Use of Remotely Sensed Imagery in Investigating Ground Control Problems in an Alabama Coal Mine

Jessee A. Scarborough, William F. Kane

Lineaments, linear features which are expressions of fractures or discontinuities in the earth's surface, can be detected using Landsat imagery. A study using a composite of multispectral scanner (MSS) bands 4, 5, and 7 was performed in a mine within the Warrior coal basin of Alabama. Both surface and underground mapping were carried out to obtain fracture data. Positional control was established to relate locations of roof falls in the mine, surface and underground fractures, and lineaments. A data base was created, and statistical relationships concerning the direction and distance between these features were investigated.

At the scale of the imagery, a lineament was found to be a zone of fractures whose general trend follows the regional trend but whose individual components may not have this tendency. These surface fractures within the lineament band tend to dip vertically and extend to the mine level.

A statistical correlation was found between lineaments detected on remotely sensed imagery and ground control problems in the mine. Lineaments overlying the mine were related to roof falls; most roof falls occurred near a lineament. The lineament length was not an important factor, however, Although the intersection of two lineaments was an element in roof fall frequency, the distance between a roof fall and an intersecting lineament was determined to be more significant.

The results of this study represent a step toward the scientific use of satellite imagery for the layout and design of coal mines and other underground structures in the eastern United States.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #91022©1989 AAPG Annual Convention, April 23-26, 1989, San Antonio, Texas.