Exploration Geophysics - Volume 12, Issue 1-2, 1981

Coal mining in the United Kingdom is mainly by means of highly capital intensive, long wall faces. With such methods it is almost axiomatic that mine planners should have a good knowledge of the stratigraphy of the ground which is about to be mined. All too often this information is unavailable.

Channel wave, or in-seam, seismology offers a method for the advance exploration of coal seams. Recent work in a number of countries has resulted in the development of specialised recording and processing techniques, and the method has been shown to be viable.

In this paper we concentrate on a number of case histories, paying particular emphasis to those predictions that have been verified by mining. In one instance a fault at a range of 500 m has been predicted.

The velocity and frequency characteristics of Love-type channel waves which will be supported in coal seams mined by underground methods in Australia are summarised in tabular and graphical form. These forms will enable estimation of the essential features of SH modes which could be exploited by way of in-seam seismic surveys for the detection and location of mining obstacles.

The transient response due to a horizontal conducting cylindrical shell-shell model, induced by a uniform, vertical magnetic field was obtained analytically. It is observed that the behaviour of the transient response is qualitatively simitar to that of the spherical shell-shell model.