Case study of a large seismic event at a South African gold mine

A seismic event of magnitude 4.0 occurred in Western Deep Levels East Mine on May 5, 1996. It caused extensive damage to the mining area. The event plotted below reef, at the intersection of the complex geology, ahead of actual mining. The mining area of interest is of great importance since the entire longwall is basically mining a large pillar caused by the extended milling of the mini-longwalls above and below. It will be shown that this seismic event changed the perception of the mining and rock engineering personnel concerning the negotiation of geological features and emphasized the importance of strict adherence to the recommended face configuration. All of this has resulted in a better understanding of the rock mass response to mining, support systems and an improved management of seismicity strategy.