Induced Seismicity

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Mine engineers should be aware of induced seismicity at all times.

Induced Seismicity – Induced seismicity refers to seismic activity events and activity that are caused by human activity. Induced seismicity is therefore seismic activity, mostly occurring in the form of small seismic events, which are produced from stress changes induced on the rock mass and other natural features resulting from mining activity in and around the mine. In a two-way, symbiotic relationship, induced seismicity is not only caused by mining activities, but can also have a substantial and very disruptive effect on day-to-day mining operations.

Seismicity caused by stresses in one part of a mine can lead to the risk of rock fall or collapse in another part of the mine, or even in an adjacent mine.

For this reason, it is critically important for mine engineers and technical personnel to be constantly aware of and monitoring the potential risk of any induced seismic events within the underground mine. Comprehensive monitoring is the key to managing this risk – you can’t manage what you don’t know about.

At RockEng, we offer a variety of services relating to induced seismicity. These services range from system design and technical support during site installation to specialized data analysis using industry leading software.  We work closely with instrumentation suppliers to optimize long-term system performance.

We offer data analysis for rock burst hazard awareness, risk assessment and mine sequence optimization and provide fundamental short-, mid- and long-term operational support. The wide range of expertise at RockEng allows mine-induced seismic data to be applied to calibration of numerical models, adding value to traditional approaches.