Students Map Abandoned Mines on Computer

E D W A R D S V I L L E, Ill., Nov. 20 -- Students at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville are applying new technology to old maps to determine where up to 1 million acres of abandoned coal mines may be hidden across the state.

Experts say the computer project could eventually help propertyowners figure out whether their land is vulnerable to collapsingbecause of an underground mine.

“What the value is, in my mind, is for city planning, to avoidpotential problems,” said Robert Gibson, an abandoned-mine expertwith the state Department of Natural Resources. “Where do I put mywater tower? Where do I put my hospital or school? It’d be greatfor that kind of decision.”

Gibson’s agency is working with geography students to analyzemaps of abandoned Illinois coal mines via computer. The mine mapsare scanned into a computer, then placed over other maps, includingthose of streets and sewer lines.

Through computer analysis, the students can determine whethercertain areas are in danger because of hidden mines.

“What we’re hoping is that eventually this will be accessibleover the Internet, so John Doe can type in a street address and,boom, it’ll pop up and show if it’s above a mine,” Gibson said.

Rooting out Potential Threats

Many of the state’s hidden mines are located in southernIllinois — up to 1 million acres, Gibson said. Communities alreadyhave had to deal the problems those mines can cause, he said.

For example, Collinsville had to replace a 38-year-old schoolafter an underground mine made it dangerous. And residents ofO’Fallon and Fairview Heights have complained about damaged homesand utility lines.

Maps exist for only about half of the state’s estimated 4,000mines, so students won’t be able to root out all of them, Gibsonsaid. He estimates that up to 70 percent of Belleville was builtabove mines, but many of those mines do not have maps.

Even so, the maps that do exist tend to be of the largest mines,which cause the biggest threat, he said.