Monitoring post-mining subsidence in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais coal basin (France): comparison between interferometric SAR results and levelling.

The interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) technique is used to detect surface deformations in the French Nord-Pas-de-Calais coal mining basin. Several subsiding areas had already been observed at the sites of Lens, Billy-Montigny, Courrieres and Ostricourt during the 1992-2000 period. InSAR deformation measurements are compared with ground-based levelling measurements and an analysis of the results shows a good agreement for the relative deformations. However, the InSAR study reveals a systematic bias of the absolute levelling values. Our interpretation is that the stability points of the ground-based monitoring network probably moved during the study period. Such cross-checking is particularly important considering the current legal value of the levelling measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]