Earth Sciences Commons^™

Advances In Research On Eco-Geological Environment Monitoring Of Underground Coal Mining Areas Based On Airborne Remote Sensing, Li Jun, Zou Zhaohui, Zhang Chengye, Wang Yi, Cheng Yang, Xu Lianhang, Zhang Jinhe, Liu Chuanrui, Liang Lixia

Coal Geology & Exploration

Background Timely and effective monitoring of the current status of eco-geological environment holds great significance for scientific decision-making regarding both geological environment protection and ecological restoration in underground coal mining areas. Owing to its advantage of large-scale and rapid monitoring, airborne remote sensing technology has emerged as an important approach to the eco-geological environment monitoring of mining areas. Advances This study first clarifies relevant concepts of eco-geological environment monitoring, as well as the monitoring requirements and contents specific to underground coal mining areas. Accordingly, it presents a summary of the advances in research on airborne remote sensing technology for the …

From Follower To Leader: Seismic Coal Exploration Techniques In China Over The Past 70 Years−In Celebration Of The 70th Anniversary Of Ccteg Xi’An Research Institute (Group) Co., Ltd., Cheng Jianyuan, Wang Yunhong, Wang Baoli, Li Gang, Li Yuteng, Qin Si

Coal Geology & Exploration

Background After 70 years of innovation and development, China has successfully transformed from a follower into a leader in both high-resolution surface seismic coal exploration techniques and underground in-seam seismic exploration techniques for coal mines. Furthermore, it has achieved disruptive innovations in intelligent seismic-while-mining (SWM) and seismic-while-tunneling (SWT) techniques. These achievements have established China’s worldwide leading position in the overall development of seismic coal exploration techniques.Advances In terms of high-resolution surface seismic coal exploration techniques, China has undergone four development stages: arduously catching up, striving to follow, keeping pace with continuously, and overtaking international counterparts with advanced techniques during …

Sealing Performance Evaluation Criteria And Profile Optimization Of The Volumetric Cavities Of Positive Displacement Motors For Directional Drilling, Kuang Yuchun, Hu Xin, Zhou Jingpei, Luo Jinwu, Liu Yihui, Han Yiwei

Coal Geology & Exploration

Objective Constrained by complex stratigraphic conditions in underground coal mines, directional drilling faces challenges such as low efficiency when encountering medium-hard and hard formations. Positive displacement motors (PDMs) with a diameter of 89 mm are commonly used for directional drilling. Their efficiency is primarily influenced by the sealing performance of their volumetric cavities, which further significantly affects the drilling efficiency. Methods Based on the structural characteristics of the three-dimensional (3D) volumetric cavities of PDMs and the simulation method of two-way fluid-structure interactions, this study proposed the criteria for quantitatively evaluating the efficiency and volumetric cavity performance of PDMs, followed by …

Table Of Contents, The Editors

Coal Geology & Exploration

No abstract provided.

Biogeochemical Mechanisms Behind Water Quality Evolution And Valuable Element Reutilization Of Abandoned Mine Drainage: A Review, Wu Pan, Huang Jiangxun, Li Qingguang, Zhang Ruixue, Li Bo

Coal Geology & Exploration

Background Abandoned mine drainage, also known as acidic mine drainage (AMD), represents a major pollution source in mining areas while also serving as an important carrier of strategic critical metals and underground space utilization. In China, water pollution stemming from coal mining is more severe in the south than in the north. This spatial pattern is jointly shaped by climatic conditions, geological settings, and mining history. Advances From the perspective of the environmental geochemical frontier, this study presents a systematic review of AMD formation and evolution mechanisms, as well as technologies for water pollution prevention and control, resource recovery, and …

Underground Tunnel Drilling Technology And Equipment For Coal Mines In China: A 50-Year Retrospective And Prospects, Tian Hongliang, Li Wangnian, Li Quanxin, Yao Ke, Liu Jianlin, Chang Jianghua

Coal Geology & Exploration

Bcakground Underground tunnel drilling in coal mines represents an indispensable key means for the safe and efficient coal mining, precise disaster prevention and control, and geological transparency of coal mines. This study presents a systematic review of the development history of underground tunnel drilling technology and equipment for coal mines in China over the past 50 years, during which the technology and equipment have evolved from technology introduction to independent innovation and from following to keeping pace with and even to overtaking international counterparts.Advances Initially, this study expatiates on both the important position of coal resources in the national …

Key Techniques And Application Of The Zdy15000ldk High-Power Automatic Directional Drilling Rig, Li Quanxin, Zhang Gang, Fang Peng, Xing Wang, Yao Ke, Zhang Rui, Zhang Boyang, Zhao Xuefeng, Shi Yang, Sun Hanyu, Jia Qian

Coal Geology & Exploration

Objective For deep mining of coal mines, conventional directional drilling rigs face challenges including high labor intensity, limited control accuracy, a low intelligence level, and failure to meet the demand for efficient gas drainage. Meanwhile, high-power automatic drilling rigs encounter technical bottlenecks in automation, control accuracy, and process intelligence in this context. To address these issues, this study proposed an integrated and systematic solution—the ZDY15000LDK high-power automatic directional drilling rig. Methods Using a compact structural layout, a drill rod handling system was developed, consisting of a drill rod loading/unloading manipulator with four degrees of freedom and an automatic drill rod …

Instruments For Simulation Experiments On Coal-Rock Dynamic Disasters In China: Current Status And Key Challenges, Yuan Liang, Tang Haopeng, Ma Yankun, Wu Hua, Zhang Yachao, Jiao Biao, Wang Hao

Coal Geology & Exploration

Background Coal-rock dynamic disasters represent engineering disasters caused by the instability of the multi-phase and multi-field coupling of coal strata under mining disturbances, severely restricting the safe exploitation of deep coal resources. Elucidating the disaster-inducing mechanisms lays the foundation for exploring effective monitoring and early warning, along with prevention and control technologies, while instruments for simulation experiments provide crucial tools for investigating the mechanisms. Gradually increasing scientific and technological level has contributed to the continuous improvement in China's independently developed instruments for simulation experiments on coal-rock dynamic disasters. However, as engineering activities progressively extend toward deep parts, the multi-phase and …

Development History And Prospects Of Geological Guarantee In The Coal Industry: A Review, Liu Feng, Liu Wenming, Dong Shuning, Wang Hao, Cheng Jianyuan, Liu Zaibin, Fan Tao, Ma Liang, An Lin, Chen Baohui, Yan Zicheng, Jiang Bici

Coal Geology & Exploration

Background In China, the coal industry serves as a ballast stone and stabilizer for rapid socio-economic development and national energy security. Despite huge reserves, China’s coal resources are characterized by uneven spatial distribution, diverse coal seams, complex geological structures, and significantly different mining conditions. During coal mining, unclear geological conditions frequently lead to the abandonment of tunneling roadways, poor mining continuity, frequent equipment relocation, and the abrupt onset of concealed geologic hazards. These challenges ultimately result in difficult advancement of mining face, frequent casualties, and considerable economic losses. Geological guarantee represents a crucial foundation and key technology throughout the shaft …

Advances In Geological Guarantee Technologies For Safe, Efficient, And Intelligent Coal Mining In China, Sun Siqing, Miao Yaowu, Jia Lilong

Coal Geology & Exploration

Background Coal mining geology provides the foundation for efficient coal mining, as well as hazard prevention and control. Based on the revision to China’s normative documents entitled Regulations on Geological Work in Coal Mines and Detailed Rules for Geological Work in Coal Mines, the exploration of technologies for coal mining geology, and considerable experience in coal mine production practices, this study systematically reviews the advances in geological guarantee technologies for safe, efficient, and intelligent coal mining in China over the past four decades.Advances Six aspects of advances have been primarily achieved in geological guarantee technologies in China: (1) The …

Mechanisms Underlying Coal Instability During Coal And Gas Outbursts Induced By Deep Mining, Zhang Chaolin, Li Yunfu, Li Zhonghui, Wang Enyuan, Yang Shiji, Chen Jiawei, Wang Meng

Coal Geology & Exploration

Objective The gradual depletion of shallow coal resources drives a shift to the mining of deep coal seams. However, the complex deep mining environment significantly increases the potential risks and severity of coal and gas outbursts. Therefore, there exists an urgent need to investigate the mechanisms underlying the mechanical instability of coals under deep mining, aiming to provide guidance for the safe mining of deep coal mines.Methods By integrating physical experiments, numerical simulations, and theoretical analysis, this study investigated coal and gas outbursts under burial depths of 500 m, 1000 m, and 1600 m and established a multi-field coupling …

Analysis Of Typical Cases And Development Trends Of Coalbed Methane (Coal Mine Gas) Drainage Techniques In Coal Mining Areas, Hao Shijun, Jiang Wenping, Zhang Jing, Du Xinfeng, Mo Haitao, Duan Huijun

Coal Geology & Exploration

Background In the coal mining areas of China, coalbed methane (coal mine gas) occurs under complex conditions, rendering it difficult to achieve its efficient resource exploitation and effective hazard control using a single technique.Advances As indicated by the current state of the research, development, and engineering application of coalbed methane (coal mine gas) drainage techniques in China in recent years, the drainage methods can be classified into three categories according to their spatial arrangements: surface drainage, underground drainage, and surface-underground combined drainage. Furthermore, the surface and underground drainage methods can be subdivided into four types based on their temporal …

Key Techniques For Volume Fracturing Of Deep Coalbed Methane Reservoirs And Their Applications: A Case Study Of The Daning-Jixian Block, Li Shuguang, Xiong Xianyue, Zhen Huaibin, Bai Kunsen, Ji Yuan, Yuan Pu, Li Zhongbai, Zhu Weiping

Coal Geology & Exploration

Background Deep coalbed methane (CBM) reservoirs generally exhibit ultra-low porosity and permeability, high stress, predominance of nanopores, and complex fracture propagation. These characteristics complicate reservoir stimulation, thereby restricting the enhancement in single-well productivity and commercial exploitation. Since 2019, technologies for deep CBM recovery have evolved from volumetric acid fracturing, which highlights the enhancement of matrix permeability, into large-scale volume fracturing focusing on the elevation of both the fracture network scale and proppant efficiency. In 2023, ultra-large-scale volume fracturing aimed at maximizing estimated ultimate recovery (EUR) was further developed. However, the implementation of this novel technique poses challenges such as a …

Damage Evolution Of Coal Reservoirs Under Cyclic Disturbances And Optimization Suggestions For Deep Reservoir Stimulation, Chen Shida, Pu Yifan, Zhao Longmei, Li Xiang, Huang Li, Tang Dazhen, Zhang Yafei, Li Song, Tao Shu

Coal Geology & Exploration

Objectives and Methods During volume fracturing or multi-round hydraulic fracturing of deep coal reservoirs, pressure fluctuations induced by the propagation of fracture tips and fluid accumulation within fractures cause cyclic perturbations to surrounding rocks. To clarify both the mechanical responses of coals and the mechanisms behind fracture evolution within coal reservoirs under such cyclic perturbations, this study conducted triaxial cyclic loading-unloading tests on high-rank coals under varying confining pressures, stress amplitudes, and loading modes. In combination with field engineering data, this study proposed strategies for optimizing deep coal reservoir stimulation. Results and Conclusions The stress-strain curves of coals under cyclic …

Pathways And Modes For Prevention And Control Of Acid Mine Drainage-Induced Pollution In China, Liu Guo, Chen Qian, Gan Xinzhu, Tang Jie, Zhu Mingtan, Fan Jiajun, Ren Shuang

Coal Geology & Exploration

Background Mining activities in polymetallic sulfide mines significantly disrupt regional hydrogeochemical equilibrium, leading to the formation of acid mine drainage (AMD). Consequently, severe pollution of aquatic environments occurs, posing a threat to regional water resource security. To lay the foundation for the prevention and control of AMD-induced pollution, it is necessary to investigate the formation and evolution mechanisms of AMD and establish a low-cost, sustainable risk management and control mode. Methods Based on field sampling and literature research, this study made statistics of the hydrochemical characteristics of AMD from different polymetallic sulfide mining areas across China and elucidated the processes …

Advances In Research On The Quality, Influential Factors, And Contamination Prevention And Control Technologies Of Mine Water In Representative Coal Mining Areas Of China, Xu Guangquan, Zhang Haitao, Liang Miao, Chen Xiaoqing, Li Zixuan, Li Xu, He Jianghui

Coal Geology & Exploration

Background Mine water represents a major type of water body produced during coal mining. Investigating its quality, influential factors, and contamination prevention and control technologies is of great significance for environmental protection and the sustainable utilization of water resources in coal mining areas.Methods Based on field surveys and literature review, this study systematically analyzed the quality and formation mechanisms of mine water in representative coal mining areas of China. Furthermore, it explored the advances and primary challenges in current research on technologies for the prevention and control of mine water contamination and proposed major directions for future research. Advances …

Geophysical Responses And Their Statistical Relationships With Lithium And Kaolinite Contents For Lithium-Rich Coals In The Yangquan Mining Area, Chen Tongjun, Xu Haicheng, Li Wan

Coal Geology & Exploration

Objective China, representing the world's largest consumer of lithium resources, suffers from a limited endowment of conventional lithium resources, rendering it inevitable for China to seek to develop and utilize abundant coal-hosted lithium resources. Through a comparative analysis of coal samples from the lithium-rich No. 8 and the ordinary No. 15 coal seams in the Taiyuan Formation, Yangquan mining area, Shanxi Province, this study explored the statistical relationships between the lithium and kaolinite contents and geophysical responses. Accordingly, the feasibility of the indirect detection of coal-hosted lithium resources using geophysical methods was assessed. Methods First, by testing the lithium content …

Development Path And Prospects Of Technologies For Detecting Hidden Hazards In Coalfield Fire Zones, Deng Jun, Wang Jinrui, Ren Shuaijing, Song Zeyang, Wang Caiping, Li Yaqing, Lu Junhui, Qu Gaoyang

Coal Geology & Exploration

Background Hidden hazards in coalfield fire zones are characterized by limited detectability, rapid evolution, and multi-hazard coupling, posing major challenges to the safe coal mining and related ecological restoration. Methods This study aims to achieve the fine-scale identification and risk control of hidden hazards in coalfield fire zones. Based on a systematic review of the genetic mechanisms and spatial distribution patterns of coalfield fire zones, this study summarizes the characteristics of three primary fire zone types: outcrop/surface fire zones, shallowly buried fire zones, and deeply buried underground burnt-out areas and fire zones within old coal pits. Multi-dimensional hazards caused by …

Somatic Prosthetics For Planetary Resonance, Disha Dharesh Kumar R

Masters Theses

This thesis investigates how industrial design can transcend extractive technological paradigms in favor of relational interfaces that foster planetary attunement. Framing the climate crisis as a 'crisis of imagination', the research challenges the Western bifurcation of nature and culture by drawing on Indic cosmologies- which recognize stones, plants, and ecosystems as conscious at different levels and participants in a shared cosmic field. By synthesizing research in Biosemiotics, Quantum Information Pansycishm, and Neuroscience, the project redefines intelligence as a distributed, more-than-human phenomenon.

The research materializes as a speculative design artifact: a device that functions as a somatic prosthetic for planetary resonance. …

Do Cover Crops Influence Beneficial And Herbivorous Arthropod Communities Across Growing Seasons?, Adegboyega Fajemisin, Satinderpal Kaur, Alejandro Vasquez, Alexis Racelis, Rupesh R. Kariyat

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Cover crops provide multiple ecosystem services in agriculture, yet their influence on arthropod communities remains poorly understood, especially in commercial farming. Despite their potential benefits, it remains unexplored how cover crops affect arthropod community dynamics across multiple growing seasons. We conducted a two-year study across three commercial farms in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas, to examine how cover crops influence arthropod community composition and abundance, whether beneficial arthropods (natural enemies and pollinators) persist into cash-crop phases, and how cover crops affect natural enemy–herbivore relationships. We compared arthropod communities between cover-crop treatments and control plots and tracked responses through subsequent …

Quantifying Co2 And Ch4 Fluxes In A Semi-Arid Floodplain: Assessing Spatial And Temporal Drivers, Miles E. Kelsey

Earth and Planetary Sciences ETDs

Rivers transport sediment and carbon across Earth’s surface, and their floodplains can store carbon over decades to millennia, making them important to terrestrial carbon management. While soil carbon can persist long term, it may be released as greenhouse gases through processes like methanogenesis and heterotrophic respiration. Environmental controls on these fluxes remain poorly constrained across floodplains in different climate and geomorphic setting, but especially in semi-arid systems where measurements are limited. To address this gap, we quantified CO₂ and CH₄ fluxes along the Middle Rio Grande (New Mexico, USA) using 227 chamber measurements collected May to November 2025 at three …

Harnessing Backcasting To Identify Drivers Of Critical Warming At Hoover Dam Using Hydrodynamic And Machine Learning Models, Eunice Ledres

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Elevated water temperatures can pose a significant threat to dam infrastructure, potentially damaging turbines, overheating internal components, and forcing generator shutdowns. This study uses a backcasting framework to evaluate how future scenarios may result in elevated water temperatures. Backcasting defines undesirable outcomes and works backward to identify the conditions that lead to them. The developed backcasting framework integrates 3D physics-based simulations with a Long-Short Term Memory (LSTM)surrogate model and SHapely Additive exPlanations (SHAP) interpretation. The combination captures temporal water temperature dynamics and quantifies the contributions of different drivers to elevated water temperature releases. As proof of concept, these methods are …

Urban Conflagrations: Structural Ash And Soil Metal(Loid) Contamination After California’S Eaton And Palisades Fires, S. Anselme Dossou, Leon Kelly, P. Louis Lu, Robin Jones, Oliver O'Donnell, Justin St. P. Walsh, Daniel D. Richter

Art Faculty Articles and Research

In the weeks after California’s Eaton-Palisades wildfires, structural ash of burned homes and soils from yards and curbsides were sampled for analysis of Pb, As, and eight metals from 32 burned residences. About six months after fires and after US Army Corps of Engineers’ Phase 2 cleanups removed 15 cm from structural ash footprints, 17 properties were resampled within about a meter of original sampling sites. Concentrations of metal(oid)s in structural ash and residential soils varied between and within properties with significant spatial and temporal patterns. Lead concentrations were highest in structural ash and soil of yards of select pre-1970s …

Analyzing Surface Water And Groundwater Interactions From Pfas Contamination In The West Plains Region Of Spokane County, Jerusha R. Hampson

2026 Symposium

The West Plains region of Spokane County has been significantly impacted by PFAS contamination due to the decades-long use of aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) for firefighting training at both Fairchild Air Force Base (FAFB) and the Spokane International Airport (SIA). Groundwater contamination is significant, but surface waters are impacted by the contamination as well. Groundwater flows to the north and east, meaning surface water bodies that make up the northern and eastern boundaries (Deep Creek, Hangman Creek, and the Spokane River) can be impacted by PFAS contamination. The West Plains aquifer system is complex but combining data about aquifer flow …

Preliminary Geologic Assessment And Pfas Occurrence In Western Cheney, Washington, Sydney Frandsen

2026 Symposium

In 2021 Cheney Water Well #5 was closed due to toxic per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) levels above the current State Action Limits and the National Drinking Water Protection Act (https://www.cityofcheney.org/207/Water), which is a concern since PFAS has been associated to types of cancer, birth defects, and other negative human and environmental health concerns (https://doh.wa.gov/communityand-environment/contaminants/pfas). The City of Cheney also tested two downgradient deep-groundwater-wells (Cheney wells #6 and 7) and halted investigation due to the wells being below state and federal drinking water standards. However, a local resident’s shallow groundwater well tested to be above federal and state levels of …

Impacts Of Organic Matter On Laser Particle-Size Analysis Of Marsh Sediments, Alexander Powell

Honors Theses

Grain size analysis (GSA) is widely used in sedimentology and paleoenvironmental reconstruction; however, its utility can be constrained by the presence of organic matter. This study assesses the impact of organic matter through the analysis and comparison of untreated and hydrogen peroxide-treated samples. Organic-rich samples from the Thousand Acre marsh in Georgetown, SC, were subjected to three treatments: untreated, standard, and enhanced. Grain size distribution was measured for each of these treatments using a CILAS 1190 laser diffraction particle analyzer, and organic matter was quantified by loss-on-ignition (LOI). Results show that untreated samples are significantly coarser than treated samples, demonstrating …

Riki&Dolphin: Real Time Data Transmission From The Bottom Of A Cave To A Website, Luca Tringali, Giacomo Canciani Dr., Tecla Tripari, Alexander Debenjak, Caterina Bearzotti

International Journal of Speleology

Coming from over 10 years of experience in cave monitoring in northeast Italy, Gruppo Speleologico Talpe del Carso, has designed Riki and Dolphin: customizable, low cost, and easy to assemble tools for getting real time data transmission from the bottom of a cave, even underwater, to a webserver. Their use has been tested to monitor air temperature inside the Abisso Bonetti Cave (Classical Karst, Italy), proving for the first time that a cave in Gorizian Karst can systematically be colder than the outdoor temperature even in winter, recording an internal temperature even lower than 0°C. The Dolphin device can be …

A Remote Sensing Approach To Identifying Zones Of Instability In Mine Tailings Impoundments Using Multi-Sensor Satellite Data, Arden K. Pierce

Honors Theses

Mine tailings impoundments are structures built to contain the chemical and sedimentary byproducts generated by ore extraction activities. In this common method of mining waste storage, the tailings can be pumped into containment ponds and held behind earthen embankments to prevent the release of hazardous substances into the surrounding environment. Monitoring environmental factors that influence the structural integrity of these impoundments is essential for identifying areas vulnerable to instability and failure. Soil moisture is a factor that can affect the stability of mine tailings impoundment structures. This study evaluates the relationship between satellite-derived soil moisture and surface deformation at mine …

Do National Parks Significantly Improve Air Quality?, Xinyi Liu

Honors Capstones

Healthy living has long been a goal pursued by individuals. In an era where PM2.5 concentrations and greenhouse gas levels are steadily increasing, many people prefer to live in areas with relatively lower levels of air pollution. National parks, as well-known protected areas, typically contain more vegetation and water resources, along with lower levels of human activity. This suggests two potential mechanisms: first, pollutant emissions are expected to be lower; second, vegetation, water bodies, and non-urban land may contribute to the removal or deposition of airborne pollutants, including particulate matter. In everyday experience, people often perceive the air to be …

Tissue-Specific Heavy Metal Accumulation And Sediment–Mangrove Dynamics In Port Everglades, Florida, Dimitrios Giarikos, Amy Hirons, Jason Gershman, Sophie Welch

SECLER Data

Coastal wetlands near industrialized waterways face increasing heavy metal contamination, yet the role of mangroves as biogeochemical buffers remains poorly understood. This study quantified 16 heavy metals in sediments and red mangrove (Rhizophora mangle) tissues (roots, branches, and leaves) across four sites near Port Everglades, Florida, examining tissue-specific partitioning, contamination patterns, and sediment-to-plant transfer. The South Turning Basin (STB) was the principal contamination hotspot, with geometric mean (GM) concentrations of arsenic (As; 27.8 µg/g) and zinc (Zn; 203 µg/g) exceeding threshold effect levels, while Cu exceeded its probable effect level (PEL; 193 µg/g). Mercury (Hg) exceeded its PEL …