Secondary deformations are ground movements occurring in areas of ceased underground mining. These are associated with delayed readjustment of rock mass resulting in subsidence, discontinuous deformations (sinks, cracks, etc.) due to destruction of underground, usually shallow, workings, and elevation of ground surface in response of rock mass to rising groundwater levels following the end of mine water drainage. Comparative analysis of secondary deformations in two former mining areas in the first period after cessation of underground hard coal mining is the subject of this study. We used ERS-1/2 and Envisat satellite radar interferometry data processed with PSInSAR technique and GIS to map vertical (in satellite’s line of sight, LOS) movements of the surface and analyse them in relation to location of coal fields and underground water table rise. In the study, two areas have been compared, the Ostrava city in the Czech part of the Upper Silesian Basin and the Wałbrzych Coal Basin in Poland. The results of analyses based on the results of PSInSAR processing between 1995 and 2000 for the Wałbrzych site indicate uplift (up to +12 mm/year) in closed parts of coal fields and subsidence (up to -8 mm/year) in areas of declining mining. Results of PSInSAR analysis over the Ostrava site indicate decaying subsidence after mine closures in the rate of up to -6 mm/year during 1995-2000. Residual subsidence and gentle uplift have been partly identified at surroundings of closed mines in Ostrava from 2003-2010 Envisat data. In Wałbrzych gentle elevation has been determined from 2002 to 2009 in areas previously subsiding. and Blachowski Jan, Jiránková Eva, Lazecký Milan, Kadlečík Pavel, Milczarek Wojciech.
The research is focused on the feasibility analysis of a numerical model describing the field of strains generated by mining-induced subsidence caused by a deep underground coal extraction, which may contribute to the formation of Earth fissures. The finite elements method and Knothe’s theory were used in the research. The geomechanical modeling was applied for defining zones of strains and maximum horizontal deformations of the terrain. Knothe’s theory was employed for defining boundary conditions of the geomechanical model. The parameters of the empirical and geomechanical models were scaled out on the basis of geodetic surveys in the mining area. The results of geomechanical modeling were compared with the geodetic surveys to select the best model. The presented research confirmed high congruence between the results of modeling with the finite elements method and observations of vertical movements on the surface. The results of modeling also confirmed the assumed highest stress in areas where earth fissures were observed. The proposed solution may be a new research tool applicable to areas where earth fissures potentially occur. and Malinowska Agnieszka A., Misa Rafał, Tajduś Krzysztof.