HYDRODYNAMIC INTERPRETATION OF SATELLITE IMAGE AT A RED SLUDGE DISPOSAL SITE – A HYDROGEOLOGICAL SKETCH

The sudden dam collapse of a red sludge disposal at Kolontár caused a human and ecological catastrophe in the region in 2010. Many environmental investigations were initiated to find out the real causes of this harmful event. These investigations mainly focused on the shallow subsurface basement of the collapsed dam. The current study would like to emphasize the possible effects of the rising karst water in the region. Earlier the regional karst water level dropped a lot due to the intense mining activity in the whole region. The recovery of the karst system is still going on. This effect can also influence the stability of the different rock formations. Based on the personal field experience of the author, it is concluded that these non-investigated phenomena concerning the karst recovery could also contribute to this large-scale catastrophe.