Mine Seismicity and Rockbursting in Australian Mines
Occasional seismicity and rockbursting has been reported in some Australian mines since the early 1900s, but had grown to a serious problem in several Western Australian mines in the late 1990s. There was a need for a WA based research and development project to address seismicity and rockbursting issues in WA mines.
ACG’s Mine Seismicity and Rockburst Risk Management Project
The Mine Seismicity and Rockburst Risk Management project (MSRRM) commenced at the ACG in August 1999. The primary goal was to help WA mines to evaluate seismic risk and to get more value from the seismic data generated by seismic monitoring systems. The project finished in December 2002. Two PhDs, a Masters degree, and six undergraduate projects were associated with the MSRRM.
During the project it was recognised that on-site use of seismic data needed to be improved, but the means to achieve this did not exist. A plan was built to develop a computer program to better manage and analyse mine seismicity data. The Mine Seismicity Risk Analysis Program (MS-RAP) is a purpose-built relational database with mine seismology tools. The program addresses a number of the challenges associated with analysing large quantities of seismic data.
Phase II of the MSRRM
A continuation of the MSRRM project started in January 2002 and was completed in December 2005. Phase II focussed a phased development of MS-RAP. The main goals of the program are to:
Maximise the use of seismic monitoring data for understanding seismicity in mines,
Develop a quasi-real-time seismic hazard map, and
Perform seismic risk analyses.
MS-RAP is currently used in 20 mines in Australia and Canada.
Recent Seismicity in Australia
The need for an R&D project on seismicity in mines has grown considerably since the MSRRM project started in 1999. The frequency and severity of seismicity and rockbursting in Australian mines has accelerated. In 2006, at least ten Australian hardrock mines experienced seismic events greater than Richter +2, with two mines having events greater than Richter +3.
Phase III of MSRRM - "Broadening the Application of Seismic Monitoring in Australian Underground Mines"
A new mine seismicity research project at the ACG commenced in January 2006 and will be completed by the end of 2008. This newest phase of the project has three broad themes:
Implementation of tools to understand seismicity in mines,
Continued development and improvement of mine seismicity analysis tools, and
Investigation and development of new ideas related to seismicity in mines.
Ten main sub-projects are being addressed in the MSRRM3 project:
Development of a seismic hazard management plan
Detailed site seismic data analysis
Numerical investigation of mine seismicity data
Investigation of seismicity associated with caving mines
Seismic system technical support
MS-RAP development
Calibration of an empirical rockburst damage potential system
Regional seismic monitoring
Development of a dynamic support classification system
Investigation of seismic source parameters and data analysis techniques
Please contact the ACG if you would like more information regarding our mine seismicity research.