Assessing Hydrogeological Hazards in the Post-Mining Region in Saint-Vaast, Belgium: Insights from Three Decades of SAR Data and Piezometric Analysis

Assessing Hydrogeological Hazards in the Post-Mining Region in Saint-Vaast, Belgium: Insights from Three Decades of SAR Data and Piezometric Analysis | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Assessing Hydrogeological Hazards in the Post-Mining Region in Saint-Vaast, Belgium: Insights from Three Decades of SAR Data and Piezometric Analysis Atefe Choopani, Pierre-Yves. Declercq, Benedicta Ronchi, Xavier Devleeschouwer This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-4857717/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 19 Dec, 2024 Read the published version in Natural Hazards → Version 1 posted 5 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract This study assesses hydrogeological hazards in the Saint-Vaast region, Belgium, impacted by three decades of deformation post-coal mine closure. Using Persistent Scatterer Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (PS-InSAR) applied to 30 years of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data along with geological investigations and 13 years of piezometric well data, we analysed subsurface dynamics leading to environmental hazards in the region. We focused on identifying key periods of significant deformation pattern changes. The soft Wealden terrains (Lower Cretaceous) are characterized by alternating sandstones, clay, and sand facies, composing the sedimentary roof of an old mine drainage adit dug at 30 meters depth. The presence of this mined adit structure is contributing to the current vulnerability of the region. Especially, when the abandoned mine drainage adit was filled with water following the cessation of pumping. Due to an increase in the water level in the Wealden aquifer below the gallery, natural groundwater flow paths and pressures have increased over time. At least two significant mudflow outbursts, in 2009 and 2018, occurred. This study shows that both events were correlated with changes in water level and deformation. Moreover, results suggest a new phase of rising water levels and ground uplift due to increased pressure in the Wealden aquifer. A crucial outcome of this research is the assessment of the potential for another similar incident soon, informed by the correlation analysis of water level and ground displacement time series. Ground deformation PS-InSAR Abandoned mine Natural hazards Aquifer Piezometric well Full Text Supplementary Files annualvelocity.mp4 Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 19 Dec, 2024 Read the published version in Natural Hazards → Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Minor revisions 14 Oct, 2024 Reviewers agreed at journal 14 Aug, 2024 Reviewers invited by journal 06 Aug, 2024 Editor assigned by journal 06 Aug, 2024 First submitted to journal 05 Aug, 2024 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-4857717","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":336766363,"identity":"ca46b1f9-bca3-4ecd-a3d0-1bb8ab1755a6","order_by":0,"name":"Atefe Choopani","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA+klEQVRIiWNgGAWjYJCCD0CcAGEa2DAwSBBSz8bAOANJSxrJWhgOE9bCP7/5YMMHBrs8fvbeg58LCs4n9s9uPviAocYmGpcWiWNsiY0zGJKLJXvOJUvPMLidOOPOsWQDhmNpuQ249BzjMX/Mw3AgccONHANpHqCWhhs5ZhKMDYdxapE/xv+x+Q9Ei/FvHoNzifMJaTE4xsPYzADRYga0BcLAq8XwWJphY49BcuLMnnNp1jwGycYbb6QlGyTg8Yvc4cMPG35U2CX2s/cevs3zx0523o3kgw8+1Njg9j7EeSCCB8x0BKtMwKscDiBa7IlTPApGwSgYBSMJAADwX15ji7f8GgAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2184-4187","institution":"Liege University: Universite de Liege","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Atefe","middleName":"","lastName":"Choopani","suffix":""},{"id":336766364,"identity":"fa6c120b-6b3a-4957-ab68-cfce82ad62d1","order_by":1,"name":"Pierre-Yves. 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