Application of integrated geodetic and UAV technologies for monitoring environmental changes due to the mining activities in Solotvyno salt mine, Ukraine

deformation in the Tisza River basin within the Transcarpathian
region, analyzing geodetic observations obtained over the last
decade. In the town of Solotvyno, in the western part of Ukraine,
near the Romanian border, there is an abandoned salt deposit where
salt was extracted in several mining operations. In 2010, the mine
was closed, and mine chambers 7 and 8 were flooded with water,
causing the collapse of this region. Since then, the extent of the
damage has been increasing, with sinkholes steadily growing larger
and larger, threatening not only the entire surface area around the
quarry but especially the groundwater that connects the deposit to
the Tisza River. Several research institutions have been involved in
monitoring the shifts over time. We have monitored the karst by
identifying the most dangerous areas of the earth's surface subject to
vertical shifts - trench sinkholes by UAV survey and terrestrial
measurements using precise levelling in 4 stages. The situation on
the site is an emergency with a major ecological impact of salt
contamination in the whole Upper Tisza Basin region and requires
not only continuous geodetic, geological, and chemical monitoring
but especially an urgent solution to reverse the state of damage to the
region.