Stress State Mapping Using Seismic Stress Inversion: Application to Kidd Mine
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Authors
Falkenstein, Kimberlee
Date
2016-04-26
Type
thesis
Language
eng
Keyword
Mine stresses , Focal Mechanisms , Mining-induced seismicity , Inversion , Fault-slip , Mining seismicity
Alternative Title
Abstract
This study investigates the applicability of seismic stress inversion in a mining environment with active geological structure, in order to map spatiotemporal stress states. First Motion Stress Inversion (MOTSI) (Abers, 2001) software is utilized, whereby this research outlines methods to establish spatiotemporal domains, determine
inversion reliability and sensitivity, and explore the applicability and limitations
of detecting stress state changes through seismic stress inversion.
The application of spatiotemporal discretization to the methodology allows domains to be representative of pseudo-homogeneous stress states, to increase the reliability and resolution of mapped stresses. Geological structures are established as discrete boundaries of inversion domains, and were found to produce unique stress tensors representative of homogeneous stress states that differed from the stress states in adjacent domains. High seismic event frequency is established as a bound between temporal domains and stricter filters produce more reliable inversions. Stress tensors produced through the inversion method indicate an evolution
of the stress path over time. Stress states only influenced by mining are gradual and smooth, whereas in the case of fault-slip, the evolution appears to display sharp changes at the time of the events. A significant limitation of this method is data sparsity. This is directly related to the number of filters applied to the dataset, thus a balance between filter strictness and database size must be considered. This work demonstrates the weak and brittle behaviour of the faults and that interconnected geological structure is significant in the seismic expression of the failure mechanism and can be captured through the inversion method. Through more research, the implementation of this method in real-time may bring insight as to which spatial domains or structures are at risk of fault slip, in addition to mapping the stress state. Overall, through an improved understanding of the stress state adjacent to weak structures, it is expected that seismic stress inversion will lead to greater reliability of stability analysis, consequently improving the design process for deep mines.
Description
Thesis (Master, Mining Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2016-04-25 15:49:49.076
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This publication is made available by the authority of the copyright owner solely for the purpose of private study and research and may not be copied or reproduced except as permitted by the copyright laws without written authority from the copyright owner.
This publication is made available by the authority of the copyright owner solely for the purpose of private study and research and may not be copied or reproduced except as permitted by the copyright laws without written authority from the copyright owner.
ProQuest PhD and Master's Theses International Dissemination Agreement
Intellectual Property Guidelines at Queen's University
Copying and Preserving Your Thesis
This publication is made available by the authority of the copyright owner solely for the purpose of private study and research and may not be copied or reproduced except as permitted by the copyright laws without written authority from the copyright owner.
This publication is made available by the authority of the copyright owner solely for the purpose of private study and research and may not be copied or reproduced except as permitted by the copyright laws without written authority from the copyright owner.