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USGS · 70016161

Unexpected hydrologic perturbation in an abandoned underground coal mine: Response to surface reclamation?

D. Harper·G.A. Olyphant·E.J. Hartke
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Abstract

A reclamation project at the abandoned Blackhawk Mine site near Terre Haute, Indiana, lasted about four months and involved the burial of coarse mine refuse in shallow (less than 9 m) pits excavated into loess and till in an area of about 16 ha. An abandoned flooded underground coal mine underlies the reclamation site at a depth of about 38 m; the total area underlain by the mine is about 10 km2. The potentiometric levels associated with the mine indicate a significant (2.7 m) and prolonged perturbation of the deeper confined groundwater system; 14 months after completing reclamation, the levels began to rise linearly (at an average rate of 0.85 cm/d) for 11 months, then fell exponentially for 25 months, and are now nearly stable. Prominent subsidence features exist near the reclamation site. Subsidence-related fractures were observed in cores from the site, and such fractures may have provided a connection between the shallower and deeper groundwater systems. ?? 1990 Springer-Verlag New York Inc.

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D. Harper, G.A. Olyphant, E.J. Hartke. 1990. Unexpected hydrologic perturbation in an abandoned underground coal mine: Response to surface reclamation?. https://doi.org/10.1007/bf01706409

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