title of the thesis - Department of Geology - Queen's University
title of the thesis - Department of Geology - Queen's University
title of the thesis - Department of Geology - Queen's University
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Deep. Little evidence, however, has been found in this <strong>the</strong>sis to support displacements along<br />
mine-scale discontinuities as a source <strong>of</strong> seismicity in <strong>the</strong> footwall region to <strong>the</strong> south <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
excavation. Results indicate that seismicity in <strong>the</strong> Creighton Deep is <strong>the</strong> product <strong>of</strong> a degradation<br />
process. As stress flows around <strong>the</strong> excavation, zones <strong>of</strong> high stress are created that coincide with<br />
zones <strong>of</strong> preferential seismic activity. Shear zones slightly modify <strong>the</strong> stress field to <strong>the</strong> south <strong>of</strong><br />
<strong>the</strong> excavation by realigning high stresses with <strong>the</strong> strike <strong>of</strong> major structures and reducing stress to<br />
<strong>the</strong> southwest <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> excavation where little seismicity is observed. Shear zones in Creighton<br />
Deep thus only play a secondary role in <strong>the</strong> production <strong>of</strong> seismicity by modifying <strong>the</strong> stress state.<br />
Seismicity on mine levels in <strong>the</strong> Creighton Deep can be explained by <strong>the</strong> diffusion <strong>of</strong> rock mass<br />
degradation. Immediately to <strong>the</strong> north and south <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> excavation, rock is heavily fractured and<br />
permanently strained in a yield zone. The rock mass in this zone cannot accommodate high stress<br />
and this stress is transferred to <strong>the</strong> peripheral damage zone. Little to no seismicity is recorded<br />
within <strong>the</strong> yield zone and this area is modelled as having yielded and as having low stress and low<br />
differential stress.<br />
The damage zone has been demonstrated to be an area <strong>of</strong> damage accumulation, where crack<br />
initiation and fracture reactivation are possible seismic sources. This zone contains <strong>the</strong> highest<br />
modelled stresses and hosts <strong>the</strong> densest seismic activity. It is recognized as a zone <strong>of</strong> increased<br />
seismic hazard. Rock is intact beyond <strong>the</strong> damage zone and little seismicity occurs remote to<br />
mine drifts. Stress levels in <strong>the</strong> damage zone are near background levels.<br />
Large events are <strong>of</strong>ten associated with structure, and in many instances fault slip is <strong>the</strong> source <strong>of</strong><br />
high magnitude seismic events. While seismic and stress analyses conducted in this <strong>the</strong>sis have<br />
not revealed any significant relationship between mining-induced seismicity and structure, <strong>the</strong><br />
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