Our Service Areas
From the list below, please select which service area you wish to find out more about:
Mining and Quarrying
Mining and quarrying has taken place in areas now scheduled for development. Whereas ground subsidence from modern mining is predictable in time and location, ground subsidence from older mining is unpredictable and may occur hundreds of years later, due to the pillar and stall method of roof support, where the pillars eventually decay and collapse. Records are not always available for mining which took place in 19th Century and expert knowledge of mined seams and appropriate investigation is essential to reduce risk of developing over unstable mined ground. Our expertise covers coal mining, quarrying and infilled quarries, salt mining and brine extraction, sand extraction, tin mining, stone mining and all mineral extractions throughout the UK.
Techniques employed to prevent ground subsidence and collapse include:
• Grouting of old workings.
• Capping of old mine shafts.
• Calculation and prediction of ground subsidence.
• Recommendations for foundation design for development over mined areas.
Shallow mining can often only be predicted by experienced and expert knowledge of coal seams, mines, and mining history and advice should be sought from Ashton Bennett early in a project to avoid stabilisation of ground by drilling and grouting beneath a building partly constructed or a completed building.
Ashton Bennett undertake Geotechnical inspections of working quarrys to comply with the Mines and Quarries Act and undertake assessment of the quality and quantity of suitable stone for quarry expansion by investigation with rotary core drilling and logging.