Collapses of old mines in Korea

Ground collapses over abandoned mines constitute a significant geohazard in Korea. Recent collapses at the Mookeuk, Chungyang and Toehyun mines provide examples of the failures of rock over old stopes, and of old backfill that had been placed in abandoned stopes. Micro-seismic monitoring by borehole geophones is used to locate rockfalls within the Keumgok mine in order to design appropriate remedial filling. The government's Mine Reclamation Corporation has an ongoing programme of documentation and remediation of the old mines.

Research Highlights
► We describe ground collapses over three abandoned mines.
► Failures are of rock over old stopes, and of old backfill in abandoned stopes.
► Micro-seismic monitoring is used to locate rockfalls within another mine.
► We consider the suitability of remediation and site development.