Site Assessment for Astroparticle Detector Location in Evaporites of the Polkowice-Sieroszowice Copper Ore Mine, Poland

The aim of the work was to evaluate the possibilities of excavating a chamber for the Glacier detector, a cylinder with a 74 m diameter and 38 m height filled with 100 kT of liquid argon, in the Polkowice-Sieroszowice copper ore mine in the Legnica-Glogow Copper Area (LGOM). Two potential locations were analyzed in a rock salt layer more than 100 m thick at the depth of 1000 m and in the anhydrite layer of about 100 m thick at the depth of 650 m, both lying above the copper ore deposit. The numerical analyses, based on geological, geophysical, and geomechanical research, were carried out to determine the behavior of the system of the chamber and surrounding rock mass. Two creep laws have been adopted for rock salt in the numerical models, Norton and Lubby2. Their coefficients have been adjusted for in situ measurements of the mine galleries convergence starting from the results of laboratory tests. Displacement and stresses of the rock salt in the chamber vicinity are much greater for the Lubby2 law. The displacements indicated at the chamber contour are the reason that the alternative location in the anhydrite layer was more advantageous

Application of geophysical methods for the subsurface treatment of the Piekary highway junction in shallow mining terrain

The study presents the application of geophysical methods in the subsurface treatment of the A-1 highway in the area of the Piekary junction in the terrain of historic zinc and lead ore mining, in the northern part of the Upper Silesian Coal Basin in Poland (USCB). The study area was under threat of discontinuous deformations, mainly sinkholes. This threat resulted from the shallow exploitation of zinc and lead ores, as well as contemporary exploitation of coal seams at greater depths. An original methodology of subsurface treatment has been developed as an adaptation to the geophysical measurement results. The methodology uses the gravimetric method at the initial and final control stages, as well as the seismic and borehole georadar methods during the detailed evaluation stage. The results of the study allowed different categories of sinkhole hazard to be determined in the area of the Piekary junction. The scope of the liquidation works was selected to match the hazard levels. Blasting of varying intensities and the borehole injection of the filling material were performed. The combination of substrate treatment methodologies and highway construction protection systems have proved to be effective

Geophysical identification of voids and loosened zones in the shallow subsurface of post-mining areas

The shallow historic exploitation of Zn-Pb/Fe ore deposits as well as hard coal has generated many discontinuous deformations on the terrain surface in the Upper Silesian Coal Basin/Poland. Discontinuous deformations occur in different forms as sinkholes, synclines, cracks, faults or ditches. The basic cause of their occurrence is the presence of void and loosened zones in the shallow subsurface. If the appropriate conditions arise, the sinkhole process begins to move upwards and may cause a discontinuous deformation on the terrain surface. Typically, geophysical methods are used for void and loosened zone identification. The most effective methods are gravimetric, seismic, electric resistivity and ground penetrating radar (GPR). Geophysical testing, requires distinct changes in the physical properties in the rock mass. The identified geophysical anomalies should be verified by control borehole and borehole tests to confirm the presence of the void and loosened zones in the rock mass. The results of control drilling and borehole tests determine the need to apply treatment works. In order to assess the threat of the occurrence of discontinuous deformations in the areas of historical shallow mining in Upper Silesia, a classification system based on geophysical tests has also been developed

Basic principles for the identification of landslides using geophysical methods

Cases of damage to structures in landslide areas in Poland, and sometimes construction catastrophes, occur most frequently in periods of intense precipitation (e.g. in 1997, 2000, 2002 and 2010). The greatest landslide risk occurs in mountainous areas in the Flysch Carpathians, and the number of landslides posing major problems exceeds 20,000. Terrain surface relief and geological structure including the tectonics, properties of the geological medium, presence of excessive water mostly due to intense precipitation, and human activity have an impact on landslide risk. This paper is aimed at presenting basic principles for the geophysical identification of landslides gained from experience in various regions of Poland, particularly in the flysch formations in the Carpathian Mountains. The geophysical methods which are of the greatest importance in the study of landslides are specified. Their advantages and limitations are presented. The principles of geophysical methods applied at the stage of designing and implementing research, processing and interpreting data, analysis of results, and their documentation are discussed

Pore pressure profiling in Siercza landslide colluvium in the Carpathian flysch using a Cone Penetration Test (CPTU)

This study identifies zones with significant changes in pore water pressure influenced by landslide processes. Measurements were taken in the near-surface strata of the Carpathian flysch, in colluvium of the Siercza landslide, near Kraków. Measurement of pore water pressure in flysch deposits is complicated due to the strongly heterogeneous properties of the medium and by variable water conditions, which are strongly influenced by rainfall intensity. Pore pressure profiling was performed in six series using a cone penetration test with a NOVA Acoustic cone. The tests were carried out in the colluvium to a depth of ~6.0 m under varying water conditions. The cone pore pressure results were compared to results of inclinometer measurements in the research area. Five zones with significant differences in pore pressure have been identified. Changes in both cone pore pressure and inclinometer displacement are evident at a depth range from 1.5 to 2.5 m. Two slip surfaces are likely present in this section. Such information can be used in engineering practice for more reliable assessment of slope stability in the Carpathian flysch

Preliminary results of pore pressure profiling on theTęgoborze-Just landslide

In this study, we present the preliminary results of deep profiling of pore pressure in the near surface formations of the Carpathian flysch, on the Tęgoborze-Just landslide near Nowy Sącz in Southern Poland. The aim of the study is to identify zones with significant changes in pore pressure influenced landslide processes. These pore pressure changes correspond to a greater change in the degree of saturation or water flow paths. Profiling was performed in four series using a CPTU static probe with a NOVA Acoustic cone. The measurement of pore pressure in flysch formations is very complicated due to the strong heterogeneity of the medium properties and variable water conditions, which are strongly influenced by the intensity of precipitation. The tests were carried out in a colluvium to a depth of approx. 5.0 m, i.e. to the border of a less weathered bedrock, under varying water conditions. The results obtained indicate the presence of four zones of significant changes in pore pressure. The location of these zone is consistent with the location of the greater displacement measured with the inclinometer. There is a greater probability that these weak zones may form a rupture surface

Wyznaczanie współczynnika osiadania be na podstawie pomiarów szumu sejsmicznego na terenie górniczym

Subsidence process in the rock mass disturbed by mining can be complicated and can be faster or slower depending on the geological structure and physical and mechanical properties of the rock mass, changes in exploitation geometry, and changes in the rate of exploitation. The most frequently, the sub-sidence process develops over years in a way that is difficult to observe over a short period (days). It has been proven in practice of coal mines in Poland that Knothe’s model describes subsidence process with high accuracy. It is based on treating the rock mass as a stochastic medium and describing subsidence with stochastic equations.It can be assumed that, the complicated stress field as a result of mining activities induce a series of displacements of different sizes in rock mass. The inelastic deformation in rock mass is accompanied by a microseismicity that can be recorded and processed. We assumed that seismic noise with weak seismic events is a low-energy part of the microseismicity. We proposed an analytical solution to examine the distribution of the energy of the seismic noise during subsidence process development based on Knothe’s model. In general a qualitative method of subsidence process assessment by the registration of the seismic noise was described.Proces osiadania w górotworze naruszonym działalnością górniczą może być skomplikowany. Może przebiegać szybciej lub wolniej w zależności od budowy geologicznej, fizycznych i mechanicznych właściwości górotworu, zmian w geometrii eksploatacji i zmian prędkości eksploatacji. Najczęściej proces osiadania rozwija się przez lata w sposób trudny do zaobserwowania w krótkim okresie (np. dni). W praktyce udowodniono, że w kopalniach węgla w Polsce model Knothego opisuje proces osiadania z dużą dokładnością. Opiera się on na traktowaniu górotworu jako ośrodka stochastycznego i opisuje osiadanie za pomocą równań stochastycznych. Można przypuszczać, że skomplikowane pole naprężeńwytworzone w wyniku działalności górniczej wywołuje w górotworze serię przemieszczeń o różnej wielkości. Niesprężystemu odkształceniu w górotworze towarzyszy mikrosejsmiczność, która może być rejestrowana. W badaniach przyjęliśmy założenie, że szum sejsmiczny wraz ze słabymi zjawiskami sejsmicznymi należy do niskoenergetycznej części sejsmiczności. Zaproponowaliśmy rozwiązanie analityczne, w celu zbadania rozkładu energii szumu sejsmicznego w czasie rozwoju procesu osiadania w oparciu o model Knothego. W efekcie zaproponowano jakościową metodę oceny procesu osiadania poprzez rejestrację szumu sejsmicznego

The application of seismic interferometry for estimating a 1D S-wave velocity model with the use of mining induced seismicity

The main objective of this paper is to present the usefulness of the seismic interferometry method to determine the S-wave velocity model of the rock mass affected by exploitation in the KGHM Rudna copper ore mine. The research aim was achieved on the basis of seismic data, acquired from seismograms, of 10 strong seismic events of magnitude greater than 2.6. They were recorded by a pair of seismometers deployed on mining terrain. In the first stage, the Rayleigh wave between seismometers was estimated. Then, the group velocity dispersion curves of fundamental and first higher modes were identified. Finally, inversion of the dispersion curves to a 1D S-wave velocity model up to 500 m in depth was obtained. The velocity model was determined for the part of the rock mass partially affected by mining. The results confirm similar rock mass structure and velocities of the subsurface layers as those obtained by the archival 3D model. In both models, a high degree of correlation in the boundary location between the overburden of the Cenozoic formations and the bedrock of the Triassic formations was observed. The applied methodology can be used to estimate the S-wave velocity model in other mining regions characterized by strong seismicity. Keywords: Seismic interferometry, Induced seismicity, Rayleigh surface wave, S-wave velocity, Mining terrai

Numerical simulation of pore pressure changes in levee under flood conditions

The article discusses the potential for using numerical simulation to assess the development of deformation and pore pressure changes in a levee as a result of the increase and decrease of the flood wave. The simulation made in FLAC 2D did not take into account the filter-erosion deformation associated with seepage in the levee. The simulations were carried out for a field experimental storage consisting of two combined levees, which was constructed with the help of homogeneous cohesive materials with different filtration coefficients. Calculated and measured pore pressure changes were analysed at 4 monitoring points. The water level was increased to 4 m in 96 hours and decreased in 120 hours. The characteristics of the calculated and measured pore pressure changes over time were similar. The maximum values of the calculated and measured pore pressure were almost identical. The only differences were the greater delay of the experimental levee response to changes in water level increase compared to the response of the numerical model. These differences were probably related to filtering-erosion effects during seepage in the levee

Assessment of the mutual influence of deformation-strength characteristics of the fastening system elements

The degree of influence has been determined of diversified deformation-strength characteristics of load-bearing elements in the fastening system of the preparatory mine workings, while maintaining them in a laminal massif of soft rocks. The analysis has been performed of multivariate computational experiments of the stress-strain state of the load-bearing elements of the fastening system in the preparatory mine workings from the position of the mutual influence of their deformation-strength characteristics and the support loading as a whole. An analysis is represented of the mutual influence of the operation modes of the mine working support elements between themselves and the fastening system as a whole; it has been studied the stress-strain state of the mine working fastening system with a central hydraulic prop stay, as well as a significant increase in reliability of the support performance has been analysed and determined. The tendency has been substantiated of minimizing the load on the mine working fastening system – increasing the coherence of the diversified operation modes of fastening elements by enhancing preferentially the yielding property of the rigid element. The application has been substantiated of the central yielding prop stays of the strengthening support of a frame in case of intensive rock pressure manifestation in the zone of the stope works active influence