Scholarly record

SAFE USE OF MINING-AND-INDUSTRIAL HERITAGE AND UNDERGROUND SPACE IN TOURISM SECTOR

Vitali Shekov

Abstract

Mining-and-industrial heritage ? underground workings, open areas of former mining works, natural caves and underground cavities are, in many cases in critical condition and pose a safety threat to the tourists visiting those. On the other hand, such places, have significant historical, technological and landscape value. Moreover, these objects are also crucial for the development of tourism, attracting a lot of visitors by their uncommonness. Underground space for tourism purposes is often used by the specialists who are unfamiliar with the issues of underground workings stability, that is the reason why tourists are exposed for many hazards. Within this paper the authors have considered main threats related to the operation of previously used mining workings. Major sources of possible dangers were analyzed. Essential problems occur due to maintaining the stability of workings in proper condition preventing the spalling of the walls because of lateral pressure, as well as controlling the roof stability to prevent large roof falls posing a threat to the visitors? health. Today mining industry suggests a great variety of solutions for preventing mining workings destruction. Often these solutions imply heavy expenses. The authors suggest solutions for arranging control over the stability of mining workings, both open and closed, using low-cost procedures, which do not require extreme expenditures for financial support of these measures. As the main control procedure, it is proposed to use both photogrammetric methods tailored to be used in underground space and ensuring long-term control over rock mass behavior, and instrumental procedures based on proprietary developments and patents. Order of performance of works on studying mining workings as to the possibility to be used as a tourist site both on preliminary preparation stages and in use has been suggested. Studying the objective laws of the formation of stable profile in mining workings that were used in the past for extraction of minerals can be an efficient instrument for assessing the possibility and safety of using such areas of mining-and-industrial heritage in the travel business.

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DOI resolver: doi.org/10.5593/sgem2019/1.3/s03.073

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