• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.613-624
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• 2022

A study of the evolution of overburden fractures under the solid-fluid coupling state was conducted based on the geological and mining characteristics of the coal seam depth, weak strata cementation, and high-intensity mining in the mining areas of West China. These mining characteristics are key to achieving water conservation during mining or establishing groundwater reservoirs in coal mines. Based on the engineering background of the Daliuta Coal Mine, a non-hydrophilic simulation material suitable for simulating the weakly cemented rock masses in this area was developed, and a physical simulation test was carried out using a water-sand gushing test system. The study explored the spatial distribution and dynamic evolution of the fractured zone in the mining overburden under the coupling of stress and seepage. The experimental results show that the mining overburden can be vertically divided into the overall migration zone, the fracture extension zone and the collapse zone; additionally, in the horizontal direction, the mining overburden can be divided into the primary fracture zone, periodic fracture zone, and stop-fracture zone. The scope of groundwater flow in the overburden gradually expands with the mining of coal seams. When a stable water inrush channel is formed, other areas no longer generate new channels, and the unstable water inrush channels gradually close. Finally, the primary fracture area becomes the main water inrush channel for coal mines. The numerical simulation results indicate that the overlying rock breaking above the middle of the mined-out area allows the formation of the water-conducting channel. The water body will flow into the fracture extension zone with the shortest path, resulting in the occurrence of water bursting accidents in the mining face. The experimental research results provide a theoretical basis for the implementation of water conservation mining or the establishment of groundwater reservoirs in western mining areas, and this theoretical basis has considerable application and promotion value.

• Proceedings of the KSRS Conference
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• 2007.10a
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• pp.95-97
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• 2007

The mining-related damages due to the mining operations such as ground subsidence, tailing, Acid Mine Drainage, and soil contamination have a significant effect on our social and economical environment. So, for the effective prevention and reclamation works of the hazards in the mining area, the systematic management of mine information and mining-related damages is urgently needed. In this study, we estimated the possibilities of GIS-based system development for the mining area and related database. We classified the steps of building GIS as mine itself, mining-related damages, rehabilitation works and additional functions for estimating damages and analyzed the essential database and functions for each step. GIS will be helpful to estimate the mining-related damages and to carry out the reclamation works effectively.

• Mycobiology
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.277-282
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• 2016

In this study, we collected rhizosphere soils and root samples from a post-mining area and a natural forest area in Jecheon, Korea. We extracted spores of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) from rhizospheres, and then examined the sequences of 18S rDNA genes of the AMF from the collected roots of plants. We compared the AMF communities in the post-mining area and the natural forest area by sequence analysis of the AMF spores from soils and of the AMF clones from roots. Consequently, we confirmed that the structure of AMF communities varied between the post-mining area and the natural forest area and showed significant relationship with heavy metal contents in soils. These results suggest that heavy metal contamination by mining activity significantly affects the AMF community structure.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.82-86
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• 2016

In this study, we investigated the spore diversity of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in rhizospheres of a post-mining area and a natural forest area in Jecheon, Korea. The rhizospheres of the post-mining areas were dominated by Acaulospora mellea, while those of the natural forest area were dominated by Ambispora leptoticha. The number of AMF spores in rhizospheres of the post-mining area was significantly higher than that in the rhizospheres of the natural forest area. Although the diversity index of each area showed no significant difference, the community similarity of AMF within the rhizospheres of natural forest area was significantly higher than that observed within those of post-mining area. These results showed that AM fungal communities in rhizospheres could change because of the degree of disturbance.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.367-371
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• 2014

In early 1990s, the Korean government has launched a deep-sea research program to secure the stable long-term supply of strategic metallic minerals including Cr, Cu and Ni. Through the pioneering surveys, Korea registered $150,000km^2$ of Mn-nodule field in the Clarion-Clipperton area, the NE equatorial Pacific to the international sea-bed authority (ISA) in 1994. Following the ISA exploration code, the final exclusive exploration area of $75,000km^2$ was assigned in 2002, based on results of eight-year researches of chemico-physical properties of nodules, bottom profiles and sediment properties. Since that time, environmental studies, mining technical developments including robot miner and lifting system and establishment of smelting systems were accompanied with the detailed geophysical studies to decipher the priori mining area until 2009. Major points of the recent Korea Mn-nodule program are deployed on a commercial scale until 2015. In order to meet the goals, we developed a 1/5 scaled robot miner compared to commercial one in 2012 and performed a mining test at the water depth of 1,370 m in 2013. In addition, detailed 25,000 scaled mining maps in the priori area, which can provide operation roots of the miner, will be prepared and an environmental-friendly mining strategy will be pursued based on the environmental impact test and environmental monitoring.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.135-141
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• 2016

This study investigated changes of hydrology, soil characteristics, riparian vegetation communities, and geomorphology in sandbars before and after sand-mining to determine the effect of sand-mining at upstream of Guemgang and Bochungcheon streams in Korea. Sand-mining events affected the mining area. They supplied organic matters and nutrients during flood. Sediment deposition caused soil texture change and expansion of vegetation area. However, riverbeds were stabilized after the disturbance. According to the analyses of aerial photographs, the vegetation area was significantly expanded in both dam-regulated streams and dam-unregulated streams after sand-mining. Willow shrubs advanced in disturbed area at an average of 10 years after sand-mining. It took willows trees 10.6 years to become dominant communities. Therefore, it took a total of 20.6 years for new riparian forest to form in sandbar after sand-mining. Our results confirmed that stream flow condition were dependent on vegetation recruitment in dam-regulated streams and dam-unregulated streams. For willow recruitment in unregulated streams, calculation of water level below dimensionless bed shear stress is important because low water level variation is a limiting factor of vegetation recruitment.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.205-216
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• 2007

The purpose of this study was to investigate effects of large scale marine sand mining on the marine ecological community. For the study, four stations along the coast were selected and monitored in 1998 and 2001 at mining areas and non-mining areas about the Gyeonggi Bay. The result revealed that in 1998, 9 species of fishes, 16 species of crustaceans, and 6 species of mollusks were collected where as in 2001, 11 species of fishes, 5 species of crustaceans, and 2 species of mollusks were collected, uncovering the fact that fishes have diversified while crustaceans and mollusks have reduced on a grand scale. Also, there were two key characteristics regarding the changes of biological communities in mining and nonmining areas. The first was the dwindling of crustaceans inhabiting the sand area. This outcome may be accounted for by the facts that physical removal of seabed sediments and re-sediment due to expansion of floating particles cause direct influence on the ocean floor ecosystem and have continuous effect on the communities of crustaceans which feed on them. Secondly, the newly arrived species and their population during spring and summer seasons have increased in the non-mining areas and have decreased in the mining area. It can be concluded that highly nomadic fish species migrate toward areas with less disturbance or destruction of ecosystem from marine sand mining, and consequently, the communities of fishes change in the sea area. Setting aside the characteristics of the investigated sea areas where the arriving conditions of species vary by seasons, the clear differences of population of organisms in those areas are due to environmental alterations owing to the marine sand mining ; if those large-scale marine sand mining activities continue in the Gyeonggi Bay, their effects on biological communities in the areas will only grow.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.63-72
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• 1999

In order to examine the contamination levels of trace elements in stream sediments in the Chungnam coal mine area, stream sediment and water samples were collected and analyzed for trace elements. The pH of stream water was neutral or weak-alkaline and the mobility of metal in stream sediments was supposed to be low. From the result of cluster analysis, non-polluted sampling stations can be distinguished from polluted sampling stations influenced by mining activities. The trace element concentrations in sediments from non-polluted zone were considered to be the natural backround concentrations of this area. The trace element concentrations in sediment samples from the mining area were higher than those from non-polluted area, and contaminated area of enriched trace element levels need to be properly managed. From the results of discriminant and regression analyses, concentrations of Cd, Cu, Pb AND zN and predicted values of Be, Mo, and Ni in Chungnam coal mine area were found to be lower than those in metal mining areas in Korea.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
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• 2005.04a
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• pp.363-370
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• 2005

There are approximately 2,000 metallic mines which have been abandoned in Korea. Most of the mines are located in the watershed area, which is main source of drinking water for Seoul Metropolitan area. Untreated mining wastes are remained around abandoned mines in study area. These mining wastes, flowing into farmland and stream in the downstream of abandoned mines, would cause water and soil pollution. The mining waste samples from Guedo mine, Manjung mine and Joil mine recently abandoned were collected for the evaluation of the potential of water pollution by mine waste. Index of geoaccumulation($M\"{u}ller$, 1979), fractional composition and removal efficiency of some heavy metals by different concentration of HCl treatment were analyzed. Index of geoaccumulation of Cd, Pb, Zn, Cu, Ni and Cr are 6, $4{\sim}6,\;0{\sim}6,\;4{\sim}5$, 2 and 0 respectively. Index of geoaccumulation of Cd, Pb, Zn and Cu reveals the mining wastes has high pollution pottential in the area. Organic fraction of Cu, reducible fraction of Pb, residual fraction of Ni and Zn were the most abundant fraction of heavy metals in mining wastes.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.255-265
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• 2007

As the mechanism and effect range of subsidence are altered according to the various conditions (the ground condition, the earth pressure, the geometric condition of underground cavity and the structure load), the analysis and prediction of subsidence in abandoned mining area are very difficult. Also, as the geological characteristics and the mining methods are differed in each mines, the application of the pre-existing reinforcements without improvement has a lot of difficulties and limits. In this study, the various underground investigation such as long-depth core drilling, seismic tomography and BIPS (borehole image processing system) were performed, the distribution of underground cavity and coal seam and rock relaxation condition were analyzed. And we predicted the type of subsidence and estimated the subsidence by theories of mining subsidence. With these results, we analyzed the mechanism of subsidence occurrence in the research object area. Finally, we improved existing methods which were applied to the abandoned mining area and also we established the rational reinforcement for the ground and structure foundation against each subsidence cause.