What Lies Beneath: Gravity Surveying of Mine Pools

The Wyoming Valley has a long history of anthracite coal mining and this has led to a legacy of environmental impacts, such as altered stream flows, abandoned mine drainage (AMD), and sinkhole hazards generated from mine pools left below the surface. How can we remain informed about developing surface hazards and best approaches for mine reclamation if we are uncertain of what lies beneath? We aren't left as blind as one might think. At the root of all geographic information systems (GIS) is geodesy, or the study of Earth's size, shape, and gravity, and by looking at the roots of GIS, we can find ways to see beneath our own feet to see what lies beneath. In this webinar, participants will learn how and why Earth's gravitational field can vary, and ways it can be leveraged to "see" into the Earth's subsurface. An example of detecting mine pools in Luzerne County, PA is used to help tether content understanding to real-world contexts.

This program is only available to Keystone GIS members.