Engineering geology applied to the design and operation of underground coal mines
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Bulletin↗
Geology topics
C. Richard Dunrud
Publications and source records attributed to C. Richard Dunrud.
Effects of coal mine subsidence in the Sheridan, Wyoming, area
Analyses of the surface effects of past underground coal mining in the Sheridan, Wyoming, area suggest that underground mining of strippable coal deposits may damage the environment more over long periods of time than would modern surface mining, provided proper restoration procedures are followed after surface mining. Subsidence depressions and pits are a continuing hazard to the environment and to man's activities in the Sheridan, Wyo., area above abandoned underground mines in weak overburden less than about 60 m thick and where the overburden is less than about 10-15 times the thickness of coal mined. In addition, fires commonly start by spontaneous ignition when water and air enter the abandoned mine workings via subsidence cracks and pits. The fires can then spread to unmined coal as they create more cavities, more subsidence, and more cracks and pits through which air can circulate. In modern surface mining operations the total land surface underlain by minable coal is removed to expose the coal. The coal is removed, the overburden and topsoil are replaced, and the land is regraded and revegetated. The land, although disturbed, can be more easily restored and put back into use than can land underlain by abandoned underground mine workings in areas where the overburden is less than about 60 m thick or less than about 10-15 times the thickness of coal mined. The resource recovery of modern surface mining commonly is much greater than that of underground mining procedures. Although present-day underground mining technology is advanced as compared to that of 25-80 years ago, subsidence resulting from underground mining of thick coal beds beneath overburden less than about 60 m thick can still cause greater damage to surface drainage, ground water, and vegetation than can properly designed surface mining operations. This report discusses (11 the geology and surface and underground effects of former large-scale underground coal mining in a 50-km 2 area 5-20 km north of Sheridan, Wyo., (2) a ground and aerial reconnaissance study of a 5-km^2 coal mining area 8-10 km west of Sheridan, and (31 some environmental consequences and problems caused by coal mining.
Professional Paper↗
Effects of coal mine subsidence in the western Powder River basin, Wyoming
Analyses of the surface effects of past underground coal mining in the western Powder River Basin suggest that underground mining of strippable coal deposits will damage the environment more over long periods of time than will modern surface mining, provided proper restoration procedures are followed after surface mining. Subsidence depressions and pits are a continuing hazard to the environment and to man's activities 5-20 km north of Sheridan, Wyo., above mines that were abandoned 25-80 years ago where the overburden is weak and is less than about 60 m thick. In addition, fires commonly start by spontaneous combustion when water and air enter the abandoned mine workings via subsidence cracks and pits. The fires can then spread to unmined coal as they create more cavities, more subsidence, and more cracks and pits through which air can circulate. In modern surface mining operations the total land surface underlain by minable coal is removed to expose the coal. The coal is removed, the overburden and topsoil are replaced, and the land regraded and revegetated. The land, although disturbed, can be more easily restored and put back into use than land underlain by abandoned underground mine workings in areas where the overburden is less than about 60 m thick. The resource recovery of modern surface mining also is much greater than that of underground mining procedures. Although present-day underground mining technology is advanced as compared to that of 25-80 years ago, subsidence resulting from mining of thick coal beds beneath overburden less than about 60 m thick by underground methods can cause greater damage to surface drainage, ground water, and vegetation than can properly designed surface mining operations. This report briefly discusses the geology and surface and underground effects of former large-scale underground mining in a 50 km2 area north of Sheridan, Wyo. and describes some environmental consequences and problems caused by mining.
Wyoming↗
Summary of seismic activity and its relation to geology and mining in the Sunnyside mining district, Carbon and Emery Counties, Utah, during 1967-1970
In the Sunnyside mining district, Utah, coal is mined under thick and variable overburden which is locally weakened by faults and other structural discontinuities. Stress changes and local stress concentrations produced by mining under these conditions often cause sudden and violent ruptures in the coal and surrounding rock mass. The strain energy released by this type of failure, which can produce shock waves and may discharge coal and rock with explosive force, is often a serious threat to life and property. These releases of strain energy are called bumps or bounces by miners if they occur in the coal, and rock bursts if they occur in the surrounding rock mass. Many of these releases are so violent that they generate seismic waves that can be felt, or at least detected by seismic instruments, miles from the site of the rupture, whereas others are smaller and can be detected only by those sensitive seismic instruments within a few thousand feet of the site of the rupture. In 1969 and 1970, about 27,000 and about 15,000 earth tremors, respectively, were recorded by the five-station seismic monitoring network that is located at the surface and encompasses most of the mine workings in the district. Of these totals, 512 and 524 earth tremors, respectively, were of sufficient magnitude (greater than 1. 5 on the Richter scale) so that the hypocenters could be accurately located. In 1968 about 20,000 tremors were recorded, with 281 large enough to plot, but in 1967 over 50,000 were recorded, of which 540 were plotted. In this report we discuss the way in which seismic activity, geology, and mining are related or seem to be related for the period 1967 through 1970, with emphasis on the period 1969-70. We also suggest certain mining procedures which, based on studies during the period, might increase the safety and efficiency of mining operations in the Sunnyside district. A complete tabulation of the larger magnitude earth tremors which occurred during 1969-70 and descriptions of how they relate to mining are given in the appendix. Similar tabulations and descriptions for 1967 and 1968 are available in earlier reports (Barnes and others, 1969; Dunrud and others, 1970).
Open-File Report↗
Seismic activity in the Sunnyside mining district, Carbon and Emery Counties, Utah, during 1968
More than 20,000 local earth tremors were recorded by the seismic monitoring network in the Sunnyside mining district during 1968. This is about 40 percent of the number of tremors recorded by the network in 1967. In 1968 a total of 281 tremors were of sufficient magnitude to be located accurately--about 50 percent of the number of tremors in 1967 that were located accurately. As in previous years, nearly all the earth tremors originated near, or within a few thousand feet of, the mine workings. This distribution indicates that mine-induced stress changes caused most of the seismic activity. However, over periods of weeks and months there were significant changes in the distribution of seismic activity caused by tremors that were not directly related to mining but probably were caused by adjustment of natural stresses 6r by a complex combination of both natural and mine-induced stress changes. In 1968 the distribution of tremor hypocenters varied considerably with time, relative to active mining areas and to faults present in the mine workings. During the first 6 months, most tremors originated along or near faults that trend close to or through the active mine workings. However, in the last 6 months, the tremor hypocenters tended to concentrate in the rock mass closer to, or around, the active mining areas. This shift in concentration of seismic activity with time has been noted throughout the district many times since recording began in 1963, and is apparently caused by spontaneous releases of stored strain energy resulting from mine-induced stress changes. These spontaneous releases of strain energy, together with rock creep, apparently are the mechanism of adjustment within the rock mass toward equilibrium conditions, which are continually disrupted by mining. Although potentially hazardous bumps were rare in the Sunnyside mining district during 1968, smaller bumps and rock falls were more common in a given active mining area whenever hypocenters of larger-magnitude earth tremors concentrated near it.
Open-File Report↗
Seismic activity in the Sunnyside mining district, Utah, during 1967
A seismic monitoring network near Sunnyside, Utah, consisting of a triangular array of seismometer stations that encompasses most of the mine workings in the district, recorded over 50,000 local earth tremors during 1967. About 540 of the tremors were of sufficient magnitude to be accurately located. Most of these were located within 2-3 miles of mine workings and were also near known or suspected faults. The district-wide seismic activity generally consisted of two different patterns--a periodic increase in the daily number of tremors at weekly intervals, and also a less regular and longer term increase and decrease of seismic activity that occurred over a period of weeks or even months. The shorter and more regular pattern can be correlated with the mine work week and seems to result from mining. The longer term activity, however, does not correlate with known mining causes sad therefore seems to be .caused by natural stresses.
Open-File Report↗
Geology applied to study of coal mine bumps and mining methods at Sunnyside, Utah
Coal mine bumps are a serious hazard to life and property in the mines of east-central Utah. Research into geologic factors associated with these bumps indicates that the bumps are spatially and genetically related to structural and stratigraphic features. Some bumps are directly related to stress accumulation along faults, either from natural causes or as a result of mining. Frictional properties of bedding planes between coal and roof rock, and between some rock units within the roof, directly affect the deformation of coal ribs, and hence the incidence of bumps. These frictional properties are related to the lithology of the roof rocks as well as to the sedimentary structures within the rocks. Commonly a sequence consisting of 1- 3 ft of carbonaceous siltstone, about 2- 3 ft of rider coal, and several feet of massive siltstone or sandstone overlies the main seam. The sequence causes difficult roof conditions in the mines, difficult mining conditions, and directly or indirectly many bumps.
Utah↗