Analysis of alternative responses to mining subsidence hazards: current status and future direction

The magnitude of the problem of coal-mined-land subsidence is only beginning to be recognized, as the collapse of overburden completes its insidious migration to the land surface and very often damages the manmade structures at or just below the surface. This report examines the magnitude and the consequences of the problem throughout the underground mining regions of the US. Such problems have produced a complex array of case laws that have produced a nebulous history of legal interpretations of property rights and adjudication of liability. The study identifies seven research activities that are needed to help solve these problems and to evaluate alternative response options. These are: socioeconomic impact assessment; data acquisition; instrumentation monitoring techniques; subsidence prediction; subsidence damage prediction; subsidence control and damage abatement; and technology transfer. Each activity category is described in the context of its place in an overall research and development program. The categories then are presented in a series of matrices along with specific assessment methods and data required to conduct the research activities. These matrices may be used as an initial means of identifying priorities for future research and development efforts.