Application of integrated geodetic and UAV technologies for monitoring environmental changes due to the mining activities in Solotvyno salt mine, Ukraine

Abstract

This paper covers the spatio-temporal evolution of land surface deformation in the Tisza River basin within the Transcarpathian region, analyzing geodetic observations obtained over the last decade. In the town of Solotvyno, in the western part of Ukraine, near the Romanian border, there is an abandoned salt deposit where salt was extracted in several mining operations. In 2010, the mine was closed, and mine chambers 7 and 8 were flooded with water, causing the collapse of this region. Since then, the extent of the damage has been increasing, with sinkholes steadily growing larger and larger, threatening not only the entire surface area around the quarry but especially the groundwater that connects the deposit to the Tisza River. Several research institutions have been involved in monitoring the shifts over time. We have monitored the karst by identifying the most dangerous areas of the earth's surface subject to vertical shifts - trench sinkholes by UAV survey and terrestrial measurements using precise levelling in 4 stages. The situation on the site is an emergency with a major ecological impact of salt contamination in the whole Upper Tisza Basin region and requires not only continuous geodetic, geological, and chemical monitoring but especially an urgent solution to reverse the state of damage to the region.