In: Wagner W., Szekely, B. (eds.): ISPRS TC VII Symposium - 100 Years ISPRS, Vienna, Austria, July 5-7, 2010, IAPRS, Vol. XXXVIII, Part 7B 
visual photointerpretation whose aim is to identify individual 
objects and assess their importance (Philipson, 1997, McGlone, 
2004 in Jensen, 2006). Aerial photo interpretation starts from 
visual perception related to objects of the outer world Ciolkosz, 
Miszalski, Oledzki, 1999). 
The displays of deep coal mining in the landscape were detected 
using contact copies of archive black-and-white aerial photos 
from the period of 1947 to 1995 (provided by the Military 
Geography and Hydrometeorology Office in Dobruska) and a 
coloured orthophoto from 2003 (map service of the Portal of the 
Public Administration of the Czech Republic). 
The surface consequences of hard coal deep mining are 
characterized by the occurrence of anthropogenic landforms 
directly related to mining (waste banks, submerged ground 
subsidences, tailings ponds, manipulation areas etc.). Secondary 
subsurface coal mining leads to the process of abandonment 
(e.g. the transformation of continuous urban fabric into green 
urban areas), the occurrence of reclamation areas aimed to deal 
with the consequences of mining activity, or the construction of 
communications. 
2. DISPLAYS OF HARD COAL DEEP MINING 
2.1 Primary displays 
Hard coal deep mining is primarily manifested by 
anthropogenic landforms directly related to mining activity. 
These include post-mining landforms (waste banks, ground 
subsidences) and industrial landforms (tailings ponds, 
manipulation areas). 
2.1.1 Waste banks: Waste banks represent convex 
landforms whose area can reach from a few areas to tens of 
hectares (Havrlant 1980). They originate as a result of the 
deposition of extracted coal waste. The OKMD area includes 
the following types of waste banks (Havrlant 1980): cone- 
shaped waste banks, waste piles, plate-shaped waste banks, 
terrace-like waste banks, flat waste piles or their combinations. 
Active waste banks in the photos represent vegetation-free 
surfaces with clearly visible contours (Figure 2). They are 
generally found in the proximity of mine buildings. 
Figure 2. Waste banks in (a) an aerial photo from 1947 (© MO 
CR/GeoSI ACR) and (b) an aerial photo from 2003 
Waste banks are reclaimed after waste piling is terminated 
(Figure 3). 
Figure 3. The part of reclaimed waste bank in 2003 
2.1.2 Ground subsidences: Ground subsidences originate 
as a result of the surface subsidence above the mined-out space 
(Demek, 1988). It concerns flat subsidences whose size depends 
on geological conditions, tectonics and the area and thickness of 
coal-seams (Havrlant, 1980). The subsidences can be filled with 
water. Submerged ground subsidences are displays of 
unfavourable disturbance of the regime of surface and 
subsurface waters the level of which has infiltrated above the 
bottom of subsided terrain (Zapletal, 1969). 
The occurrence of ground subsidences is therefore a primary 
display of mining activity. Aerial photos help to interpret 
particularly submerged ground subsidences that represent a 
secondary display of undermining and that, to a large extent, 
take part in the process of submerging. Unlike other water 
surfaces they usually have an irregular broken shape (Figure 4). 
Submerged ground subsidences positively affect ecological 
value of landscape as they increase species diversity of the 
territory. Their banks are occupied by wetland plant species, 
rare invertebrates (e.g. specially protected dragonflies, 
crayfishes, shells) and other important animal species.