Time History of Elastic Characteristics in Pitwall Rock Mass

Abstract

The article describes the studies on the geomechanical behavior of the large pitwall rock mass using the seismic method. The on-site measurements of elastic wave velocities in rock mass enabled determining the elastic characteristics of rocks, which allowed an inference on the rock mass stability. It is shown that the seismic method provides sufficiently reliable data on the time history of the geomechanical behavior of the large-area pitwall rock mass, and enables the geomechanics and stability control. The long-term experience of using the seismic method to ensure pitwall rock mass stability is presented as a case-study of Zhelezny Open Pit Mine, Kovdor Mining and Processing Plant. The proposed approach is applicable at deep open pit mines.