UAV aerial surveying data application for detecting and monitoring surface deformations in technogenically destabilized areas

Aim. The aim of the study is to identify, analyze, and monitor vertical and subvertical movements of the earth’s surface in technogenically destabilized areas based on aerial surveying data from unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), using the example of the Stebnyk deposit of polymineral potash-magnesium salts. Methodology. The study processed a series of high-precision UAV images of the mine outlets of Mine No. 2 for the periods 2018, 2020, and 2023. Orthophotos and digital terrain models (DTM) were created and aligned to a unified coordinate system to ensure accurate comparison. A comprehensive geoinformation analysis was conducted to assess the expansion of collapse No. 27 on seam No. 10 SE in the area of chambers No. 108-113 and collapse No. 30, which formed 70 meters north of collapse No. 27, near chambers 102-104. The assessment of spatiotemporal changes in the areas and volumes of collapses No. 27 and No. 30 is presented. Results. During the geoinformation analysis of the increase in subsidence-collapse deformation processes, it was recorded that the area of the collapse funnel No. 30 increased by 2.5 times over the period 2020–2023, and water inflow during this period reached 37 meters. The area of the karst lake in the funnel of collapse No. 27 increased by more than 3.5 times over the period 2018–2023, with the absolute height of the karst lake surface rising by 9 meters. The obtained results confirm the feasibility and effectiveness of using aerial survey data from UAVs to detect and assess the dynamics of subsidence-collapse deformation processes on technogenically destabilized territories over a relatively long period, which serves as valuable information for geomorphological and environmental monitoring at the local level. Practical significance. Numerous karst-suffosion manifestations are observed at the mine outlets of the Stebnyk deposit, which result from the interaction of natural (complex hydrological and geomorphological structures, endogenous processes) and technogenic (intensive anthropogenic expansion, irrational methods of extraction and processing of mineral resources) factors. Since the mine outlets are located beneath residential areas, engineering, and transport networks, the study of surface deformations in the given area has not only scientific but also significant practical importance for the local community.