Mining Publication: Rock Bursting and Seismicity During Ramp Development, Lucky Friday Mine, Mullan, Idaho

A comprehensive survey of mine seismicity a rock bursting during development of two sublevels at the Lucky Friday Mine, Mullan, ID, was conducted to better define rock failure mechanisms and sources of ground control hazards. Survey data included rock burst damage reports, seismic event locations and magnitudes and, for the most energetic events, first- motion information. Several subsets of this database, including large seismic events, rock bursts, and microseismic activity near the face, were analyzed. Elements of the large-event and rock burst data sets were nearly independent. That is, there was no relationship between the risk posed by a seismic event and its energy, although such a relationship is well established for the mine as a whole. All data sets showed that certain geologic features appear to control the spatial distribution of events and the spatial distribution of rock burst risk. The data also suggest that, within the scope of this study, the greatest risk of injury occurs when a pocket of heightened rock burst risk is first encountered and that this risk is controlled when miners adapt their practices to these conditions. Recognition of the role of particular geologic features in the spatial distribution of rock burst hazards provides an opportunity for anticipating, rather than only reacting to, a changing level of rock burst hazard. However, much work will be required to make good on this promise.