Abstract
According to the formal review of mining health and safety that was led by the Ontario Ministry of Labour throughout 2014 to early 2015, seismicity and rockbursting was indicated as the most significant threat to the health and safety of workers in underground mines located in Ontario.
This short course deals with the application of seismic monitoring in underground mines to increase the safety by reducing the seismic risk through seismic analysis using mXrap software*. Topics covered are fundamentals of seismicity in mines, macroscale seismic analysis, seismic risk, microscale seismic analysis, re-entry protocol, and seismic array design. Several practical exercises will be provided for each topic. Details of each topic are as follows:
Session 1: Fundamentals of Seismic Monitoring in Mines:
- mXrap Software installation
- Seismic Event (definition, time, location etc.)
- Seismic Energy
- Seismic Moment
- Energy-Moment Relationship
- Corner Frequency
- Static Stress Drop
- How seismic source parameters are derived?
- Q/A
Session 2: Macroscale Seismic Analysis (Including Grid Based Analysis):
- Seismic Event Quality (How to filter seismic events?)
- How to use seismic events in Numerical Modelling?
- Magnitude-Time History
- Frequency-Magnitude
- Apparent Stress Time History
- Energy Index (EI) and Cumulative Apparent Volume (CAV)
- Es/Ep (Does it mean anything?)
- Q/A
Session 3: Seismic Risk (Rockburst Damage Potential):
- Seismic Hazard
- PPV Calculation
- How to use seismic hazard in Numerical Modelling?
- Q/A
Session 4: Microscale Seismic Analysis:
- Failure Mechanism
- Fault Plane Solution
- Seismic Moment Tensor Inversion (SMTI)
- Seismic Stress Inversion (SSI)
- How to use Seismic Stress Inversion in Numerical Modelling?
- Q/A
Session 5: Re-entry Protocol:
- Exclusion Zone
- Omori Decay
- Seismic work and seismic work rate
- Q/A
Session 6: Array Design:
- Sensors (different types, sensor limitation)
- Q/A
Several case studies of underground mines will be provided during the course to show the application of these analyses in a decision-making process for a safer mining operation.
*The drivers for mXrap installation will be provided to the attendees 1 week before the workshop.
Participants are required to bring their own laptop with the admin rights.
Short Course Objectives:
This short course is designed to provide essential seismic knowledge and hands-on experience of mXrap software to conduct seismic analysis to mitigate associated risks in underground mines. Participants will interactively analyze seismic data and will gain an understanding of the latest techniques and how to apply them efficiently and effectively to meet the operations objectives.
Target Audience:
Ground Control Engineers/Technicians, Mining Engineers, Mine Managers, Mine Geologists and mXrap users.