GEOTECHNICAL ASPECTS OF RECLAMATION OF LANDS AFFECTED OPENCAST MINING

Requirements for construction and mining works have always been taken into account in engineering geology. At present moment the most complicated tasks in mining practice are connected with reclamation of mined-out space. Operation of over two hundred coal mines and coal pits was stopped during the restructuring period in the Russian coal industry and they are currently go through different stages of the mine abandonment process. Land reclamation is a topical issue in open-cast mining, where the main task is to maintain stability during the recultivation period and subsequent use of the worked-out pits. Reliability of geomechanical calculation depends on the quality of geological data. Efficiency of activities to eliminate impact from mining works on surrounding environment is significantly decreasing when such data is incomplete or unavailable.