ABSTRACT
Case studies of rock mass failure, namely surface crown pillar collapse, rockbursts and outbursts, uncontrolled caving and pillar collapse, damage to underground mining infrastructure, are reviewed.
Case studies on surface crown pillar collapse review mining conditions, geometry of extracted stopes, depth of collapse, initiation and formation of sinkholes on the surface.
Case studies on seismic activities include an analysis of a rockburst in an underground mine, gas outburst in a colliery, and geothermal outbursts in an open pit mine sited in a geothermal area.
Case studies of uncontrolled caving and pillar collapses cover discontinuous subsidence over a caving mine, propagation of a caving zone, collapse of the rock mass over caving area, collapse of a roof due to pillar failure, and progressive hangingwall collapse in a room-and-pillar mine.
Case studies of damage to underground mining infrastructure, due to deterioration in ground conditions, include: enlargement of ore passes, closure of a crusher chamber, ground movement in a decline, and a shaft collapse.
In all case studies geotechnical indicators and rock mass response in form of precursors were identified. The reported damage processes started with an initiation phase, progressed through a propagation phase and ended in uncontrolled mass movement often classified as mine disaster.
