• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.5-11
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• 2010

Abandoned mines release acid mine drainage and cause the contamination of soil and crops around the mine area. The objective of current study is to evaluate effect of mine on the soil and crop contamination. Soils, water, and crops were collected and analyzed, and the heavy metal data were classified into types of the soil, types of crops, and distance from the minehead. Surface soils of the mine area were highly contaminated with heavy metals, especially with zinc and lead. Tailings and cultivated paddy soils were also highly contaminated. Heavy metal concentrations upon distance from minehead decrease steadily as the distance from the minehead increase. The correlation between heavy metals was extracted from soils and the content in the rice samples showed a positive relation for arsenic and cadmium but not a meaningful relation for other metals.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.40 no.3 s.184
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• pp.295-306
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• 2007

In this study, we predicted areas vulnerable to ground subsidence near abandoned underground coal mine at Sam-cheok City in Korea using a probability (frequency ratio) model with Geographic Information System (GIS). To extract the factors related to ground subsidence, a spatial database was constructed from a topographical map, geo-logical map, mining tunnel map, land characteristic map, and borehole data on the study area including subsidence sites surveyed in 2000. Eight major factors were extracted from the spatial analysis and the probability analysis of the surveyed ground subsidence sites. We have calculated the decision coefficient ($R^2$) to find out the relationship between eight factors and the occurrence of ground subsidence. The frequency ratio model was applied to deter-mine each factor's relative rating, then the ratings were overlaid for ground subsidence hazard mapping. The ground subsidence hazard map was then verified and compared with the surveyed ground subsidence sites. The results of verification showed high accuracy of 96.05% between the predicted hazard map and the actual ground subsidence sites. Therefore, the quantitative analysis of ground subsidence near abandoned underground coal mine would be possible with a frequency ratio model and a GIS.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.54 no.4
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• pp.457-464
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• 2021

The objectives of this study were to analyze of soil chemical characteristics of abandoned coal mine forest rehabilitation areas in Gangwon-do. The study sites were 8 areas and the investigations were performed 11 times according to elapsed time. Soil characteristics were soil pH, TOC, Total-N, C/N ratio, and Av. P₂O₅. Soil pH and Av. P₂O₅ were decreased according to elapsed time after forest rehabilitation, while TOC, Total-N, and C/N ratio increased. TOC and Total-N arrived at quality requirements of covering soil for forest rehabilitation in abandoned coal mine area passed 10 years after forest rehabilitation, while soil pH became lower than that. Therefore, it needs long-term monitoring of soil chemical characteristics after the forest rehabilitation and to establish post management.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.412-428
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• 2012

To achieve mine development, a large amount of data concerned with the geological structure and the ore body had to be investigated and collected through geological survey, drilling and geophysical explorations. In most previous cases, however, the data were usually analyzed two dimensionally and those results showed some limits because of their 2D presentation. Those 2D maps such as geological plane sections or longitudinal sections cause lots of difficulties in understanding the complex geological structure or the feature of ore body in a spatial way. In this study, research area was set on the abandoned Yangyang iron mine in Korea and the Sugaeng ore body within the mine was selected as the research target to design a mine haulage system for reopening. A 3D mine model of this area was tried to be constructed using a 3D modelling software, GEMS. An accurate 3D model including the ore body, the geological structure, the old underground mine drifts and the new mine drifts was constructed under the purpose of reopening of the abandoned iron mine. Especially, mine design for trackless haulage system was conducted. New inclines and drifts were planned and modelled 3 dimensionally considering the utilization of old drifts and shaft. In addition to the 3D modelling, geostatistical technique was adopted to generate a spatial distribution of the ore grade and the rock physical properties. 3D model would be able to contribute in solving problems such as evaluating ore reserves, planning the mine development and additional explorations and changing the development plans, etc.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.19 no.5
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• pp.463-472
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• 2009

Many old domestic mines were excavated with the room and pillar method or the sublevel caving method and they involve the great possibility of surface subsidence, especially in the shallow depth mines. In most of these cases, the mine roadways and openings are very irregular in shape and the information about the local geology is uncertain. Consequently it is not simple to standardize the estimation method for the possibility of subsidence, especially the sinkhole subsidence. In this study, the fuzzy reasoning method has been applied for development of estimating the possibility of subsidence occurrence in abandoned mine area. This method has the advantage in producing the reliable estimation results with a simple performance procedure even when the precise information on the local geology and mining conditions is rare. For the verification of applicability of this method, the developed method has been applied to Kumho mine in Bonghwa, Kyungbook province and the Choong-ju mine in Iryu, Choongbook province where the surface subsidence occurred already.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.32 no.4B
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• pp.261-266
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• 2012

In this study, soil environmental impact assessment using risk-based approach was compared with that using concentration-based approach. For this, heavy metal contaminant exposure was characterized in an abandoned mine area. According to the estimated carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks, soil ingestion was identified as the most dominant exposure pathway. When contaminant concentrations exceeded the Korean Soil Contamination Warning Standards, their corresponding risk values also exceeded the Total Soil Risk Standard. Even the cases of satisfying the Korean Soil Contamination Warning Standards mostly showed higher risk levels than the Total Soil Risk Standard, re-confirming a more sensitivity of the risk-based assessment than concentration-based assessment. However, the in-depth analysis of the estimated non-carcinogenic risk values revealed a few cases for soil contact pathway showing contaminant concentrations higher than the Korean Soil Contamination Warning Standards although their non-carcinogenic risk values satisfied the level of Hazard Index Standard. The findings from this study support a necessity of shifting policy paradigm from concentration-based approach into risk-based approach for reliable risk assessment in abandoned mine areas, and also suggest a necessity of further fundamental studies regarding risk factors and standards.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.37 no.5
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• pp.509-519
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• 2004

The ground subsidence that occurred in the abandoned coal mining area, Gaeun, Korea, was observed using 25 JERS-1 SAR interferograms from November 1992 to October 1998. We carried out measurements on a subset of image pixels corresponding to point-wise stable reflectors(PS: permanent scatterer) by exploiting a long temporal series of interferometric phases and compared it with the distribution map of in situ examined crack level. PSs could be identified by means of amplitude dispersion index and coherence of the interferograms and the density of PS was much higher in an urban area than in a mountainous region. The measured subsidence rate represented the average velocity in a period of image acquisition and excluded complex nonlinear displacements such as an abrupt collapse. The mean line-of-sight velocity in the study area is 0.19cm/yr and the estimation error is 0.18cm/yr. The center of the abandoned Gaeun coal mine(0.49cm/yr) and the area opposite Gaeun station(1.66cm/yr) were observed as the most highly subsiding areas.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.50 no.5
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• pp.472-481
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• 2017

Agricultural field near at the abandoned metal mine and industrial area has a high possibility to be polluted by heavy metals. However, concern about chemical properties including heavy metal concentration has been increased and biological properties such as soil respiration has been minimal in heavy metal polluted field. Therefore, main objective of this research was to evaluate soil respiration as an indicator of heavy metal pollution in agricultural field. Total of 60 sampling sites including each 30 sites of abandoned metal mine and industrial area were selected and heavy metal concentration, soil respiration, and chemical properties were measured. Results showed that heavy metal concentration in metal mine area was ranged Cu: $6.21~85.23mg\;kg^{-1}$, Pb: $23.84{\sim}1,044.72mg\;kg^{-1}$, As: $1.88{\sim}691.44mg\;kg^{-1}$, Zn: $18.72{\sim}527.55mg\;kg^{-1}$, Cd: $0.58{\sim}4.27mg\;kg^{-1}$, and Cu: $0.29{\sim}30.62mg\;kg^{-1}$, Pb: $4.41{\sim}19.77mg\;kg^{-1}$, As: $2.23{\sim}11.76mg\;kg^{-1}$, Zn $39.98{\sim}109.59mg\;kg^{-1}$, Cd $0.29{\sim}0.57mg\;kg^{-1}$ for industrial area respectively. While no sampling site was exceed the threshold value of each heavy metals in industrial field, metal mine area was highly polluted with Pb, As, Zn, and Cd. Soil respiration in the metal mine and industrial area was ranged $12.05{\sim}299.80mg\;O_2\;kg^{-1}$ and $27.68{\sim}330.94mg\;O_2\;kg^{-1}$, respectively. Correlation analysis between heavy metal concentration in soil and soil respiration showed that negative correlation was observed in metal mine area while no correlation was observed in industrial area. This result might indicate that as heavy metal concentration was increased, microbial activity in soil was decreased resulting decrease of soil respiration rate. Overall, soil respiration can be used as indicator of heavy metal pollution in soil and more biological properties need to be evaluated to better understand heavy metal pollution in soil.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.123-135
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• 1997

In order to investigate the dispersion patterns and contamination level of heavy metals in the soil-ecosystem and to evaluate the efficiency of soil remediation by reversed soil method, soils and plants were collected from the Dongjin Au-Ag-Cu mine area and analysed for heavy metals. The dispersion patterns of heavy metals in soils and plants show that heavy metal pollutions caused by waste rump around Dongjin mine are mainly found in the vicinity of the waste rump and in the southward slanting of mine. Toxic metallic pollutants from the mine influence heavy metal contents in paddy soils in downstream area, and may be a potential sources of heavy metal pollution on crop plants. Soil samples collected from the remediated rice farming field by reversed method show similar levels of heavy metal content to those from the polluted rice farming field, but topsoil enrichment of heavy metals are not found. Heavy metal contents of the rice plants collected from remediated rice farming field are significantly lower than those from polluted rice farming field, and it suggests that the reversed soil method is effective for the reduction of bioavailability of heavy metals.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.17-25
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• 2003

Researches were carried out to investigate the characteristics and concentration of heavy metal elements of stream water through Dongmyoung abandoned metal mine and soil adjacent to the mine. The pH range of water was 5.9∼7.1 that implies the water environment was acidic to neutral. The contents and distribution aspects of heavy metals in water samples varied with geochemical characteristics of element, but the concentration of heavy metals has the tendency of increase closer to the mine in general. The results of soil analysis show that total heavy metal concentration of agricultural soil near mine was far lower than those of ore tailing and dumping site. Therefore, the effects of the abandoned mine on stream water and agricultural products were supposed to be insignificant, particularly because the portion of absorbed carbonates and reducible fractions among total heavy metal concentration was relatively lower than the other. Since, however total heavy metal concentrations of mining site were relatively higher than those of adjacent region, there is a possibility of heavy metal difussion when the chemical environment of the site changes due to migration of surface and underground water. It is suggested that the preventive measures for water and soil pollution by the heavy metals would be considered around the region.