Spectral decomposition method for predicting magmatic intrusion into a coal bed

Accurate prediction of magmatic intrusion into a coal bed is illustrated using the method of seismic spectral decomposition. The characteristics of coal seismic reflections are first analyzed and the effect of variable time windows and domain frequencies on the spectral decomposition are examined. The higher domain frequency of coal bed reflections using the narrower STFT time window, or the smaller ST scale factor, are acceptable. When magmatic rock intrudes from the bottom of the coal bed the domain frequency of the reflections is decreased slightly, the frequency bandwidth is narrowed correspondingly, and the response from spectral decomposition is significantly reduced. Intrusion by a very thin magmatic rock gives a spectral decomposition response that is just slightly less than what is seen from a normal coal bed. Results from an actual mining area were used to validate the method. Predicting the boundary of magmatic intrusions with the method discussed herein was highly accurate and has been validated by observations from underground mining.