Effect of salt mining on land surface

Abstract The author discusses the issues associated with the changes of land surface shaping, caused by underground mining of salt. The characteristic of salt mining is essentially different from that of mining of other types of minerals, which is associated with salt’s physical properties of salt rock mass. Consequently, the effects of underground salt mining that appear on land surface, although well known from other types of mining, are essentially different in dynamics and development in time. Most certainly, mining effects also depend on salt mining methods. Our analysis allows us to conclude that land surface deformations do not have to cause menace provided that proper technical and technological procedures are observed. The mistakes made in the salt mining art and practice may not be generally corrected and often end in mining catastrophes.