Detecting Abandoned Coal Mines Beneath Highways

Detection and Delineation of Cavities  Roadway collapses have occured along stretches of the Appalachian Highway in southern Ohio due to ground subsidence associated with abandoned coal mines. Seismic surface wave measurements were used to detect discrete cavities or major fracture zones caused by cavity collapse.  This work was performed as part of a larger investigation of geophysical methods, led by Professors Paul Wolfe and Ben Richard of Wright State University (WSU).		This large void extended underneath the eastbound and westbound lanes of S.R. 32 in the vicinity of our testing area.
Burcin Avar (UNLV) and Stacia Pike (WSU), performing the SASW testing.	Professor Paul Wolfe (WSU) and Burcin Avar (UNLV), performing electrical resistivity measurements.	Professor Ben Richard (WSU), with the Elastic Wave Generator, which we used for cavity detection and stiffness profiling.