InSAR Ground Deformation Monitoring of Mining Regions Using Multi-Track
Interferometry
Authors:
Michael D. Henschel, Roger Morin, Mary Ann McParland, Shinya Sato and Ryan Ahola,
MDA Geospatial Services Inc.
57 Auriga Drive, Suite 201 K2E 8B2
613-727-1087
Abstract
Inteferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) based ground deformation monitoring
has proven to be an effective tool for large scale, diverse mining environments. InSAR
monitoring has reliably shown subsidence on tailings containment and dormant waste
piles, provided an early indication of slope failure and allowed monitoring of
infrastructure stability. Continuous InSAR monitoring at mining sites thus allows risks
associated with ground motion to be mitigated before problems occur.
Standard InSAR monitoring uses measurements obtained from a single look direction,
providing a one dimensional motion observation in the line–of-sight from sensor to
target. A common occurrence, however, in mine sites is the generation of multidirectional motion due to blasting and material movement. To overcome the one
dimensional limitation, satellite observations acquired from two directions can be
combined. This technique allows accurate measurements of horizontal and vertical
motion to be obtained, providing an improved characterization of actual ground motion
characteristics at high-resolution.
In this paper, ground motion monitoring in mining environments will be demonstrated for
four critical areas of many mining operations: 1) open pits; 2) dormant waste piles; 3)
tailings containment and 4) infrastructure. Each of these mine features can be susceptible
to forms of horizontal and vertical motion (e.g., pit wall instability due to extraction
activities; tailing containment failures resulting from retaining wall slumping;
infrastructure damage due to surrounding ground motion). Ground motion measurements
over such features will illustrate the potential of this form of monitoring for identifying
potentially damaging patterns before problems occur.