6533b826fe1ef96bd1283b16

RESEARCH PRODUCT

Rockburst induced ground motion—a comparative study

subject

description

Abstract While rockbursts from underground copper mining in Western Poland normally produce surface peak ground accelerations (PGA) and velocities of 0.05–0.1 g and 1–3 cm/s, occasionally these peak motions may exceed 0.15 g and 10 cm/s, respectively. These larger motions are of considerable concern and an investigation has been undertaken to define the nature of these larger induced ground motions. This paper compares these rockburst motions with low intensity earthquakes. Various strong motion parameters such as PGA, peak ground velocity (PGV) and displacements as well as strong motion duration, Arias intensity, Fourier and response spectra are compared with those from earthquakes. It is concluded that although short duration is the most obvious parameter that differentiates rockbursts from earthquakes, in fact their high dominant frequencies, which result in high PGA/PGV ratios differentiate them the most. Two types of rockburst-induced ground motions are indicated in this paper: typical—with 3–6 months return period and characteristic, high frequency content—as well as rare events similar to shallow, low intensity earthquakes.