Properties of weak rocks, with special reference to the shear strength of their discontinuities, as encountered in British surface coal mining
Abstract
Materials strength is a critical factor together with geological structure, groundwater and mining strategy in determining slope stability in surface coal mining. A wide variety of instability mechanisms are operative in British surface coal mines which involve failure within intact rock, discontinuities and weak zones. The nature of the Carboniferous Coal Measures entails that mine slopes are discontinuous rock masses comprising a wide range of sedimentary rocks. This paper aims to characterise the strength properties of the British Coal Measures encountered in surface coal mines and highlight the nature of the discontinuities and weak zones, which are of particular significance in determining slope stability.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Geotechnical and Geomechanical Engineering
Rock Mechanics and Modeling
Geophysical Methods and Applications
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Weak Rock - Soft, Fractured and Weathered Rock, Vol. 1
- Publisher
- CRC Press
- Pages
- 355–364
- Publication date
- 26 March 2026
- Language
- EN
- Document type
- Book chapter