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Fitzhugh T. Lee

Publications and source records attributed to Fitzhugh T. Lee.

10 recordsLinked to original sources
USGS1983

Subsidence from underground mining; environmental analysis and planning considerations

Subsidence, a universal process that occurs in response to the voids created by extracting solids or liquids from beneath the Earth's surface, is controlled by many factors including mining methods, depth of extraction, thickness of deposit, and topography, as well as the in situ properties of the rock mass above the deposit. The impacts of subsidence are potentially severe in terms of damage to surface utility lines and structures, changes in surface-water and ground-water conditions, and effects on vegetation and animals. Although subsidence cannot be eliminated, it can be reduced or controlled in areas where deformation of the ground surface would produce dangerous or costly effects. Subsidence prediction is highly developed in Europe where there are comparatively uniform mining conditions and a long history of field measurements. Much of this mining has been carried out beneath crowded urban and industrial areas where accurate predictions have facilitated use of the surface and reduced undesirable impacts. Concerted efforts to understand subsidence processes in the United States are recent. Empirical methods of subsidence analysis and prediction based on local conditions seem better suited to the current state of knowledge of the varied geologic and topographic conditions in domestic coal mining regions than do theoretical/mathematical approaches. In order to develop broadly applicable subsidence prediction methods and models for the United States, more information is needed on magnitude and timing of ground movements and geologic properties.

Circular↗
USGS1978

Reconnaissance geotechnical study of the Lucerne Granite, Maine

Physical properties, including density and strength, of the Lucerne Granite (Wing, 1958) vary because of inhomogeneities caused by fracturing and differences in texture. Two granitic facies were found: a coarse-grained variety in the southern part of the body and near the edges of the pluton and a medium-grained porphyritic variety in the central and northern sections. Point-load strength tests indicate that the medium-grained porphyritic granite is stronger than the coarse-grained porphyritic or non-porphyritic granite. Results of bulk and grain density tests suggest that rock strength in the weaker granite samples is controlled by microfractures. In the pluton, joint trends changed from a scattered pattern in the north to a preferred orientation in the south. Because it has a simple joint pattern and is homogeneous in texture, the southern part of the Lucerne Granite is a more suitable area for excavation and fluid storage than the northern section.

Maine↗
USGS1977

Preliminary analysis of lineaments and engineering properties of bedrock, Penobscot Bay area, Maine

A remote sensing study of coastal and near coastal Maine was undertaken to identify bedrock features of possible importance to construction. Major lineaments were identified that separate the region into four distinct terrains. Within each terrain, smaller lineaments and other physiographic features show distinctive and consistent patterns, reflecting similarities in bedrock lithology and structure. The major linear features are given the following provisional geographic names: I. Lewiston line 2. Merrymeeting lineament 3. Dover-Foxcroft line 4. Orland lineament 5. Union lineament These linear or curvilinear trends are caused by lithologic contrasts, joints, faults, or foliation in the middle and lower Paleozoic phyllites, schists, gneisses, and granite intrusives. Initial field and laboratory results from a pilot study of bedrock engineering conditions indicate that variations in rock strength and fracture spacing are controlled by lithology, intensity of structural deformation, and alteration. At several locations in the study area faults and major joints are alined with a major lineament. Strength anisotropy ratios are as high as 10 in the foliated rocks but near 1 in the granites. The higher compressive strength direction commonly is perpendicular to foliation and to lineament trends which, in turn, are parallel to faults, major joints, or foliation. Fracture spacing in rocks in the field study area averages 0.5 m for granite and ranges from 0.2 cm to 0.75 m, with an average of 0.15 m, in metamorphic rocks. Diagnostic indications useful for estimating certain construction conditions are shown by point-load and uniaxial compressive strengths. Values for fresh rock range from less than 30 MN/m 2 for weakly bonded phyllite to more than 350 MN/m 2 for dense andesite and metasiltstone. Rock workability is directly related to compressive strength and spacing of joints.

Open-File Report↗
USGS1976

Stability of highwalls in surface coal mines, western Powder Ridge Basin, Wyoming and Montana

Preliminary results from the first part of a two-part investigation of the stability of highwalls in open-pit coal mines in the Fort Union Formation of the western Powder River Basin of Wyoming and Montana indicate that these highwalls are subject to time-dependent deformation. Field investigations and laboratory physical-properties tests of coal and overburden rocks suggest that several factors influence highwall stability. Some of these factors are rebound of overconsolidated rocks, desiccation, water, orientation and spacing of fractures, and strength and deformation properties. Factors of safety for a typical highwall in the study area (calculated by the finite-element method) may be less than 1.0 when open fractures are present and the highwall has degraded. Although it is concluded that most open-pit mines in the Fort Union Formation within the study area have generally stable highwalls, these highwalls do deteriorate and become progressively less stable. Because of this, postmining failures are common and could be critical if mining were delayed and then resumed after a period of several months. The second part of the investigation will utilize field measurements of rock-mass properties and instrumentation of actively mined highwalls to obtain data for comparison with the results of the initial investigation. Because the height of highwalls will increase as the more shallow coal is exhausted, these data will also be used to predict the behavior of slopes higher than those presently found in the western Powder River Basin.

Open-File Report↗
USGS1965

The validity of geologic projection, a successful example: the Straight Creek Tunnel pilot bore, Colorado

Projection of details of surface geology to depth prior to construction has met with only limited success in many tunneling operations. in the Straight Creek Tunnel pilot bore good results were obtained by making predictions of the extent and kinds but not the exact locations of conditions that could be expected at tunnel level based on a statistical study of surface features. Successful predictions were made regarding percentages of rock types, linear feet of faulted and sheared rocks, and attitudes of foliation and fractures, including faults and joints. Predicted rock loads and final swell pressures in gouge and altered rocks agreed well with actual measurements. Ground water flows were encountered in expected amounts, but criteria for estimations proved to be unsound. Estimates were made of the amount of temporary support, footage of exploratory feeler holes, and amounts of grouting and provided a sound basis for estimating total tunneling coats.

Colorado↗