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REMOTE SENSING MONITORING OF OPEN - CAST MINE 
Stanislaw Mularz 
University of Mining and Metallurgy Cracow, Poland 
ISPRS Commission V 
ABSTRACT: A number of remote sensing techniques such as color, panchromatic, near-infrared and multispectral 
photography as well as thermal infrared and video recording have been successfully tested in the lignite 
open-cast mine. As the result the methodology for geological mapping of slopes and toxic soils detection has 
been developed. Geological interpretation of such images, is carried out with reference to a set of diagnostic 
features, the most important of which include texture of photographic image, shape, form and structural- 
sedimentary elements of sediments. Information of spectral characteristics of individual lithological types of 
soils is also important especially for planning remote sensing registrations of slopes. Near/thermal infrared 
images are also of equal use in geological interpretation and monitoring connected with checking of indirect 
stability conditions of slopes and discrimination of lignite layers. Remote sensing monitoring of the dumping 
area seems to be full of promise for reclamation practice showing possibilities of thermal detecting of sour-toxic 
grounds as well as using airborne-photography and video recording for reclamation inventory purposes. 
KEY WORDS: Remote Sensing Application, Image Interpretation, Mapping, Multispectral, Non-renewable 
Resources. 
INTRODUCTION 
The modern technology and mining engineering, 
including the development and improvement of 
geotechnology methods, make possible the exploita- 
tion by open-cast system of deposits of solid material 
product lying at relatively high depth - even about 
several hundred meters. 
In the general balance of emerged minerals in Poland 
using open-cast system, the special place is occupied 
by brown coal, which exploitation, mainly for domestic 
energy production, takes place in several coal fields. 
The first working of new deposits and particularly a 
large size open-cast building creates big problems for 
maintenance service; problems not solved till now. 
The exploitation on a large scale causes not only 
mining and technological complications but produces 
the necessity of solving of many geological, engineer- 
ing and hydrogeological problems and also questions 
connected with planning and land reclamation lead- 
ing. The above designed problems extort the necessity 
of investigation and implementation to employment 
of new methods improving the work of geological 
mine service. Particularly useful are remote sensing 
monitoring methods, which considering the velocity 
and objective capacity of presentations and the ex- 
pansion of the measuring range out of the visible 
region, on the essential way enrich the cognitive 
quality of this type of documentation. (Gebhardt, 
1981, Mularz 1981, 1985, 1987, Sitek 1988). The 
selected aspects of investigations on using of remote 
sensing methods for the needs of open-cast mine 
geological service are discussed in this paper. 
1. GEOLOGICAL MAPPING OF OVERBURDEN - 
SLOPES. 
A study area (Liquite Open-Cast Mine ,Belchatów") 
is located in the central part of Poland approximately 
150 km southwest from Warsaw. A size of the open 
- pitmine at the first working phase was about 2.5 
km wide by 6.0 km long and about 250 m in deep 
    
Fig.1. Portion of the SPOT image over study area 
Open - Cast Mine ,Belchatów", Poland). Geometry 
of the open pit mine and the dump body is clearly 
visible. 
In the case of such a large open-cast mines, it is 
mining a lot of overburden slopes and within the 
deposit series, during one month, which should be 
mapped without delay. 
This fact entirely motivates using a remote sensing 
methods to these purpose, making possible the fast 
and objective documentation of geological structure 
of the deposits likewise the phenomena. and en-