Post-mining flooding-induced ground displacements, microseismicity, and gas anomalies: a synthesis of research on the abandoned Ruhr, Saar, and Ibbenbüren hard coal districts in Germany
5 affiliations
- 1Geodetic Institute Karlsruhe, KIT – Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
- 2Structural Geology and Tectonics, Institute of Applied Geosciences, KIT – Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
- 3European Institute for Energy Research EDF-KIT EWIV
- 4Technical Petrophysics, Institute of Applied Geosciences, KIT – Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
- 5Institute of Geosciences, Ruhr University Bochum
Abstract
Raw material depletion, uneconomic production, and government policies will result in the abandonment of hundreds to thousands of underground mines worldwide within the next years. Hence, mine drainage becomes operationally and economically dispensable. Consequently, the mine flooding is initiated by the mine operator. This increases the subsurface pore fluid pressure potentially inducing seismicity and ground displacements. Here, we present a synthesis on published and unpublished research on three abandoned hard coal mining districts in Germany (Ruhr, Saar, Ibbenbüren), which are currently undergoing flooding. The interdisciplinary approach (3D fault modelling and stress analysis, seismological, ground displacement, and outgassing monitoring) suggests that flooding correlates with the temporal occurrence of post-mining microseismicity (mainly ML < 2) and ground displacements (centimeters-decimeters). Flooding-induced microseismicity in the Ruhr area is focused in pillar areas below the mine panels and is not correlated with the activation of large-scale fault systems. Anomalous outgassing into soil is a temporally variable process in the Ruhr area. Ground displacements from InSAR measurements show complex spatio-temporal patterns that correspond to developing mine water levels in different parts of the mines. The ground displacements analyzed vary during different phases of the mine life cycle: 1. Strong subsidence during production; 2. Residual subsidence after end of production; 3. Acceleration of subsidence with beginning rebound of mine water; 4. Reverse to uplift after the mine water reaches a certain impoundment depth; 5. Waning uplift after the final mine water level has been reached.
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BibTeX
@article{even2026postmining,
title = {{Post-mining flooding-induced ground displacements, microseismicity, and gas anomalies: a synthesis of research on the abandoned Ruhr, Saar, and Ibbenbüren hard coal districts in Germany}},
author = {Markus Even and Dennis Quandt and Olaf Ukelis and Thomas Niederhuber and Martina Rische and Birgit Müller and Roman Zorn and Malte Westerhaus and Hansjörg Kutterer and Christoph Hilgers},
journal = {Geomechanics and Geophysics for Geo-Energy and Geo-Resources},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1007/s40948-026-01257-w},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1007/s40948-026-01257-w},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Post-mining flooding-induced ground displacements, microseismicity, and gas anomalies: a synthesis of research on the abandoned Ruhr, Saar, and Ibbenbüren hard coal districts in Germany
AU - Markus Even
AU - Dennis Quandt
AU - Olaf Ukelis
AU - Thomas Niederhuber
AU - Martina Rische
AU - Birgit Müller
AU - Roman Zorn
AU - Malte Westerhaus
AU - Hansjörg Kutterer
AU - Christoph Hilgers
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/25
JO - Geomechanics and Geophysics for Geo-Energy and Geo-Resources
DO - 10.1007/s40948-026-01257-w
UR - https://doi.org/10.1007/s40948-026-01257-w
AB - Raw material depletion, uneconomic production, and government policies will result in the abandonment of hundreds to thousands of underground mines worldwide within the next years. Hence, mine drainage becomes operationally and economically dispensable. Consequently, the mine flooding is initiated by the mine operator. This increases the subsurface pore fluid pressure potentially inducing seismicity and ground displacements. Here, we present a synthesis on published and unpublished research on three abandoned hard coal mining districts in Germany (Ruhr, Saar, Ibbenbüren), which are currently undergoing flooding. The interdisciplinary approach (3D fault modelling and stress analysis, seismological, ground displacement, and outgassing monitoring) suggests that flooding correlates with the temporal occurrence of post-mining microseismicity (mainly ML < 2) and ground displacements (centimeters-decimeters). Flooding-induced microseismicity in the Ruhr area is focused in pillar areas below the mine panels and is not correlated with the activation of large-scale fault systems. Anomalous outgassing into soil is a temporally variable process in the Ruhr area. Ground displacements from InSAR measurements show complex spatio-temporal patterns that correspond to developing mine water levels in different parts of the mines. The ground displacements analyzed vary during different phases of the mine life cycle: 1. Strong subsidence during production; 2. Residual subsidence after end of production; 3. Acceleration of subsidence with beginning rebound of mine water; 4. Reverse to uplift after the mine water reaches a certain impoundment depth; 5. Waning uplift after the final mine water level has been reached.
SN - 2363-8419
SN - 2363-8427
ER -