Evaluating GPR for Geotechnical and Hazards Assessment of Deep Mine Geology (original) (raw)

Geotechnical issues associated with the longwall mining technique in American coal mines is an ongo¬ing area of concern for coal mine engineers and mine safety oversight groups. A proof-of-concept geophysi¬cal survey employing ground-penetrating radar (GPR) to image sedimentary rock strata immediately above and below a mined coal seam at an active longwall mine in Carbon Coun¬ty, Utah, was commissioned by the Spokane Research Labo¬ratory of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).GPR is most commonly applied to the imag¬ing of geologic structure as a surface technique. Numerous examples can be found in the scientific and engineering lit¬erature of such applications for imaging near-surface coal seams and structural issues related to historic coal mine activity.The application of GPR to in situ, underground issues within active coal mines is both novel and experimental. In this particular application, the concept to be evaluated involved not so much that GPR...