Cave-in: Difference between revisions

{{Short description|Type of structural collapse}}

{{about|a geologic phenomenon|the rock band|Cave In}}

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[[File:Cave-in (indust).jpg|thumb|right|300px|Illustration of mine collapse aftermath, from 1878]]

A '''cave-in''' is a [[wiktionary:Collapse|collapse]] of a geologic formation, mine or structure which may occur during [[mining]], [[tunnel]]ing, or steep-walled [[digging|excavation]] such as [[trench|trenching]]. Geologic structures prone to spontaneous cave-ins include [[alvar]], [[Karst|tsingy]] and other limestone formations, but can also include [[lava tube]]s and a variety of other subsurface rock formations. [[Glacier cave]]s and other ice formations are very prone to collapse from exposure to warm temperatures or running water.

In mining, the term '''roof fall'''<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.coaleducation.org/glossary.htm#R |title=Glossary of Mining Terms |website=Kentucky Coal Education |access-date=19 May 2015 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141005205750/http://www.coaleducation.org/glossary.htm#R |archivedate=5 October 2014 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> is used to refer to many types of collapses, ranging from the fall of a single flake of [[shale]] to collapses that form [[sink hole]]s that reach to the surface. However, roof falls in mining are not all accidental. In [[longwall mining]] and [[retreat mining]], miners systematically remove all support from under large areas of the mine roof, allowing it to settle just beyond the work area. The goal in such mining methods is not to prevent roof fall and the ensuing surface [[subsidence]], but rather to control it.

==Geological formations==

* [[Alvar]] structures such as on the [[Stora Alvaret]], [[Öland]], [[Sweden]]

* [[Karst]] limestone such as in the [[Madagascar dry deciduous forests]]

==References==

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{{Caves}}

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[[Category:Caves]]

[[Category:Mining terminology]]

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