From June 14 to 16, 2023, Ineris and BRGM welcomed to Gardanne the partners of the European RFCS PostMinQuake project (
https://postminquake.eu/), which began in 2020. This project aims to increase knowledge of the post-mining seismic hazard in relation to the cessation and subsequent flooding of underground mining works. The project brings together partners from the main European mining countries: Germany, Poland, Czech Republic and France. It involves the study of five mining basins known to have been subject to significant seismicity at the time of their exploitation, including the former Gardanne coalfield, near the city of Marseille.
The organization of these technical days in Gardanne enabled participants to discuss post-mining risk management strategies, particularly those adopted in the French context. It also provided an opportunity to visit one of the microseismic monitoring stations of the network deployed in the basin to detect precursor signs of instability in mining structures before the appearance of any surface disorders*.
Technical discussions also focused on the progress of work planned as part of the project, and in particular on the project's main output: a best practice guide on post-mining seismic hazard assessment and monitoring methods in post-mining areas, scheduled for publication in autumn 2023.
Contact :
Isabelle Contrucci
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To learn more, please refer to the Ineris 2021 report on the origin of the seismic swarm in Fuveau and its connection with the flooding of former mining works in the Gardanne basin.