In-stream Mining in Alluvial River Channels: Response, Consequences and Perspectives

Abstract—On the basis of long-term field and analytical research, the response of the channels of different rivers to one of the types of mechanical impact on rivers – the in-stream mining – is considered. The nature and rates of the response of the river channels of free-flowing and regulated rivers to the in-stream mining, disturbance extent of the channel morphology and the rivers hydrological regime are revealed. The purpose of the work is to assess the possibilities of in-stream mining and allowable mine’s sizes which bases on the general principles of the theory of fluvial processes, and to minimize the negative effects of given mechanical disturbances on rivers and floodplains