Old Goltsteingrube lignite mine - The impact of the former mine on the ground surface in the border zone of the Inden opencast mine

摘要

The federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia looks back on a long history of mining. For many centuries, hard coal, lignite, and ores had been extracted by surface and underground mining throughout the entire state. Well worth noting is the fact that most of the residues from underground extraction are no longer visible today; often, knowledge of the extent and condition of these underground mining areas is either only sparsely available or has been forgotten completely. However, the consequences of these mining activities can still be noticed at many places again and again. Extraction cavities from near-surface mining which collapse or fill columns which cave in due to insufficiently secured shafts frequently damage the ground surface; sometimes even with spectacular consequences [1].