Seismic Methods in Coal Mine Safety (An Overview)

Abstract

In coal mining industry’s mission the word “Safety” is a prime one. Cutting coal from the subsurface demands elaborate planning and preparation before, while and after the extraction. The subsurface strata behavior is very complex due to its varied non homogeneities and discontinuities. Again extraction of any part from the strata disturbs the whole stress distribution systems and hence making it always unsafe. So, prior in-situ knowledge of the strata properties and stress distribution is very essential in safe mining of coal. It is felt that among various methods “Seismic Methods” are most dynamic. This paper is an endeavour to give some preliminary ideas about the theories and applicabilities of Seismic waves in mines.