Surface Microgravity Monitoring of Underground Water Migration: A Case Study in Wieliczka, Poland

Excessive water inflow in a mine poses a great threat to its operation, especially in the case of a salt mine. In 1992, a rapid outflow of water occurred in the Mina traverse in the Wieliczka Salt Mine, and a number of investigations were undertaken to assess the causes of the outflow and the condition of the rock mass, including the gravity and microgravity surveys discussed in this paper. The first of these was to investigate the rock mass with respect to its geological, hydrogeological properties and mining. The aim of study was to monitor the changes in the rock mass density and the impact of these changes on the subsidence of the ground surface. The surveys provided information on the geological structure of the study area and helped to identify possible routes for water migration. The first data confirmed density changes in the shallow parts of the rock mass, manifested by subsidence of the land surface. However, the subsequent measurements failed to show any significant density changes in the shallow parts of the rock mass, despite the subsidence of the land surface. Therefore, it can be argued that the processes in the rock mass did not cause voids in the shallow parts of the rock mass that could lead to discontinuous deformations. These processes run deep and caused only continuous deformations in the form of subsidence basins.

Automated summary

Excessive water inflow poses a significant risk to mine operations, particularly in salt mines. This paper discusses the gravity and microgravity surveys conducted in the Wieliczka Salt Mine to investigate the causes of water outflow and the condition of the rock mass. The surveys provide valuable information on the geological structure of the area and help identify potential water migration routes.