. ► The subjects of observation are the so-called building site categories, which represent a certain risk factor. ► Underground mining is an anthropogenic geodynamic process. ► Land use planners should carefully consider these particular building site categories in the undermining of a region. ► Results certainly manifest the intensive anthropogenic activities connected with deep mining in this locality.

Introduction

Presentation of engineering geological data in the form of a hazard/risk map is a useful tool in urban planning. In order to avoid the problems related to the subsurface and thus save property and money, detailed geo-scientific data should be collected and used in urban development plans. The main topic providing the integrated information for urban development is engineering geology. Engineering geological maps contain information mainly on the physical — mechanical properties of soils, shallow groundwater levels, potential hazardous processes, etc. In order to implement a control scheme for avoidance from severe collapse and destruction of properties and infrastructures, relating engineering geological map should be prepared by means of land use planning (Yilmaz and Yavuzer, 2005, Yilmaz and Bagci, 2006, Yilmaz, 2008, Yilmaz, 2009).

Ground subsidence induced by underground mining activities is one of the serious geological hazards because it can effect slopes, damage engineering structures, settlement areas, natural lakes, and allow infiltration of contaminant into the groundwater. Subsidence, slope deformation, etc. as consequences of underground mining activities are very important problems in most countries and these types of impacts are very well known in coal, metal and other types of mining (Altun et al., 2010).

Undermined territories are anthropogenically influenced areas within deep mining impact. This case study deals with deep black coal mining in the Ostrava-Karvina Coal District, and from an engineering-geological and technical perspective such impacted territories cause a whole range of complications. These are reflected in the foundation engineering conditions or they are manifested in the form of impacts on already existing development. Underground mining results in changes in the state of stress within the rock massif and in the formation of free space which consequently collapses and causes deformation at the ground surface. Such deformations are also transferred onto all engineering structures present. Some of the most prominent impacts are noted on spatially larger structures or on line structures such as roads, power-supplies and other underground services.

If the uneven deformation or subsidence (i.e. differential subsidence on the top of the mined-out area) cannot be effectively controlled then it will cause damage and even a disaster, such as deformation or even cracking of buildings, particularly tall buildings. This means that the failure of a building is to a great extent controlled by the presence of differential subsidence rather than the absolute magnitude of subsidence (Li et al., 2006).

In the past, such territories used to be considered totally unsuitable for new development. However, with time, the need to build over such areas is being seriously considered. In general, this is connected with higher building density and the required protection of agricultural land and landscape which is significant from an environmental point of view. This trend will certainly continue in the future due to the expected rise in population and the automatic need to build on land previously considered unsuitable for construction. Naturally, an inseparable part of this development must be an increased awareness of the mechanisms of deep mining effects on the ground surface. There is improved foundation engineering technology for new development and for the current built-up area there has been special development in remediation technology. In order to control the process of undermined territory utilisation in a practical manner, this must be incorporated in land use planning.

However, it is necessary to find an instrument that permits the quantification of underground mining impact on the built-up area. This can be achieved by its projection in map applications via geographic information systems, without which land use planning processes cannot currently be implemented. Two fundamental options exist. The first is land risk assessment according to existing and estimated subsidence values represented in GIS layers as isocatabases which depict lines with identical subsidence values. However, these have the disadvantage of ignoring relationships with structural sites. Therefore, they may only provide information of a reference value.

The second and more recommended option is characterised by the employment of the so-called building site categories on undermined territories through the ČSN 730039 (1989) Standard on Design of premises on undermined land. This standard was prepared especially for point-wise problem solving during the investigation and design of specific structural sites on undermined land. Nevertheless, building site categories may also be applied in 2D maps by means of information obtainable from mining companies, as from OKD (Ostrava Karvina Mines Company in Czech Republic) in this case. This study utilises such information in the preparation of improved land use plans. We propose to overlay isolines which consider the specific building site categories together with the sites of future and current development. Building site categories represent a risk index of new development which takes into consideration the underground mining impact on structural sites.

The area of study is situated in the cadastral districts of the municipalities of Rychvald, Orlova, Detmarovice, Doubrava, Karvina and Petrovice u Karvine in the Moravian-Silesian Region, in the north-east of the Czech Republic near the Polish border (Figure 1). It covers an area on map sheet 15-44-03 (Czech reference number of topographic map sheet) in a 1:10 000 scale. Deep mining of black coal is carried out in the allotments of Karvina-Doly I, Karvina-Doly II and Doubrava by the Karvina Mine (CSA and Lazy Plants) and the Darkov Mine.

This study evaluates the undermined territory conditions, in terms of the distribution of building site categories that describe; a. the state of risk in the territories affected by mining and b. the needs of foundation engineering. This means that given categories recommend the steps necessary to ensure that future structures will not be damaged in such an influenced territory, and, moreover, whether constructions should be carried out on such territory at all. On the other hand positive cases are recommended in areas of low influence with minor modifications. Normally, during assessment of an individual structure within engineering-geological studies, we evaluate only one specific site affected by undermining, however, this study examines the distribution of characteristics throughout the entire interest area over time. It also aims to incorporate findings in land use plans.

Building site categories were evaluated within the overall territory according to the ground deformation parameters. Overlay analyses of the building site categories were carried out and evaluated in relation to the current built-up area, the land use plan and the engineering-geological zoning.

As a main aim of the study, five possible building site categories were evaluated in the four time periods of 1983–1990, 1983–1995, 1983–2000, and 1983–2005. This was done to establish the chronological variations in the building site categories and to provide an educational demonstration of such case study in understanding the importance of time variability in the critical characteristics of undermined regions.

Overlay analysis in GIS was then carried out using individual data layers of vectorized subsidence maps (OKD), which depict the building site categories in the stated time periods with the vectorized built-up area in accordance with the land use plan and the current built-up area.

However surface impact from underground mining activity is very well known and reasonably well understood, as a result of the effect of underground mining activities; many hazards, undesired structural and environmental problems on the surface are being addressed in many countries. That's why; the main aim of this article is to provide a case study of environmental impacts related to underground mining, to discuss significant impacts on the environment and landuse during and/or after underground mining projects. This article will also be important in order to better understand the nature and magnitude of displacements that can affect surface infrastructure.

Section snippets

Geological framework

In terms of geo-morphologic classification, the study area forms part of the Ostrava Coal Basin complex, and it is in the Ostrava Bottomland, Karvina, Havirov and Orlova Plateau district (Demek et al., 1987). From a regional geological perspective, the pre-Quaternary basement (in the deepest section at 1000–4000 m below ground level) is composed of different migmatitized biotite paragneiss and metamorphic massifs of plutonites (Brunovistulicum). The Palaeozoic demonstrably overstepped into

Underground mining and building site categories

There are five categories of building site categories, which are defined below. Before defining them, the basic boundary conditions affecting the transformation of the surface must be defined. This is connected with the gradual “mining-out” and “caving-in” of the underground space and the formation of a subsidence basin with a characteristic dish or funnel shape. Generalisation concerning ground surface deformation is quite complicated as it depends on a number of factors.

The first of these is

Methodology

In order to evaluate the building site categories within the overall study area due to the so-called ground deformation parameters, overlay analyses of the building site categories were carried out. The results of these analyses were evaluated in relation to the current built-up area, the land use plan and the engineering-geological zoning. Engineering geological zoning map can be seen in Fig. 3. Overlay analysis using the maps of building site categories in various time periods, mining

Overall evaluation of building site categories in the undermined territory

The first step involved evaluation of the distribution of the building site categories in relation to the overall study area (Fig. 4, Fig. 5), while the individual groups were evaluated from the most favourable (Category V) to the least favourable groups which exhibited the most prominent impacts (Category I). Structures constructed on site group V do not require any measures against the effects of underground mining, except for particularly sensitive structures, which require the setting of

Evaluation of building site categories in relation to the current built-up area

This section evaluates the distribution of the building site categories in relation to the current built-up area (Figure 6). This constitutes an important index which exhibits a much more prominent influence on buildings than other landscape elements in the studied area. Structures already exist which are affected by underground mining, and in certain cases, it is important to reinforce them or to perform constructional corrections. Important factors which must be considered include their

Evaluation of building site categories in relation to land use plans

This chapter evaluates the distribution of the building site categories in relation to the planned development based on the land use plan (Figure 7). The data layer for the land use plan analysis was produced through vectorization of land use plan raster maps from the individual municipalities. These highlighted an extended scope of activities and their consequent complex unification in the ArcGIS 9.1 (2005) software applications. Land use planning is a sophisticated tool which permits

Evaluation of building site categories in relation to engineering-geological zones

Engineering-geological zones are important representatives of the geological environment for the sphere of foundation engineering because they generalise the geological structure into particular territorial units with analogous engineering-geological characteristics. Their significance was reported by Samalikova, 1990, Vanschalkwyk and Price, 1990, Demulder and Hillen, 1990, Bochkarev, 1994, Tosun and Ulusay, 1997, Marinos et al., 2001, Delgado et al., 2003, Forster et al., 2004, Zuquette et

Results and conclusions

The results of the building site category evaluation in this undermined territory (Figure 5) imply that the majority of the interest area (57.9%) falls within building site category V, and that this category has relatively good conditions for founding all kinds of structures. However, it was then necessary to consider variations over time in the surface area of less suitable building site categories. A trend certainly confirmed the existence of the previously presumed mutual relationship

Acknowledgement

Authors are deeply grateful to Prof. J. Delgado and the anonymous reviewer for their very constructive comments and suggestions which led to the improvement of the quality of the paper. Authors also thank Czech Science Foundation for the support of the project (GAČR-105/09/1631) which is the base of this article.

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