Semester

Summer

Date of Graduation

2024

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Type

MS

College

Eberly College of Arts and Sciences

Department

Geology and Geography

Committee Chair

Aaron Maxwell

Committee Co-Chair

Charles Shobe

Committee Member

Jaime Toro

Abstract

ABSTRACT

Slope stability below historic pre-law mine benches in the northern coalfields of West Virginia

Muhammad Ali

Slope failures and landslides are commonly occurring geohazards in the state of West Virginia and in the Appalachian region due to weak geologic strata, steep slopes, a humid climate, geologically recent river incision, and human landscape modifications. Historic surface mining has resulted in large-scale landscape alterations. Surface mining conducted before the Surface Mine Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA) of 1977 did not require reclamation to approximate original contour; as a result, remnant highwalls and mine benches are common throughout the state and region. This study investigates the occurrence of slope instability and failure beneath pre-law mine benches in the northern coalfields of West Virginia. Mine bench features were manually digitized based on interpretation of high spatial resolution, light detection and ranging (LiDAR)-derived digital terrain data, high spatial resolution aerial orthophotography, and ancillary geospatial data (i.e., mine permit boundaries and disturbance extents provided by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and the West Virginia Geological and Economic Survey (WVGES)). A subset of mine bench features, stratified by coal seam, were randomly selected for slope stability analysis. The lower margin of the randomly selected mine benches were differentiated into segments with and without evidence of downhill slope failure or instability to calculate the proportion of the lower margin length that was associated with slope failures or instability. Results suggest that local topographic slope and topographic aspect were not strong determinants of slope instability beneath mine benches. However, the coal seam or unit that was mined was a large determining factor. The Pittsburgh seam, and to a lesser extent the Redstone seam, had a larger proportion of their lower margins showing evidence of slope failure. For the Pittsburgh seam, this was attributed to the weak overburden material, which is placed on the slopes beneath the bench and constitutes the material within the slope failure or instability areas, and the thickness of the extracted coal bed. This study highlights the need for additional, site-based assessment of slope instability and the need to consider the long-term issues of managing and reclaiming areas in the state impacted by pre-law surface coal mining.

Embargo Reason

Publication Pending

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Available for download on Wednesday, July 23, 2025

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