Some aspects of mining subsidence and its control in the US coalfields

The problem of surface subsidence is rapidly becoming an important environmental consideration of active as well as abandoned mining operations in the USA. The damages attributed to this phenomenon range from simple land settlement to severe structural damage and have been experienced in both rural and urban areas spreading across thirty states.This paper presents a discussion on mining subsidence and its characteristics above US longwall and room-and-pillar mines. The influence of the geological controls on subsidence is discussed in detail and the effects of subsidence on man and his environment are presented and exemplified. In addition, a historical review of rules and regulations governing subsidence-related problems is given, leading to Public Law 95-87, the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977, and finally, the new regulations being developed under the regulatory reform program are discussed.