Developing a method to assess risks and unsafety in drilling - blasting activities at limestone quarries in Lao PDR

Currently, the demand for stone construction materials in Lao PDR to serve industrial and traffic works is very large. Currently, the management of mining activities at limestone quarries in Lao PDR is facing many difficulties due to the existence of many types of mines, mining technologies, and equipment. The occupational safety and environmental protection used at the limestone quarries have not been paid due attention. The loss and waste of natural resources are increasing. In particular, labor accidents caused by unsafe drilling and blasting activities often occur at the limestone quarries of construction materials in all provinces of this country. The article analysed the current situation of drilling and blasting activities at the limestone quarries of construction materials of Lao PDR, thereby proposed a method to assess risks and unsafety in drilling and blasting activities at the limestone quarries for mining the construction materials to improve the efficiency of the mining management and safety in Lao PDR.

Rock Slope Stability Assessment Using Kinematic Analysis of the Limestone Quarries in Al Huson-Shatana Area, Jordan

The current study presents the first results of a kinematic analysis to investigate the type of failures in six abandoned limestone quarries in the Al-Huson-Shatana area, North Jordan. A serious problem appears in abandoned quarries. When the work in the quarry finish and the companies withdraw their equipment and workers, they leave behind unstable rock masses due to the repeated explosives. This may cause hazards in properties and civilians especially when they are close enough to residential areas. Both stereographic projection and kinematic analysis were used as tools in this study, to determine the mode and orientation of the failures. Results show that toppling, planar and wedge failures are likely to occur in all stations mainly along structural discontinuities, faults and joints. This indicates the role of structures in the rock landslides, particularly those related to planar, wedge and toppling failures. In addition, rock falls were observed in most stations that have steep slope cutting.

Bermuda’s Walsingham Caves: A Global Hotspot for Anchialine Stygobionts

Bermuda is an Eocene age volcanic island in the western North Atlantic, entirely capped by Pleistocene eolian limestone. The oldest and most highly karstified limestone is a 2 km2 outcrop of the Walsingham Formation containing most of the island’s 150+ caves. Extensive networks of submerged cave passageways, flooded by saltwater, extend under the island. In the early 1980s, cave divers initially discovered an exceptionally rich and diverse anchialine community inhabiting deeper sections of the caves. The fauna inhabiting caves in the Walsingham Tract consists of 78 described species of cave-dwelling invertebrates, including 63 stygobionts and 15 stygophiles. Thus, it represents one of the world’s top hotspots of subterranean biodiversity. Of the anchialine fauna, 65 of the 78 species are endemic to Bermuda, while 66 of the 78 are crustaceans. The majority of the cave species are limited in their distribution to just one or only a few adjacent caves. Due to Bermuda’s high population density, water pollution, construction, limestone quarries, and trash dumping produce severe pressures on cave fauna and groundwater health. Consequently, the IUCN Red List includes 25 of Bermuda’s stygobiont species as critically endangered.

A study of the impact of climate on the self-growth of limestone quarries

Small limestone quarries are located everywhere. After mining operations have been completed, they are not recultivated and left for self-growing. In order to assess the process of vegetation cover restoration, field studies were conducted at 6 quarries located in different climatic zones of Eastern Siberia and Abkhazia. A description of the quarries was made, and areas of disturbed land were identified. The impact of various factors on the self-growth was studied, including the mining parameters, the size of quarries, the height of ledges, the width of berms, the angles of slopes, the composition of rocks in the surface layer, the exposure of slopes, and the composition of surrounding plants. The research identified factors that have positive and negative effects on the intensity of self-growth; recommendations for forming non-working boards were provided. Mining operations without the implementation of reclamation measures aimed to create favorable conditions for the self-overgrowing of disturbed lands, impair the process of vegetation restoration and entail long-term erosion processes, despite the favorable conditions of the subtropical climate of Abkhazia. The available solutions for land reclamation in Siberian quarries can be implemented in other climatic zones.

Tourist and Recreational Potential of the Pronya River Valley in the Ryazan Region of the Central Russian Upland

В предлагаемой статье раскрыты некоторые возможности использования геоморфологических объектов в центре Русской равнины в развитии рекреации и познавательного туризма на примере территории долины реки Прони. Сделан краткий обзор научных работ, посвященных вопросам роли рельефа как условия туристско-рекреационной привлекательности территории, рекреационно-геоморфологического потенциала территории, методам рекреационно-геоморфологического картографирования. Показаны возможности развития экологического туризма в пределах действующих и проектируемых особо охраняемых природных территорий, рельеф которых заметно обусловливает геоботаническую и ландшафтную мозаику территории, формирует редкие и уникальные урочища. Выявлена низкая посещаемость рекреантами долины реки Прони при наличии высокого туристско-рекреационного потенциала долины для развития культурно-экологи-ческого и познавательного туризма, который был определен с учетом данных, характеризующих особенности строения и развития долины, проявление современных экзогенных рельефообразующих процессов, в том числе антропогенных, роль морфолитогенной основы в размещении поселений и специфике хозяйственного освоения долины, в дифференциации региональных ландшафтов и сохранении их естественного облика, в привлекательности отдельных форм и комплексов форм рельефа. Выделены отдельные участки, перспективные для развития природно- и культурно-познава-тельного туризма, а также спелеотуризма, показанные на геоморфологической карте. В частности, охарактеризованы природные особенности Проне-Городища, Ижеславльского и Лубянского городищ, городища Пронское II (Гора Гневна), отработанного цементного карьера у поселка Змеинка, штолен на отрезке долины Прони от деревни Курлышево до поселка Октябрьский («Перспективная», «Козлиная»), Пронского водохранилища. Обобщена опубликованная информация об истории подземной добычи известняка в долине реки Прони, технологии его добычи, ценная для информирования рекреантов. Предложены маршруты экологических троп по территории Завидовского долинного комплекса с посещением старых подземных выработок известняка. Материалы настоящего исследования дополнены аэрофотоснимками и наземными фотографиями. The article treats tourist and recreational potential of the East-European Plain at the example of the Pronya River valley. The article provides a concise overview of research devoted to the investigation of the relief as a prerequisite for tourist and recreational attractiveness, recreational and geomorphological potential of the territory and recreational and geomorphological mapping. It investigates the possibilities of ecotourism development in nature reserves whose relief accounts for the geobotanical and landscape peculiarities of the territory, creating rare and unique landmarks. The article underlines that despite a high tourist and recreational potential of the Pronya river valley, tourists seldom visit the place. The article maintains that due to morphological characteristics and anthropogenic factors, the Pronya river valley is ideal for cultural tourism and ecotourism development. The article singles out areas with high ecotourism potential, cultural tourism potential, and cave tourism potential. The article describes natural characteristics of Pronya Hillfort, Izheslavl Hillfort, Lubyanka Hillfort, Pronsky II Hillfort (Gnevna Mountain), Zmeinka cement quarry, Kurlyshevo-Oktyabrsky mines (“Perspektivnaya” and “Kozlinaya”), Pronsk water reservoir. The article summarizes the information related to the history of limestone quarries in the Pronya river valley, which may be interesting for potential tourists. The article presents eco-travel itineraries including such destinations as Zavidovsky valley complex and limestone quarries. The article provides terrestrial photographs and aerial photographs.

Provenance study of the limestone used in construction and restoration of the Batalha Monastery (Portugal)

<p class="Abstract">To assess the provenance of the limestones used in the construction and restoration of the Batalha Monastery in central Portugal, stone samples collected from the monument and from five limestone quarries in the region surrounding the building were investigated by energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (ED-XRF), powder X-ray diffractometry (PXRD) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Ca-Sr binary diagrams from the ED-XRF result indicated the source of the samples collected from different parts of the monastery. Thin-section observation supplemented the petrographic evidence for this identification. PXRD and TGA were also used to acquire information on the mineral and chemical composition of the stones. Preliminary results suggest that the monastery baluster was made of stone from the Valinho do Rei or Reguengo do Fetal quarries, whereas part of the church railing, the north-aisle eaves arch and Royal Cloister were made with stone from the Pidiogo or Cabeço do Roxo quarries.</p>

Limestone quarries and cave protection

It happened in Hungary several times that a limestone quarry opened the entrance of a new, unknown cave during its activity such as the case was in the Villány Mountains, in Budapest, and in Kesel?, Naszály or Esztramos Hills. It is right that the natural caves are protected, but what is the solution in such cases? Closing the mine? Absolving the cave from protection? It is a difficult question. The real way: we must weigh. Which is more expensive? How valuable and unique is the cave? How big is the economic loss if we close the mine? And how serious is the harm if it is allowed to annihilate the value of nature, which is impossible to reproduce? Examples follow from Hungary.

Developing a mathematical model to optimize long - term quarrying planing for limestone quarries producing cement in Vietnam

Mathematical model researches in optimizing long - term quarrying planning for limestone quarries supplying to the cememt factories have not been popular in Vietnam. The paper shows a mathematical model based on Mixed Integer Linear Programming as well as effective method to cope with long - term quarrying planning for the quarries. Techniques grouping block cells into a mining room and decision variable elimination techniques was employed to reduce the size of the problem. This enable to form an optimal method with proper time. The model and the algorithm are an effective tool to conduct a long - term planning for the quarries, enabling to supply the quatity and quality enough of raw materials to the factory. The model was demonstrated and practically evaluated when being applied and compared with one of the popularly commercial sofwares in mine schedule, GEOVIA Mines.

Evaluate impacts of ground vibration on construction projects and determine reasonable blasting scale for Phong Xuan limestone quarry in Thua Thien Hue province

One of the advanced methods to evaluate the effects of blasting vibration wave on the constructions in need of protection surrounding limestone quarries is to use measurement equipment, according to Norm QCVN 02:2008/BCT of Ministry of Industry and Trade (Vietnam). It is the first time in Vietnam when the authors employ the blasting monitoring equipment MR3000BLA made of Bartec Syscom (Switzerland). The equipment is integrated with the new 4.0 technology to measure the effects of blasting vibration waves on the constructions in need of protection surrounding and determine the reasonable size of blasting for Phong Xuan limestone quarry in Thua Thien Hue province.