Peak Particle Velocities in Various Geotechnical Areas in South African Gold Mines

More than 50 per cent of fatalities occurring in the mining industry are rock related<br>accidents. Of these, slightly more than half are associated with rockfalls, whilst the<br>remainder are a consequence of the failure of dynamically loaded rock during seismic<br>events which result in rockbursts.<br>One of the tasks of the DEEPMINE program was to expand on existing stope support<br>expertise, and to develop support criteria for effective stope support in ultra deep<br>level mining. This primary output was achieved by four main research thrusts, one of<br>which was to determine the peak particle velocities for different geotechnical areas.<br>This paper describes the methodology and assumptions underlying the technique used<br>to establish peak particle velocities across various reefs and their dependence on<br>depth. In addition, an outline of the main research findings is given.