Miners Uncover Alarming Fractures Beneath Coal Seams, Risking Catastrophic Collapse
Longwall mining can cause movement in the layers of rock above the coal seams. Ground penetrating radar was used to monitor the movement of overlying strata in a coal mine. The radar detected fractures in the floor of a coal seam that was being mined above other seams. The results showed that the coal seam was in a fractured zone above the mined-out areas of other seams, with the lower coal seam collapsing into the floor of the upper seam. Ground penetrating radar proved effective in detecting overlying strata movement.
