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GEOECOLOGICAL MONITORING IN EXTRACTION PROCESS OF SOLUBLE MINERALS FROM UNDERGROUND DEPOSITS

Iulian Offenberg

Abstract

Modern extractive operations face to issues connected to Geoecology science, landscape ecology being a good approach in environment evaluation of mining techniques, including extraction or removal of soluble minerals from underground deposits which is a specialized extraction technique and operation procedure that requires a special management of the process. Most mines can affect the landscapes within different systems, usually Geotopes or Geofacies, therefore monitoring the geographic areas from and surrounding mining perimeter can provide valuable information required for assessing the geoecological effects on the environment. In salt solution mining, for example, first water is injected to dissolve the salt, within wells erected over salt beds or domes, and then the brine (salt solution) is pumped to a chemical plant. After the brine well closure voids remains full with brine or can be used to store other substances, like carbon dioxide, natural gas or industrial waste. Salt solution mining depends on both characteristics of the rock and on the stress conditions generated by the geometry of the openings, which can generate trough subsidence, subsurface caving, plug caving or chimneying. Enlargement, coalescence and/or hydraulic leaks of caverns increase the span of the voids beyond the strength of the roof rock resulting in failure of the overlying rock. Under certain conditions, the void progresses toward the surface where, sometimes catastrophically, a sinkhole can form. Sinkholes, both natural and/or technical (man-induced), have formed many times in the past and are a consequence of removal of support when a continuous flow of water or undersaturated brine is in contact with the deposit, salt and soluble minerals go into solution and be removed, creating the conditions for subsidence and landscape failure. Because the physiognomy (visual effect on the landscape) of subsidence at the ground surface as a result of the collapse of natural or man-made caverns creates inabilities for geographical environment, some parameters of geographical systems must be monitor long time after the operations are closed. That is why necessary to have a minimal set of parameters that can offer a realistic picture of the potential inabilities of landscape. The manuscript is addressed to researchers as well as specialists or designers involved in mining process with a view to develop the geoecological perspective for this sector and to present some efficient techniques for investigation for salt solution mining, as a good practice.

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DOI resolver: doi.org/10.5593/sgem2019/5.2/s20.050

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