Man actively and confidently manages our planet. Most of all, he is interested in mineral deposits, because they provide an opportunity to develop production, build new cities and create many jobs in the process of developing a deposit and its further exploitation. However, here you can see not so bright prospects, because because of the deep and branched mines in the mines, voids form underground. Many of them are interspersed with karst failures. In Berezniki and Solikamsk, a similar state of affairs led to the appearance of several failures that have become a hallmark of these cities. The government has been aware of the problem of settlements for a long time, but specialists cannot stop the process of soil subsidence. Today we will tell you about the failures in Berezniki and Solikamsk, and also try to find out what consequences this has for the residents of the twocities of the Perm Territory.
Let's turn to the specifics of the issue
The sinkholes in Berezniki are not a single occurrence on the world map. Many cities and countries face a similar problem, especially often the soil subsides in places where active human activities are carried out or specific natural conditions are created.
As a result of ground movement, depressions appear in the earth's surface. It is extremely difficult to predict their appearance, so houses, outbuildings, railway tracks and other infrastructure facilities can go underground. Such phenomena cause serious material damage and cause the death of a large number of people. In Berezniki (Perm Territory), sinkholes are closely monitored by specialists who are painstakingly studying them and predicting new ground movements. Perhaps, thanks to their activities, mass casu alties among the population of the city have been avoided for many years.
Causes of sudden ground movements
Failures in Berezniki and other places are due to many reasons. But among the main ones, the following can be distinguished:
- Erosion of soil with water. These can be underground sources, leaks from the laid sewer, and the like.
- Deformation of natural voids. In some areas underground contains a large number of unexplored voids and caves. Sometimes they lie so deep that they can be discovered in the process of geoexploration.impossible. Over time, they deform, the ground is set in motion and sags.
- Construction work without expertise. If you start construction in dangerous areas, you can provoke the appearance of another failure. Therefore, there is a rule according to which construction work must be preceded by geological exploration.
- The composition of the soil. Any soil is subject to erosion, but if it consists of limestone or, for example, rock s alt, then the risk of subsidence becomes several times higher.
Sometimes the deformation of various underground structures leads to the formation of failures. But let's go directly to the history of the formation of sinkholes in Berezniki.
From the background
Solikamsk and Berezniki are considered the largest cities in the Perm Territory. The vast Verkhnekamskoye deposit is also located here, where magnesium and potassium s alts are mined. S alt mining has been going on here for more than eighty years. During this period, there were three major accidents at the mines, which partly provoked the formation of failures.
Scientists believe that the main reason for the failures in Berezniki is mines and mines. They are located almost under the city, which already creates a serious danger for its inhabitants. It is noteworthy that the first voids under residential areas were discovered back in the seventies of the last century, forty years after the development of deposits. Some of them are located only three hundred meters from the surface.
At the moment the situation has developed in such a way that in Berezniki thethe only Christian church and settled in several residential areas. Moreover, ground movements are still taking place. A new failure in Berezniki was discovered not so long ago - in March of this year. Each one is under close surveillance.
First failure
At the beginning of 1986, miners discovered a leak in one of the mines. Water mixed with s alts, which is called “brine” in local jargon, quickly corroded the soil, and by spring it became clear that the accident could no longer be localized. The flow gradually penetrated into the premises where the production was going on, and was measured at a speed of several thousand cubic meters per hour.
The first failure in Berezniki formed on the night of the twenty-seventh of July. In the forest zone there was a gas explosion and a powerful release of s alts to the surface. Eyewitnesses said that the process was accompanied by flashes of light, which looked quite spectacular against the background of the night sky.
Literally within a month, the huge sinkhole filled with water and began to resemble a lake with edges twenty meters high. It is noteworthy that the failure was formed in the path of a small stream. The result was a picturesque waterfall that quickly became a local landmark.
"Uralkali" (factory) closely monitors the failure of land in Berezniki. Funnel measurements are carried out twice a year. It is worth noting that the depth of the dip is rapidly decreasing, but its width tends to increase. Moreover, experts fear that in the near future, next to the first failure, new ones may form, whichwill increase the total funnel area.
According to the latest data, the diameter of the artificial lake is approximately two hundred meters.
The failure in Solikamsk and its consequences
Failures in Berezniki are more numerous than in Solikamsk. But in this city they had more devastating effects. In early January of the ninety-fifth year of the last century, a powerful earthquake occurred within Solikamsk. Several aftershocks of magnitude three to five led to the loss of an entire lake. A sinkhole of approximately one thousand meters by nine hundred meters swallowed up the lake and the springs that feed the reservoir.
As a result, water penetrated into the first and second mines, and most of the city's buildings fell into a potential collapse zone. However, the workers managed to completely save the second mine and stop the water that could gush under the city and destroy it.
Dip formation trend
Due to the development of the deposit, the ground and soil in the area of the mines have become very mobile. This partly provoked frequent earthquakes in Solikamsk and Berezniki. From the late 1990s to the early 2000s, there were several hundred of them.
A lot of small dips formed in the risk zone. They were scattered at a sufficient distance from each other and did not carry significant damage. However, in the eyes of specialists, these failures were only harbingers of future problems. They made a forecast according to which by 2006 it was necessary to expect an increase in seismic activity and the formation of new failures in the area of the Verkhnekamskoye field. It is worth noting thatthe specialists were right.
Accident at the first mine
In the autumn of the sixth year after another earthquake, workers noticed the penetration of water into the mines. Initially, the brine looked like a small stream, but it quickly corroded the rock. A few days later, the flow reached an incredible speed - more than one thousand cubic meters per hour.
The mine was rapidly flooding. The management of the plant tried to eliminate the consequences of the accident, but the pumping of water did not give the desired results. After a couple of days, it became clear that it would not be possible to resume work. Therefore, people were ordered to bring to the surface and leave the mines in a flooded state. This caused a new failure.
2007 disaster
A year after the accident, the mine experienced serious ground movements and collapse. The initial diameter of the formed funnel did not exceed seventy meters. However, the sinkhole grew rapidly and in a couple of weeks it had a size of approximately five hundred meters.
At the bottom of the funnel, water accumulated and a small lake formed. It is noteworthy that the water level in the failure is regularly rising. According to the latest data, it reaches just over a hundred meters.
Consequences of failure
A huge crater caused significant damage to the state. The commission, formed urgently, stated that it was at least one billion rubles. However, the biggest problem was that the failure occurred in a dangerousproximity to the railway line and residential areas of Berezniki.
After long attempts to solve the situation in a different way, the authorities had to build a bypass branch and urgently deal with the resettlement of local residents. It took almost one and a half billion rubles.
Eight years ago, the state once again calculated the losses from the resulting failure. As a result, almost eight billion rubles were requested from the company developing the field.
Closing Berezniki station
Seven years ago, the accident at the first mine again made itself felt. In November of the tenth year, a new failure formed right in the area of \u200b\u200bthe railway station. Its diameter slightly exceeded one hundred meters, but the station stopped working.
After some time, the failure was filled up, one of the bulldozer drivers died in the process. At the site of the funnel, the soil continues to settle to this day, so the station is in an abandoned state.
Funnel in Solikamsk
Three years ago, a small failure was noticed in the city. Its size is eighty by fifty meters. It did not bring serious consequences, however, it is a wake-up call for local residents.
Another failure in Berezniki
The school garden at number twenty-six, located almost in its yard, has been abandoned for several years. The educational institution itself and all nearby buildings have been settled ten years ago. And as events have shown, not in vain. After all, two years ago, this is where a new failure arose.
It was preceded by numerous cracks spontaneously appearing in the city. They began to appear about five years ago, passing through city squares, paved streets and even houses.
In February of the fifteenth year, right in the yard of the closed school would be
la found another funnel. Its diameter did not exceed five meters, but experts are confident that the size will increase.
The latest data confirmed that they were not mistaken. The crater has already reached almost thirty meters in diameter.
Kotovsky Street: the site of a new funnel
For the past two years, experts have been closely monitoring the movement of soil on Kotovsky Street in Berezniki. They noted that the soil began to subside, and every month this process accelerated.
As a result, in March of this year, a failure appeared on the street. Its dimensions did not exceed two and a half meters. A month later, another funnel eight meters deep appeared nearby. In the near future, scientists predict the formation of new voids in the same area.
What awaits Berezniki in the future? Nobody knows. But many experts have more than once raised the topic of relocating the city to a safer place. Otherwise, one day it may completely disappear from the surface of the earth.
