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Geodynamic phenomena in hazardous fault zones affected by extensive surface mining in Central Europe

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Abstract

This article presents a comprehensive interpretation of long-term and very precise levelling and tiltmeter monitoring in an exploration gallery opened 42 years ago in the Krušné hory Mts. The importance of the detailed investigation of the crystalline rock mass is a result of the nearby brown coal open pit mine, which prolongated the natural 500-m long fault slope by an additional 200 m of the working face. Slope movements may be generated under such conditions. Moreover, Jezeří Castle (gothic monument) could be affected by slope instability. The exploration gallery together with the surrounding slope serve as a natural laboratory for registering a) rock mass block tilting; b) possible elastic uplift resulting from an enormous mass unloading of basin sediments during coal mining; and c) tectonic movements along the Krušné hory fault (part of the ECRIS). The entry section of the gallery showed long-term gravitational creep of the surface formations, which has been accelerated due to the mining activity. On the other side, the back part of the gallery showed a long-term uplift, and the very end of the gallery is without any signs of exogenous or anthropogenic influence. Strict seasonal variability in the trend of rock mass tilting with typical winter/spring vertical acceleration corresponds to the landslide activity in the gallery surroundings. The overall evaluation of the monitoring has not indicated a significant risk for the Jezeří Castle. It is a successful result of geotechnical works from the 1980s and long-term monitoring, which was incorporated into mining projects and proper hazard management.

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Acknowledgements

We appreciate the cooperation of V. Polák and P. Skalský from the Institute of Geophysics, Prague, who managed the tilt data recording in the gallery and the data processing, respectively. Tilt observations were supported by the SEV-EN Energy mining company. Research and data interpretation were supported by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports within the framework of the Grant CzechGeo/EPOS No. LM2015079; Research Fund for Coal and Steel project No. 847299 RAFF – Risk Assessment of Final Pits during Flooding; International Programme on Landslides – IPL project – 246.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Brown Coal Research Institute J.S.C, Most, Budovatelů, 2830/3, Czech Republic

    Jan Burda

  2. Institute of Geophysics, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Boční, II/1401, Czech Republic

    Jan Mrlina

  3. Faculty of Science, Charles University, Albertov 6, Prague 2, 128 43, Prague, Czech Republic

    Vít Vilímek

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Correspondence to Jan Burda.

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Burda, J., Mrlina, J. & Vilímek, V. Geodynamic phenomena in hazardous fault zones affected by extensive surface mining in Central Europe. Bull Eng Geol Environ 81, 153 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-022-02650-x

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