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Tomographic modeling and petrophysical measurements for locating weakness zones in bedrock, Kiruna, Sweden
- Publisher: European Association of Geoscientists & Engineers
- Source: Conference Proceedings, First EAGE International Conference on Engineering Geophysics, Dec 2011, cp-273-00022
- ISBN: 978-94-6282-064-7
Abstract
The Kiirunavaara iron ore in northern Sweden has been mined since 1898. Originally mined from an open pit, extraction of the ore today continues underground with the “sublevel caving” method. In this method the ore between sublevels is broken above and the overlying waste rock caves into the void created as the ore is extracted [1]. The overall mining progresses downwards while the caving progresses upwards, eventually reaching the surface and causing large-scale deformation. This surface deformation has an obvious negative impact on the surrounding infrastructure of the town of Kiruna, which is partly located above the mine and lies less than 1 km from where the east-dipping orebody was originally outcropping. This proximity to a residential area makes it absolutely necessary for the mining company to acquire as much knowledge as possible about the current near-surface geology and potential future deformation patterns.