Application of DInSAR in mine surface subsidence monitoring and prediction

Most studies of surface subsidence and its impacts have been done on underground coal mines. There are few studies on the occurrences of surface subsidence in underground metal mines, particularly in India, even though the fundamental subsidence engineering principles are the same for both coal and metal mines. The current ground-based measurement techniques monitor ground subsidence on a particular point and are time-consuming as well as costly. To study hard rock mine surface deformation due to underground mining, new and effective technologies must be adopted. The spaceborne subsidence monitoring has emerged as a better technique after the development of satellite radar interferometry. The technology is fast improving with enhanced synthetic aperture radar (SAR) sensors on different spaceborne platforms. Differential interferometric SAR techniques are widely used to measure the topographic profile and surface deformations. This article reviews the applications of spaceborne SAR interferometric techniques in the prediction and monitoring of surface subsidence due to underground mining.