Chapters authored
Geohazards at Surface Coal Mines Caused by Mining Activities
This chapter presents a methodology of geohazard analyses caused by mining activities at coal mine “Suvodol” near the town Bitola in the Republic of Macedonia. The problems discussed here are connected with landslide with enormous dimensions. The process of sliding happened in several phases, with initial signs of sliding in 1993. The moment of global instability happened on October 27, 1995. Until now, several phases of reactivation are known. Its volume is about 30,000,000 m3. As a result of mass movements, about 8,000,000 tons of coal is concentrated (blocked) at the toe of the landslide. Upper of the main scarp, spaced about 250 m, the earth‐fill dam with a length of about 1000 m exists. The groundwater artesian effects are also present. At the toe of the landslide, the coal is partially involved in a process of self‐burning, and it produces environmental unfriendly gases. All these aspects show a very specific combination of natural and man‐made hazards that control the stability of the excavation and environment. The specific approach used to define risk scenarios for is then shown briefly. The suggested methodology can serve as an example for possible use in some other problems in coal mines.
Part of the book: Geohazards Caused by Human Activity