The design of post‐mining landscapes using geomorphic principles

Nature can provide analogues for post-mining landscapes in terms of landscape stability and also in terms of the rehabilitated structure ‘blending in’ with the surrounding undisturbed landscape. In soil-mantled landscapes, hillslopes typically have a characteristic profile that has a convex upper hillslope profile with a concave profile lower down the slope. In this paper hillslope characteristic form is derived using the area–slope relationship from pre-mining topography at two sites in Western Australia. Using this relationship, concave hillslope profiles are constructed and compared to linear hillslopes in terms of sediment loss using the SIBERIA erosion model. It is found that concave hillslopes can reduce sediment loss by up to five times that of linear slopes. Concave slopes can therefore provide an alternative method for the construction of post-mining landscapes. An understanding of landscape geomorphological properties and the use of erosion models can greatly assist in the design of post-mining landscapes. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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