Ground surface deformation of the urban area in complex engineering-geological conditions in the sinking town of Tuzla (Bosnia and Herzegovina)

deformation of the ground surface and buildings in the town of Tuzla. The southern edge of the deposit dips beneath the northern part of the town. Although relatively small size, the deposit represents an extremely complex geological body The slow, natural processes of dissolution of the deposit's eastern part were accelerated by industrial exploitation of saline water (brine) that lasted over 100 years. Exploitation of the western part of the deposit started much later in 1967, by classical dry underground mining. Natural processes and applied exploitation works endangered part of the town above the deposit. Subsidence has reached its peak in 70-s of the last century, when the city lost huge number of its residential, commercial and cultural facilities. Although the salt exploitation ended (2004 and 2007) very complex processes of degradation of wider deposit environment and urban areas are still ongoing, with visible consequences on the ground surface. Featured are the geodynamic phenomena and deformation caused by a complex structural-tectonic structure of the terrain. Analyzed were also geodetic monitoring data for the period 1956-2010 which present important information about the processes of ground surface movements. Deformation on the ground surface is being developed under the influence of various factors. In the part of the town that was investigated and presented in this paper, the consequences of the salt deposit exploitation on the ground surface are predisposed by complex terrain structure.