ABSTRACT
Sublevel mining of minerals and energy resources triggers various deformation processes in the earth crust which depend on many factors. Deformations, which are the result of caving processes, are defined as partially controlled rock fractures during which mechanical energy is released, which results in crushing of rocks of different sizes (Cook, N. G. W. et al.). Caving processes can be rapid or slow, or, are the result of fractured materials, which can cause seismic effects of different size. Since sublevel coal mining methods are designed so that caving processes occur on a wider hanging wall area, which extend high into the layers above coal layers, the effects which have impact on the development of mining (and consequently on the environment), are crucial for engineering appraisal of the situation of a wider impact area. The effects are due to intensive fractures in natural, and in some cases artificial materials, exposed to extreme stress deformation changes.
