Abstract
Nanjing Gypsum Mine, or NGM, is encountering some engineering challenges in deep underground mining. The major challenges that affect the underground mine geomechanics and geoenvironment are attributed to groundwater, rock properties and geological structures, such as faults. A catastrophic mine flooding, triggered at NGM on 11 Sept. 2006, inundated the entire underground mine. The causes of this geological disaster are found multifold: hydrogeologically, the water-bearing karst rock overlain the orebody, the south of which was the direct water source of the catastrophic flooding; geomechanically, the low strength of the soft rock and the redistribution of mining induced stresses jeopardized the insitu balance and activated the discontinuities; and operationally, the inappropriate mining operation deteriorated the safety pillar and the ineffective seepage sealing method wasted the time for an effective measure to avoid the catastrophe. The mine flooding not only altered the underground hydrogeology, but also caused ground subsidence, damaged the surface structures and properties in the mine and its vicinity.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bain J. G., Mayer K. U., Blowes D. W., Frind E. O, Molson, J. W. H., Kahnt, R. and Jenk, U. (2001). Modelling the closure-related geochemical evolution of groundwater at a former uranium mine, Journal of Containment Hydrology, 52, 109–135.
Biehler D., Falck W. E. (1999). Simulation of the effects of geochemical reactions on groundwater quality during planned flooding of the Konigstein uranium mine, Saxony, Germany. Hydrogeology Journal, 7(3): 284–293.
Brady B. H. G., Brown E. T. (2004). Rock Mechanics for Underground Mining. Dordrecht, Boston, London, Kluwer Academic Publishers.
Cidu R., Fanfani L. (2002). Overview of the environmental geochemistry of mining districts in southwestern Sardinia, Italy, Geochemistry: Exploration, Environment, Analysis, 2(3): 243–251.
Donovan J. J., Leavitt, B. R. and Werner E. (2003). Long-term changes in water chemistry as a result of mine flooding in closed mines of the Pittsburgh Coal Basin, USA, Proceedings of the 6th ICARD, Cairns, Queensland, Australia.
Founie A. (2006). Gypsum. U.S. Geological Survey, Mineral Commodity Summaries, 78–79.
Gammons C. H., Metesh J. J. and Snyder D. M. (2006). A survey of the geochemistry of flooded mine shaft water in Butte, Montana, Mine Water and the Environment, 25(2): 100–107.
Gendzwill D., Martin N. (1996). Flooding and loss of the Patience Lake potash mine, CIM Bulletin 89(1000): 62–73.
He M. C. (2005). Conception system and evaluation indexes for deep engineering, Chinese Journal of Rock Mechanics and Engineering, 24(16): 2854–2858.
Holla L., Barclay E. (2000). Mine Subsidence in the Southern Coalfield, NSW, Australia. Sydney, New South Wales Department of Mineral Resources.
Jiang C. G., Sui M.S. and He Y. (2004). New ideas on reasons of the rock burst in underground mining, Mining R & D, 24(4): 55–58.
Li X.Z., Luo G.Y. and Chen Z.S. (2002). The mechanism of deformation and water conduction of fault due to excavation in water inrush in underground engineering, Chinese Journal of Geotechnical Engineering, 24(6): 695–700.
Li X.Z., Zhang G.Y. and Luo G.Y. (2003). Barrier effects caused by fault on excavating-induced stress & deformation and mechanism of resulting groundwater inrush, Rock and Soil Mechanics, 24(2): 220–224.
Liu M.Y., Xu C. Y. (2000). Rheological properties of anhydrite and determination of its long-time strength, China Mining, 9(2): 53–55.
Perry E.F. (2001). Modelling rock-water interactions in flooded underground coal mines, Northern Appalachian, Geochemistry: Exploration, Environment, Analysis, 1(1), 61–70.
Potvin Y., Nedin P. (2003). Management of Rockfall Risks in Underground Metalliferous Mines, Canberra, Minerals Council of Australia.
Qian Q. H. (2004). The characteristic scientific phenomena of engineering response to deep rock mass and the implication of deepness. Journal of East China Institute of Technology, 27(1): 1–5.
Singh M. M. (1992). Mine Subsidence. SME Mining Engineers Handbook, H. L. Hartman: 938–971.
Song, F., Zhao, F. S. and Li, Y. L. (2005). Testing study on creep properties for gypsum breccias, Hydrogeology & Engineering Geology, (3): 94–96.
Yao B. K., Liu Z. H. and Li C. Y. (1994). Research on stability of underground mining, Beijing, China Science and Technology Press.
Zhu W.Z.(1994). Mining design of-308m mining and-344m extending mining in Nanjing Gypsum Mine, Non-metallic Mines, (4): 16–20.
Zuber A., Grabczak J. and Garlicki A. (2000). Catastrophic and dangerous inflows to salt mines in Poland as related to the origin of water determined by isotope methods, Environmental Geology, 39(3-4), 299–311.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2008 Science Press Beijing and Springer-Verlag GmbH Berlin Heidelberg
About this paper
Cite this paper
Wang, G., You, G., Xu, Y. (2008). Investigation on the Nanjing Gypsum Mine Flooding. In: Liu, H., Deng, A., Chu, J. (eds) Geotechnical Engineering for Disaster Mitigation and Rehabilitation. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-79846-0_121
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-79846-0_121
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-540-79845-3
Online ISBN: 978-3-540-79846-0
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceEarth and Environmental Science (R0)