Developments and prospects of microseismic monitoring technology in underground metal mines in China

• DOI: 10.1007/s11771-021-4839-y
• Publication Date: 2021-11-22T05:02:21Z
• Authors: Jian-po Liu; Ying-tao Si; Deng-cheng Wei; Hong-xu Shi; Ren Wang
• Keywords: 01 natural sciences; 7. Clean energy; 0105 earth and related environmental sciences; 12. Responsible consumption

Microseismic monitoring technology has become an important technique to assess stability of rock mass in metal mines. Due to the special characteristics of underground metal mines in China, including the high tectonic stress, irregular shape and existence of ore body, and complex mining methods, the application of microseismic technology is more diverse in China compared to other countries, and is more challenging than in other underground structures such as tunnels, hydropower stations and coal mines. Apart from assessing rock mass stability and ground pressure hazards induced by mining process, blasting, water inrush and large scale goaf, microseismic technology is also used to monitor illegal mining, and track personnel location during rescue work. Moreover, microseismic data have been used to optimize mining parameters in some metal mines. The technology is increasingly used to investigate cracking mechanism in the design of rock mass supports. In this paper, the application, research development and related achievements of microseismic technology in underground metal mines in China are summarized. By considering underground mines from the perspective of informatization, automation and intelligentization, future studies should focus on intelligent microseismic data processing method, e.g., signal identification of microseismic and precise location algorithm, and on the research and development of microseismic equipment. In addition, integrated monitoring and collaborative analysis for rock mass response caused by mining disturbance will have good prospects for future development.