Mine Mapping and Surveying - Coal Waste Impoundments: Risks, Responses, and Alternatives - page 69

In many instances, nonexistent, erroneous, or incomplete mine maps
prevent knowing the extent, location, and depth of mined areas. Therefore, the
committee recommends that MSHA work with OSM and state agencies to
establish standards for mine surveying and mapping. These should include
the following:
• Determining surface coal outcrop locations by aerial topographic
measurements, where adjacent to existing or proposed refuse
impoundments,
• Implementing a coordinated and assertive approach to collecting and
archiving mine maps,
• Scanning paper copies of mine maps into electronic data files upon
receipt,
• Setting standards for minimum closure error for all underground
closed-loop surveys and that a closed-loop survey be maintained within
a standard distance (to be determined by MSHA),
• Recording the depth of the last cut taken to a level of accuracy to be
determined by MSHA,
• Using state plane coordinates or latitude and longitude, and bottom-of-
seam elevations as the map base reference,
• Listing of appropriate coordinate transformation equation(s) on the
mine map,
• Adding a qualifying statement to accompany any coordinate
transformation that is based upon the alignment of surface features,
• Improving and maintaining the location of surface controls,
• Determining which mine permit documents should be retained, in what
form, and for how long,
• Avoiding the use of coal seam names as the sole basis for determining
the vertical location of an abandoned mine.