Séguineau de Préval, C, Ouellet, A & Andrieux, P 2024, 'Use of inelastic continuum models to assess mine seismicity levels', in P Andrieux & D Cumming-Potvin (eds), Deep Mining 2024: Proceedings of the 10th International Conference on Deep and High Stress Mining, pp. 1165-1178, https://doi.org/10.36487/ACG_repo/2465_76
(https://papers.acg.uwa.edu.au/p/2465_76_de_Preval/)
Abstract: Inelastic numerical models are increasingly used to understand seismic data. Yet the stochastic nature of seismic events, the inherent simplification of the rock mass in numerical models and computational limitations make it unrealistic to ‘predict’ single seismic events. The global seismic response (i.e. seismic events within a given time frame and space frame) can, however, be correlated to numerical model outputs also compiled within a time frame and space frame. A tool is proposed to anticipate, from 3D inelastic continuum modelling results, time periods in the life of mine (LOM) susceptible to generating higher seismicity levels. This is achieved by processing the numerical results against catalogues of recorded seismic events, hence defining a ‘seismic response index’ (SRI). The SRI must not be considered a prediction tool for seismic events but rather an indication of whether a given mining sequence is likely to trigger an induced seismic response and, if so, how severe. The seismic response associated to historical mining which is used to establish the SRI is quantified based upon an aggregation of source parameters (total energy and local magnitude [ML]) from a collection of seismic events occurring after a stope blast and correlated with various numerical indicators extracted from a mine-scale FLAC3D simulation. 

Keywords: continuum inelastic 3D modelling, seismicity, seismic response, deep mining, life of mine simulation