Survey and assessment of techniques used to quantify the potential for rock mass instability.

Abstract

The development of techniques to quantify the potential for rockmass instability that may result in rockbursts, has been a priority for researchers in the South African gold mining industry for some decades. These techniques include numeric modelling, seismic monitoring, stress and deformation measuring. Industry, COMRO and SIMRAC funding provided for the development of these techniques. The South African research & development efforts towards early warning of large instabilities (rockbursts) are foremost in the world. The question is whether our application in the field of these methodologies, concepts and techniques is equally advanced. During this project the research direction changed slightly to cover a wider perspective of seismic risk assessment. It is therefore relevant at the outset to qualify the term seismic risk as opposed to seismic hazard.