Stress changes in underground mines - from investigation to practical tools

Important results from the project

The goals for the project were meet. The results showed that the correlations between the stress proxies and the stress are not so simple as described in the literature. Much more sophisticated way of correlation is required to understand the correlations and how to use them in the future. The relationships between stress and seismicity were not comprehensively studied in the past. The collected data show also how complex are these relations and some ways forward for further studies.

Expected long term effects

The scientific and practical results can be used by the mines to improve the understanding of the seismic hazard and the mitigation of seismicity. Conclusions made in the project and the recommendations can be used as a practical guide for evaluation of the potential for increased seismicity and managing short- to medium- and long-term seismic hazard. Data collected as a result of the project can be used for further development of advanced methodologies for seismic hazard assessment.

Approach and implementation

The project was implemented with 5 partners - LTU, LKAB, Uppsala University, Boliden and Zinkgruvan (now part of Boliden). LTU was responsible for coordination with the project. One PhD student and two postdocs were hired for the project - one of them with external scholarship. An extensive plan was developed on Teams with all responsibilities and deliverables. The project group of had regular meetings two times a year. The project also included two educational meetings.