Seismicity in Bushveld - problems experienced at Impala platinum Mines Limited No. 10 Shaft (South Africa)

Abstract

No.10 Shaft is one of thirteen operating shafts within the Rustenburg section of Impala Platinum Limited. With increasing depth of mining, the level of seismic activity also increases. Unlike deep South African gold mines, where seismic events are mainly generated as shear type events on geological discontinuities, seismic activity on No. 10 Shaft results from crush type and mixed mechanism type events. This paper ties to explain these phenomena.