Mining-Induced Seismicity Monitoring and Analysis

Mining-induced seismicity refers to seismic events triggered or exacerbated by underground and surface mining activities. The monitoring and analysis of these events have become increasingly critical as mining operations extend deeper and engage with more complex geological settings. Modern approaches integrate dense sensor networks, real-time data acquisition, and advanced computational methods to characterise event locations, energy release, and source mechanisms. Microseismic monitoring underpins hazard assessment by detecting low-magnitude events that may presage larger rockbursts or collapses. Moment tensor analysis provides insights into the nature of fault slip or volumetric changes, while tomographic imaging reveals evolving stress fields around excavations. Recent advances also encompass machine learning to quantify seismicity patterns and predict burst risk. Together, these techniques enhance early warning systems, guide ground support design, and inform operational decisions to mitigate seismic hazards in coal and hard-rock mines worldwide.

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Mining-Induced Seismicity Monitoring and Analysis publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in mining-induced seismicity monitoring and analysis across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Microseismicity: Low-magnitude seismic events generated by the brittle failure of rock due to mining operations.

Moment tensor: A mathematical representation of the seismic source that decomposes an event into shear, isotropic and compensated linear vector dipole components.

Passive seismic tomography: An imaging technique that utilises naturally occurring or induced seismic waves to infer subsurface velocity and stress changes without active sources.

Fractal dimension: A statistical measure of complexity that characterises how microseismic event distributions scale across different magnitudes or spatial extents.

Longwall mining: A mechanised coal extraction method involving the removal of large panels of coal in a single slice, often associated with high rates of induced seismicity.

References

1. Numerical modelling of microseismicity associated with longwall coal mining. International Journal of Coal Geology (2018).
2. Moment tensor decompositions revisited. Journal of Seismology (2014).
3. Mine Fracturing Monitoring Analysis Based on High-Precision Distributed Wireless Microseismic Acquisition Station. IEEE Access (2019).
4. Passive Seismic Imaging of Stress Evolution with Mining-Induced Seismicity at Hard-Rock Deep Mines. Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering (2020).
5. Study on deep learning methods for coal burst risk prediction based on mining-induced seismicity quantification. Geomechanics and Geophysics for Geo-Energy and Geo-Resources (2023).