Abandoned mines: We dig deep for you

More than 60,000 old mine shafts and galleries in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia alone show how strongly mining has shaped the historical development. Industrialization and the associated population growth have led to a strong expansion of the infrastructure and heavy mining exploitation of the deposits. Particularly in the southern Ruhr area, this expansion affected areas where hard-coal was mined close to the surface.

Abandoned mines and their high-risk legacy 

Nowadays, many of these mining sites have been abandoned. This can be hazardous for the infrastructure due to the instability of abandoned coal mine land. Cave-ins can result from instable mine shafts and tunnels. But abandoned coal mines can also present environmental hazards and be a threat for public safety.

Decades of experience in mine safety

That is the starting point for our mining engineering consultants. For decades many authorities, legal successors to the mining companies or affected businesses have relied on DMT's performance to evaluate and secure mining legacies. Before reusing abandoned mining land or in the course of a reclamation project, our experts assist with land management, clean-up and construction planning. We conduct underground investigations of mine tunnels and shafts, assist with groundwater management and help mitigate the threat that prior mining operations can pose to your project.

Our mining engineers provide support, expert opinions and advice on issues relating to old or abandoned mines. We develop concepts that permanently restore the structural integrity of the surface. We work on an interdisciplinary basis with our teams and analyse the situation on site from a geotechnical and mining point of view. We react immediately and support our clients in further measures in the handling of damage events.

Abandoned Mine Sites

• Evaluation and securing of old shafts and mine workings close to the surface
• Concepts, planning, studies
• Economic evaluations
• Stability assessments, expert opinions
• Tendering, site management
• Mining and geotechnical statements
• Shaft backfilling/ shaft maintenance
• Withdrawal concepts, sealing systems
• Geotechnical and mine surveying studies and evaluation
• Risk analysis / risk management
• Feasibility studies
• Stability studies, expert opinions

Abandoned Mine Surveying Services

• Evaluation / interpretation of mine maps and plans
• Historical research/legal research
• Collection, processing, management and archiving of mining-related data
• GI systems, databases
• Modelling, Visualization
• Expert opinions on mining damage

Our experts are gladly at your disposal to answer all your questions relating to abandoned mine sites.