- journal_title：Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology
- Contributor：D. B. Hughes ; D. R. Norbury
- Publisher：Geological Society of London
- Date：1996-
- Format：text/html
- Language：en
- Identifier：10.1144/GSL.QJEGH.1996.029.P2.03
- journal_abbrev：Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology
- issn：1470-9236
- volume：29
- issue：2
- firstpage：133
- section：Article
d="p-1">Plenmeller is a remote upland opencast site in Northumberland designed to produce just over 2 million tonnes of coal during eight years of production. The complex ground conditions comprise thick peat and glacial deposits, overlying much faulted and steeply dipping Coal Measures strata. Previous under- ground workings, high groundwater levels and associated sub- surface reservoirs of water are also present. In order to mine and export the coal off-site, extensive infrastructure works were necessary including impounding embankments for lagoons, public road diversions, an overland conveyor with a tunnel and major river crossing, coal screening and crushing plant and a rapid loading bunker with associated railway sidings.
d="p-2">A lengthy planning history included a public inquiry and a high court heating before coal production commenced in August 1991. Imposed planning constraints required modifica- tions to the development, additional construction works and restoration measures. The combination of the site location, infrastructure requirements and planning constraints gave rise to the need for a wide range of ancillary civil engineering works; this was one of the most extensive programmes in connection with an opencast project in the UK. These engineering works in turn required a substantial geotechnical input. This paper presents a general account of the extensive ground investiga- tions and construction works carried out at Plenmeller, and briefly discusses some geotechnical aspects of the site operations and the construction works.