Earthquakes and Groundwater and Surface Water Management at Mines Sites

摘要

The design of water management infrastructure in mines and the assessment of the impact of proposed mining operations on groundwater and surface water typically draws on baseline studies of surface water levels and flows and hydrological investigations encompassing groundwater occurrence, piezometric levels, and the hydraulic conductivity of the identified hydrostratigraphic units. As part of the design and or impact assessment process account is taken of the current and future demands of the mine infrastructure, capturing inflows and outflows to and from the system as part of a water balance, often including the potential for increases or decreases in future water flows resulting from, for example, climate change.Although the impact of earthquakes is taken into account in the design of structures and an assessment of the impact of major hazards from, for example, tailings dams, the impact of earthquakes on the groundwater and surface water regimes is rarely considered. The impact of earthquakes on groundwater has long been recognised (e.g. Cooper et al 1965), and following significant earthquakes significant changes to groundwater and surface water hydrology (e.g. [2]) can occur, including increased surface water flows and changes in groundwater levels. There changes can be of sufficient magnitude to have not inconsequential implications for mine water management.This paper sets out the impact of earthquakes on groundwater and surface water hydrology and the potential implications for groundwater and surface water management in mines.