ASSESSMENT OF RISKS OF SINKHOLES FORMATION DURING FLOODING OF COAL MINES

Abstract

The article presents data from geodynamic monitoring of the mining allotment of the Antratsit mine, conducted under conditions of uncontrolled flow of mine water into the mined-out space and mine workings.

Extraction of minerals, in particular coal, leads to the formation of vast areas of the earth's surface with increased technogenic load. This trend is typical for various deposits, be it the Kuznetsk, Pechersk or Donetsk coal basins.

Among the most pressing problems caused by rising groundwater levels and flooding of mined-out spaces due to the cessation of mine drainage operations, which pose a threat to human safety and property, the following can be highlighted:

- flooding of built-up areas and agricultural lands, leading to their swamping;

- gas penetration into basements of residential buildings and underground structures of industrial facilities;

- movement of toxic substances and highly mineralized mine water in worked-out rocks with their subsequent exit to the earth's surface;

- resumption of rock displacement processes above workings, which leads to the formation of surface failures in areas where such processes have long since ended.

During the work, calculations and mapping of near-surface zones characterized by increased failure hazard were performed, both according to the normative methodology and using a neural algorithm. The use of the normative approach made it possible to identify 21 zones that pose a danger in terms of the formation of surface failures. Considering the fact that a significant part of the identified zones is located in residential areas or agricultural lands, a forecast of their failure hazard was made using neural network modeling. The results of the forecast showed a reduction in the number of zones dangerous for the occurrence of failures over the next 20 years to 11, as well as a decrease in their total area by 2.5 times. This forecast allows optimizing the costs of implementing measures to protect the earth's surface from the negative impact of mining operations.