Which type of mining is particularly prone to subsidence issues?

Underground mining is particularly prone to subsidence issues due to the removal of material beneath the Earth's surface. When miners extract minerals from underground, voids are created where material once existed. If the overlying rock strata are unable to support their own weight after the material has been removed, they can collapse into these voids, resulting in surface subsidence. This process not only affects the immediate mining area but can also impact the surrounding environment, leading to fissures, sinkholes, and other geological disruptions.

In contrast, the techniques involved in open-pit mining, surface mining, and strip mining generally involve extracting materials from the surface or near-surface levels, which does not typically lead to the same kind of voids that can cause subsidence. While these techniques can have significant environmental impacts, the subsidence risk associated with underground mining makes it uniquely susceptible to these issues.