Pseudokarst groundwater hydrologic characteristics of a mine spoil aquifer

Hawkins, Jay W.; Aljoe, William W.

doi:10.1007/bf02919585

Cited by 22 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…Spoil sorting classification values are similar to those associated with glacio-fluvial sediments (Folk, 1974). The similarity of hydrologic properties of surface mine spoil and poorly sorted glacial sediments were observed by Hawkins and Aljoe (1991).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 76%

“…The rate of continued settling and subsidence after 100 months since backfilling is substantially less than at earlier times, therefore the lithologic trend discussed above became noticeable. A tertiary factor is the random monitoring well placement relative to the location of spoil ridges and valleys, covered over during reclamation, which are known to exhibit significantly different transmissive properties (Groenwald and Bailey, 1979;Hawkins and Aljoe, 1991). Additionally, discrete monolithic zones created by the mining and reclamation operation ( e.g., removal of overburden in layers or self sorting that occurs hy particle size, hence lithology) can exist within mines.…”

Section: General Spoil Aquifer Propertiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Caruccio and others (1984) also noted that ground-water flow in reclaimed surface mines is "highly channelized" and may not be intercepted during drilling unless one of these "randomly located" conduits is encountered. Hawkins and Aljoe (1990;1991) subsequently noted that reclaimed mine spoil exhibits characteristics of both porous medium and conduit-flow systems. They observed that on a 1arge (mine-wide) scale and under steady-state conditions spoil Proceedings America Society of Mining and Reclamation, 1998 pp 32-40 DOI: 10.21000/JASMR98010032 aquifers exhibit porous media characteristics.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Hydraulic Properties of Surface Mine Spoils of the Northern Appalachian Plateau

Hawkins¹

1998

ASMR

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Abstract. Aquifer tests were conducted on over 125 mine spoil wells from 18 surface mines located in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, and Kentucky. These tests (primarily slug tests) were used to determine the range, variability, and predictability of surface mine spoil hydraulic properties (hydraulic conductivity and transmissivity). Test results show that hydraulic properties of mine spoil aquifers are highly variable and relatively unpredictable. Hydraulic conductivity ranged over 7 orders of magnitude from a very low permeability of 4.45 x 10·• mis to a highly transmissive 7 .58 x 10· 2 mis. The hydraulic conductivity measured at mines with 5 or more wells frequently ranged over 3 orders of magnitude and none ranged less than one. A few statistical relationships between geologic and mining conditions and the hydraulic properties were observed. Spoil aquifers that were under 30 months old and those over 100 months old exhibited significantly lower (95 percent confidence level) hydraulic conductivities than those between 30 and 100 months old. The influence of spoil lithology on the hydraulic conductivity does not appear to be strong, probably because of masking by other factors introduced during reclamation. No significant trends were observed between spoil thickness and hydraulic conductivity. A comparison of hydraulic conductivity derived from slug and constant-discharge tests performed on the same wells indicate that slug tests tend to yield lower values. A few spoil wells exhibited an oscillatory water-level response during slug testing, similar to that observed during testing of some karst and glacial aquifers.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 76%

Section: General Spoil Aquifer Propertiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Hydraulic Properties of Surface Mine Spoils of the Northern Appalachian Plateau

Hawkins¹

1998

ASMR

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“…Aquifer testing performed by Hawkins and Aljoe (1991) confirmed the existence of large voids in mine spoil. They observed that pseudokarstic characteristics predominate when the aquifer is stressed, during aquifer testing or extreme recharge events.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 79%

“…This sorting action creates extreme aquifer heterogeneities in the form of linear high-permeability zones, parallel to spoil ridges, laterally bounded by lower permeability material. The orientation and magnitude of the void areas are dependent on overburden lithology, mining equipment used, surface mining method, direction of mining, and age of reclamation (Hawkins and Aljoe 1991;Aljoe and Hawkins 1992).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modeling of a Reclaimed Surface Coal Mine Spoil Aquifer Using MODFLOW

Hawkins¹

1994

ASMR

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Improved prediction of the postmining water levels in mine spoil can be useful in preventing future acid mine drainage production. Using a computer model (MODFLOW), a reclaimed surface mine aquifer under steady-state conditions was simulated. To calibrate the hydrologic model, the hydraulic conductivity of the spoil had to be increased by as much as 200 times above values empirically determined by field tests. These modifications were justified by the presence of large open voids and conduits in the spoil. Simulated recharge to the spoil was primarily from fracture zones in adjacent unmined areas. Recharge from precipitation was established at a low level (10% of the mean precipitation), because of mining-induced changes to the soil structure. The steady-state calibrated model exhibited head levels 8.7% above and a discharge rate that was within 5.7% of measured field conditions. These results indicate that MODFLOW can be successfully used to simulate the ground water table and discharge rates of mine spoil after reclamation. Using the calibrated model, a constant-discharge test was applied to the aquifer. The model did not accurately simulate the results of an aquifer test performed in the field. The heterogeneous nature of the mine spoil is believed to facilitate unquantified anisotropic ground water flow, which was not accounted for in the simulations. However, the steady-state simulation with MODFLOW proved to be useful in modeling spoil under variable site conditions. Additional

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Electrical resistivity imaging of hydrologic flow through surface coal mine valley fills with comparison to other landforms

Greer

Burbey

Zipper

et al. 2017

Hydrological Processes

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Surface coal mining has altered land cover, near‐surface geologic structure, and hydrologic processes of large areas in central Appalachia, USA. These alterations are associated with changes in water quality such as elevated total‐dissolved solids, which is usually measured via its surrogate, specific conductance (SC). The SC of valley fill effluent streams is a function of fill construction methods, materials, and age; yet hydrologic studies that relate these variables to water quality are sparse due to the difficulty of conducting traditional hydrologic studies in mined landscapes. We used electrical resistivity imaging (ERI) to visualize the subsurface geologic structure and hydrologic flow paths within a valley fill. ERI is a noninvasive geophysical technique that maps spatiotemporal changes in resistivity of the subsurface. We paired ERI with artificial rainfall experiments to track infiltrated water as it moved through the valley fill. Results indicate that ERI can be used to identify subsurface geologic structure and track advancing wetting fronts or preferential flow paths. Our results suggest that the upper portion of the fill contains significant fines, whereas the deeper profile is primarily large rocks and void spaces. Water tended to pond on the surface of compacted areas until it reached preferential flow paths, where it appeared to infiltrate quickly down to >15 m depth in 75 min. ERI applications can improve understanding of how fill construction techniques influence subsurface water movement, and in turn may aid in the development of valley fill construction methods to reduce water quality effects.

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Pseudokarst groundwater hydrologic characteristics of a mine spoil aquifer

Cited by 22 publications

References 13 publications

Hydraulic Properties of Surface Mine Spoils of the Northern Appalachian Plateau

Hydraulic Properties of Surface Mine Spoils of the Northern Appalachian Plateau

Modeling of a Reclaimed Surface Coal Mine Spoil Aquifer Using MODFLOW

Electrical resistivity imaging of hydrologic flow through surface coal mine valley fills with comparison to other landforms

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