A review of mining-induced seismicity in China

Active seismicity and rockbursting have been an emerging problem in Chinese mines. The distribution and characteristics of mining-induced seismicity in China, and its monitoring, mitigation, and research, are reviewed in this paper. Mining at depth and the activity of current tectonic stress field are the two major factors leading to rockburst hazards. Three critical depths, i.e., critical initiation depth, roof upper-bound depth, and floor lower-bound depth, have been identified based on hypocenter data of seismic events in coalmines. A strong correlation between rockbursts and gas outbursts in coalmines has also been established, and it is recommended to use this correlation for rockburst and gas outburst hazard assessment and warning interchangeably. We find that the key problems of rockburst hazard mitigation in China are the lack of mine seismicity-monitoring networks in most mines, and the need for improvement of the accuracy of the monitoring systems for mines that have been equipped with such systems. Because the demand for minerals resources is extremely high and the mining activities are progressing deeper and deeper, an increasing trend of mining-induced seismicity hazards in China may be anticipated for the near future. Mining-induced seismicities are hazards, but at the same time they have been found useful for studying geophysical problems in deep ground, particularly in the field of earthquake prediction. With the enforcement of relevant laws for the mining industry and the continuous effort to study rockburst problems using rock mechanics and geophysics principles and methods, it is believed that new approaches for rockburst hazard control and mitigation can be developed.