Identification of critical displacements and deformations at subsoil assets based on GNSS observation time series

Peter A. Dokukin, Anton A. Poddubsky, Roman V. Shevchuk, Alexander I. Manevich, Mikhail V. Aleshin
Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia named after Patrice Lumumba, Moscow, Russian Federation
Mining Industry Journal (Gornaya Promyshlennost) №5/ 2026 p. 152-158

Summary: The article examines approaches to identifying critical displacements and deformations at mining assets using the GNSS observation time series. It is shown that assessing the stability of mining-engineering facilities should not be limited to analyzing absolute displacements of individual stations only, since displacements of the same magnitude may correspond to different stages of the deformation process. Existing approaches to interpretation of the displacement rates, allowable deformations, and hazard levels are reviewed based on an analysis of Russian and international publications, as well as regulatory and methodological documents. Particular attention is given to transition from assessing the kinematics of individual points to analyzing the spatial deformation field. The principal strain axes, dilatation, and maximum shear strain are proposed as informative parameters, which combined analysis makes it possible to identify zones of extension, compression, loosening, compaction, and shear strain concentration. It is shown that universal threshold criteria cannot be directly transferred to all the mining assets and should be refined with regard to the specific engineering-geological conditions, mining regime, characteristics of the monitoring network, and measurement accuracy. It is also noted that reliability of the time-series interpretation largely depends on the quality of data processing, which highlights the relevance of developing domestic high-precision GNSS data processing tools for geomechanical and geodynamic monitoring tasks.

Keywords: GNSS observations, deformation monitoring, subsoil assets, coordinate time series, critical displacements, deformation field, principal deformation axes, dilatation, maximum shear strain, geomechanical interpretation, slope stability, industrial safety

Acknowledgements: This work was funded by the state assignment of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation (FSSF-2026-0077).

For citation: Dokukin Peter A., Poddubsky Anton A., Shevchuk Roman V., Manevich Alexander I., Aleshin Mikhail V. Identification of critical displacements and deformations at subsoil assets based on GNSS observation time series. Mining Industry Journal (Gornaya Promyshlennost). 2026;(5):152–158. https://doi.org/10.30686/1609-9192-2026-5-152-158

Article info

Received: 03.05.2026

Revised: 22.06.2026

Accepted: 23.06.2026

Authors info

Dokukin Peter A. – Cand. Sci. (Eng.), Head of the Scientific Department, Principal Research Scientist, RUDN University, Moscow, Russian Federation; https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3284-8738; e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Poddubsky Anton A. – Cand. Sci. (Eng.), Leading Researcher at the Institute of Ecology, RUDN University, Moscow, Russian Federation; https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9796-2924; e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Shevchuk Roman V. – Cand. Sci. (Eng.), senior Researcher at the Institute of Ecology, RUDN University, Moscow, Russian Federation; https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3461-6383; e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Manevich Alexander I. – Researcher at the Institute of Ecology, RUDN University, Moscow, Russian Federation; https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7486-6104; e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Aleshin Mikhail V. – Junior Researcher at the Institute of Ecology, RUDN University, Moscow, Russian Federation; e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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