Abandoned mines and quarries are anthropogenically created subsurface and surface excavations that have ceased economic operation, forming a distinct focus of research in environmental geoscience, engineering geology, and restoration ecology. Scientific study addresses physical integrity (e.g., slope stability, subsidence, and collapse), hydrogeological alterations such as modified groundwater flow paths and mine drainage, and geochemical processes including metal mobilization and acid generation in sulfide-bearing systems. They are also investigated as sites for habitat development, tailings and waste-rock management, contaminant fate and transport, and potential reuse, for example in geothermal energy, underground storage, or controlled waste disposal, underpinned by quantitative risk assessment and long-term monitoring frameworks.
Science never stops. Get notified about trending stories.
