Thermal signatures of relict coal spoil, waste and tailing dumps

As relict features of coal mines, carbonaceous spoil, waste and tailing dumps remain susceptible to coal oxidation and thermal decomposition, together with spontaneous combustion. Modern methods for monitoring surface thermal signatures regularly include the use of UAV’s, equipped with suitably sensitive infrared cameras. Detection of sub-surface thermal anomalism includes Vegetation Index Monitoring and/or the use of in-ground probes. Research across thermally active tailings offers insights into how best apply these two techniques, and increasingly the required scheduling of UAV surveys.