Ecological and Geological Environment Risk Assessment of Wangwa Mining Area Based on DInSAR Technology

Abstract

Mining activities in coal mining areas have exacerbated ecological and geological environmental risks. To explore the impact of mineral resources on the ecological and geological environment risk (EGER) in coal mining areas, we developed a novel ecological and geological risk assessment framework. This framework first quantifies the impact of mining activities on the surface of coal mining areas using remote sensing interpretation and Differential Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (DInSAR) technology. Then, this framework selected six indicators, including subsidence, surface occupation and damage, FVC, RSEI, precipitation, and temperatures. The weights of the evaluation indicators were calculated using a coupled weighting model combining the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and the Entropy Method (EM). This approach was applied to the Wangwa mining area to assess its ecological and geological risks. The results show that the surface subsidence increase year by year. The EGER in the study area was medium and the change rate of the EGER index in Wangwa mining area from 2017 to 2022 was −0.460 to 0.598. The EGER index increased southwest of the study area but reduced in the pre-investigation area and north of the investigation area. This study can support decision-making to reduce the adverse environmental impact of coal mining activities.