Present status of mine geohazards in the northwest region of China and characteristics of their temporal-spatial distribution

In the northwest region of China, there are abundant mineral resources, but the ecological environment is very fragile in most areas. Geohazards, including avalanches, landslides, mudflows, surface collapse and ground cracks initiated by mineral exploitation and mining have seriously threatened the normal mine production and people’s life and property security. In order to provide the basic data for monitoring and early warning of geological disasters in the region, in light of the data of the mine geological environment investigation and assessments in five northwest provinces (regions) in 2005, the status, damages and spatial-temporal distribution of five kinds of mine geohazards in the study region were systematically analyzed and summarized. The results indicate that: the quantity of surface collapses and land cracks is largest and their influence area is biggest, and the casualty and economic loss caused by mudflow disasters are most serious. The Qinling Mountains are a mudflow disaster-prone area for metal mines, and the loess plateau and other mountains are surface collapse and land crack disaster-prone areas for coal mines. Since the 1990s, the quantities of five geohazards occurring in mines have been eight times as many as before, and the number of geohazards has had a growing trend. The supervision and prevention and control of mine geohazards have a long way to go.