Geology in Environmental Management Issues of the Donbas Within the Context of Its Forthcoming Restoration

Abstract

The Donets Basin or Donbas frames one of the major late Palaeozoic coalbearing basins in the world. Geologically, the basin stands out by its thick sedimentary column containing prolific coalbearing measures. Within the domain of the Donbas Fold belt, it is characterized by prominent inversionfolding patterns controlled by principal displacement zone (PDZ). Historically, the Donbas region has served as a heartland of Ukrainian industry including coal and mercury mining, multiple metallurgical and chemical processing plants. Because of tremendous amount of organic matter became thermally mature the basin hosts unconventional gas plays including "shale gas" and coalbed methane resources, which may be served a resource base to cease the Ukrainian dependence on gas imports from the Russian Federation through unconventional gas developments. Nowadays, this geological and economicgeographical region suffers from military hostilities, which may have unpredictable consequences and threaten the security of adjoining regions. The aim of this publication is to ascertain the threat of a dramatically deadly combination of historically persistent manmade environmental damage and armed conflict which affected surface terrain and underground environment, urban and infrastructural facilities, lands and agricultural development within the Donbas region (Eastern Ukraine). We used the extensive dispersed long and shortterm observation data collected and acquired in the Donets Basin in order to describe, classify and retrieve the most pressing environmental concerns, as well to delineate future goals for its forthcoming recovery. A scope of environmental problems is given with special stress on interval from 2014 up to the present time including delineation of risks related with specific geostructural position of "Cleavage" underground nuclear blast site and induced seismic activity reported within Khanzhonkovo site (Obyedinenyi settlement) of Makiivka region in 2019. Methods of detection and prevention are described and the potential size of the problem is assessed. The scopes of remedial measures that may be taken are discussed.

Multi-scale structural inheritance of fracture systems pattern in coal-bearing measures of the Lorraine-Saar coal Basin

“…Coal mines in the LSB are no longer operated to produce coal; however, even these abandoned mining «naturally gassy» sites can still produce significant GHG venting into the atmosphere through diffuse shafts and boreholes and natural fracture systems corridors. The migration of methane towards the surface takes place for many years following the closure of a mine [Alsaab et al, 2008;Krause, Pokryszka, 2013;Pryvalov et al, 2020]. This hazardous phenomenon of methane release on the surface is associated with active mining and, more specifically, with the post-mining period.…”