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IMPACT OF MINING ACTIVITIES AND NATURAL HAZARDS ON LAND USE: A CASE STUDY FROM SLOVAKIA

J. Vojtekova, M. Vojtek, M. Boltiziar

Abstract

The article focuses on the impact of underground brown coal and lignite mining and landslides on land use. The study area is represented by the HandlovГЎ town and municipality of Cige? (Western Slovakia) which are well-known in Slovakia for subsurface mining of brown coal and lignite. Furthermore, the study area is susceptible to landslides. The first mention about brown coal surface mining is from the year 1772 (HandlovГЎ) and the year 1784 (Cige?) although industrial coal mining began in 1909. At present, active coal mining is only in the HandlovГЎ town while in the Cige? municipality, it was terminated in 2017. Slope deformations (landslides) are a particular problem in the whole study area while they are spread mainly in the HandlovskГЎ kotlina (basin) and on the slopes of VtГЎ?nik (mountain) and KremnickГ© vrchy (mountain). The most monitored landslide areas include the HandlovskГЅ landslide from 1961, Morovniansky landslide and KuneВљovskГЎ cesta landslide. The land use in the study area was interpreted based on the aerial images from 1955, 1987, 2003 and 2016 and digitized using geographic information systems (GIS). The largest land use category in each studied year was forest followed by grassland and arable land. The size of the built-up area gradually increased which was mainly caused by the development of industrial coal mining in the study area. Except the industrial mining activities (1909-present) and natural disasters (mainly landslides) in the study area, the land use during the studied period was greatly influenced by socialist planning and management (1960-1990).

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