ABSTRACT
Underground mining can cause a number of environmental problems such as building collapse and road damage (Al-Rawahy 1995; Donnelly et al. 2001; Guéguen et al. 2009; Yerro et al. 2014), as well as disruptions in groundwater aquifers, underground gas, water, electricity, and sewage systems (Dong et al. 2013). With the largest reported bituminous coal reserves in the United States, Illinois has been one of the nation’s major coal producers for nearly 150 years, and coal has been mined in 73 of the state’s 102 counties (https://www.eia.doe.gov). Many of the modern and historic coal mining areas are located under towns or important infrastructure such as major roadways and railways. The Illinois State Geological Survey estimates that
4.1 Introduction .................................................................................................... 61 4.2 Study Area and Data ....................................................................................... 63
4.2.1 Study Area .......................................................................................... 63 4.2.2 Data .....................................................................................................65
