Old mining

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Old mining site with numerous heaps and pings on the Sauerberg near Suhl / Thuringian Forest .
Old mining underground

From abandoned mines is always in the sense of a disused mining speech whose objects no longer the mining authorities in accordance with the Federal Mining Act subject. Mostly, old mining is used to refer to the terrain, pit buildings and post-mining landscape of a past mining operation. Old mining can also be understood in the literal sense of historical mining or pre-industrial mining.

Basics

Mining was already practiced in Europe during the time of the first Stone Age settlement. The mining activities were intensified from the 2nd millennium of today's calendar. Several thousand tunnels were excavated and shafts created . In the state of North Rhine-Westphalia alone, around 60,000 to 70,000 daily openings have been created over the centuries . Some of the mine buildings were very extensive. In order to ventilate the mine workings and keep them free from pit water , very complex ventilation systems and drainage systems were created.

Until the 19th century, mining activities were carried out above the groundwater level and only at shallow depths . The overburden was dumped on heaps near the respective mining operations. In the mountain areas where ore was mined , the processing residues were heaped up together with the overburden. The residues heaped up in this way were often interspersed with heavy metals such as mercury . This was due to the methods of ore processing and smelting of ore at the time , which, like ore extraction, were not very effective. After the end of operations, the old mine workings and day openings were either not kept at all or only insufficiently . At that time, this was usually done with loose masses.

Effects

The poorly secured cavities created by near-day mining lose their stability over the years. This becomes particularly problematic when surface water penetrates into the cavities. If the water then cannot flow off due to constrictions in the cross-section, backflows occur. The water now fills the cavities and thus initially acts as an offset . Depending on the mountain range, the accumulated water dissolves sulphides or other substances from the rock. Depending on the composition of the loose material present, this can mix with the water to form mud. If the water-filled cavities are drained, suffosion can be initiated. The draining water develops high drag forces, as a result of which there is strong underground mass rearrangement. This can destroy the area around the cavity. This leads to further breaks . This places high mechanical stress on the overburden . Tensions in the mountains in turn lead to cracks and crevices in the overburden. Weathering and leaching occurs in the mine dumps over the centuries . This mobilizes the heavy metals present in the landfill. When the ores were crushed, the dust was carried further into the surrounding area by drift. But ore-containing dusts or slag dusts from smelting can also be removed from the heaps and distributed further into the surrounding area.

records

For many historical mine works there are no cracks whatsoever , this has different causes. The first usable sketch works were created in the 17th century and drawn by the French after the occupation of Germany towards the end of the 18th century. In the years 1787 to 1797, the mine separator Niemeyer , who came from the Harz region, prepared the mining map known as the Carte speciale des mines for the Brandenburg area. However, the sketch works created were often only incomplete. Often the crack documents were not completely or incorrectly added from the original cracks in the operating phases. Since 1840, more and more mining files and drawings have been collected and archived. However, many cracks were destroyed by the chaos of war, floods and other damaging events. All of these are reasons that often only fragmentary information is available about the old mining operations.

affected areas

The most important legacies from old mining are located in an elongated area of ​​Europe where hard coal was mined. There are particularly many in the southern Ruhr area . But also in the areas where ores were mined there are old mining remains. As a rule, there are no maps of older near-day mining cavities. This means that later owners only find out about the damage afterwards.

Consequential effects and consequential damage

The consequential effects caused by the old mining and objects of the old mining are quite extensive. The fractures in the area of ​​the underground cavities can affect up to days and thus cause a daybreak . Gaps or depressions can form. In mining areas in which uranium was previously mined, radon 222 penetrates to the surface through micro-cracks in the overburden, which occur as a consequence of mining . This radon can penetrate into residential buildings in this area and accumulate there. In the case of inadequately filled manholes, it can happen that the backfill column made of loose material sags and a manhole collapses . Unfilled cavities are a constant, unpredictable terrain hazard. They often lead to construction disasters and thus to mountain damage to buildings. Floods of mud and ocher can leak from the underground cavities and cause damage. Heavy metals leached from the dump material contaminate the soil. This has a lasting impact on the material composition of the soil. The heavy metal accumulations in the soil cause a locally increased content in the crops. In animals that eat these crops, this also leads to an accumulation of heavy metals in the body. Ultimately, leached environmental toxins get into the human food chain via water and plants and animals.

Legal consequences

Little is known about the old mining industry; old day openings and underground cavities often still have to be explored. For the mining authorities, the hazard research of these old mining relics is part of their official duty. In the case of mining without a legal successor, the police regulations of the respective federal state apply. In addition to the official liability for the mining authorities, there are also criminal consequences for superiors and employees of companies in certain cases. Criminal offenses can be negligent bodily harm or negligent homicide. In addition to the criminal law consequences, the mining authority may also be liable under civil law.

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Thuringian law on the guarantee of public safety and order in objects of old mining and in underground cavities. (Thuringian Old Mining and Underground Cavities Act - ThürABbUHG) of May 23, 2001.
  2. ↑ a b c d Sächsisches Oberbergamt (Hrsg.): The mining in Saxony . Report of the Saxon Mining Office and the State Office for Environment, Agriculture and Geology for 2011, Saxony 2012, pp. 22–26.
  3. ↑ a b c d e Mark Mainz: Geotechnical model presentation for the assessment of hazard areas in old mining and shaft protection areas in the Aachen coal mining area . Approved dissertation from the Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen, Aachen 2007, pp. 1–6.
  4. ↑ a b c Till Elgeti: Public Sector Liability Risks for Abandoned Mines and Daily Openings . In: Ring Deutscher Bergingenieure e. V., mining . Journal for Raw Material Extraction - Energy - Environment, Volume 63, Makossa Druck und Medien GmbH, Gelsenkirchen June 2012, ISSN = 0342-5681, pp. 250-253.
  5. ^ Frank Russow: Structure, properties and hazard potential of the near-surface subsurface in historical ore mining areas of the Central European Central Uplands . Approved dissertation from the University of Leipzig, pp. 1–3.
  6. ↑ a b Axel Preuße, Jörg Krämer, Anton Sroka: Technical assessment of consequential loads of hard coal mining. In: Mining. 12/2007, pp. 540-546.
  7. ↑ a b Melanie Niese: Dealing with mining damage in the southern Ruhr area . Approved dissertation from the Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum 2010, pp. 3–7.
  8. ↑ a b c d e f Edward Popiolek, Zygmunt Niedojadlo: The application of geophysical methods in the solution of old mining problems . In: 3rd Altbergbau-Kolloquium . Freiberg 2003, VGE Verlag GmbH, Essen 2003, pp. 1-3.
  9. ↑ a b c d e f Günter Maier: Water-bearing tunnels - a main component of the renovation of old mines . In: 12th Mining Forum . Conference proceedings, Leipzig 2013.
  10. ↑ Thomas Degner: Forecast of the geochemical effects of the subsequent use of disused mining tunnel systems using the example of the Freiberg mine area . Approved dissertation from the Technical University Bergakademie Freiberg, Freiberg 2003, pp. 4–5.
  11. ↑ a b B. Leißring, N. Leißring: Aspects of the connection between bypassed old mining under built-up areas and radon protection . In: 7th Altbergbau Colloquium . Freiberg 2007, VGE Verlag GmbH, Essen 2007, pp. 79-88.
  12. ↑ a b Bernd Leißring: Radon protection problems in geologically / mining-influenced locations : In: 9th Saxon Radon Day . Competence center for research and development for radon-safe building and renovation e. V. (Ed.), Druck Lichtpaus- und Kopierstudio Dresden, Dresden 2015, pp. 29–35.
  13. ↑ a b c d e T. Bergfeldt, H. Puchelt, R. Fritsche: Heavy metal content in soils and plants of old mining sites in the Central Black Forest . Ministry of the Environment Baden-Württemberg (Ed.), Stuttgart 1995, pp. 2, 4.
  14. ^ A b State Institute for Environmental Protection Baden-Württemberg (Ed.): Heavy metal pollution from historical mining in the Wiesloch area . Mannheim JVA print shop, ISSN 0941-780X, pp. 11-13
  15. ^ A b c Ansgar Wehinger: Dangers from old mining in Rhineland-Palatinate . In: Ring Deutscher Bergingenieure e. V., mining . Journal for raw material extraction - energy - environment, 63rd volume, Makossa Druck und Medien GmbH, Gelsenkirchen June 2012, ISSN = 0342-5681, pp. 255-253.
  16. ↑ Kurt Pfläging : Stein's journey through coal mining on the Ruhr. 1st edition. Geiger Verlag, Horb am Neckar 1999, ISBN 3-89570-529-2 , pp. 16-19.
  17. ↑ a b Uwe Münch, Peter Nestler: Airborne laser scanning as a supplement to the exploration method of old brown coal mining . In: Brandenburg Geoscientific Contributions, Brandenburg 2003, pp. 7–9.
  18. ^ Günter Meier, Gerhard Jost, Angelika Dauerstedt: Security and safekeeping work on the Jakob Adolph tunnel - a water-bearing tunnel under the city of Hettstedt (Saxony Anhalt) . In: 7th Altbergbau Colloquium . Freiberg 2007, VGE Verlag GmbH, Essen 2007, pp. 240–241.
  19. ↑ Günter Meier: Geotechnical and mining requirements for securing and safekeeping of shafts in old mining . In: 7th Altbergbau Colloquium . Freiberg 2007, VGE Verlag GmbH, Essen 2007, pp. 188-189.

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