NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.
Support for this study was provided by Award No. DE-AF01-97NN20001 between the National Academy of Sciences and the Department of Energy’s Office of Non-Proliferation and National Security.
Copies of this report are available from
Board on Earth Sciences and Resources
National Research Council
National Academy of Sciences
2101 Constitution Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20418
Cover: Video image taken 6.300 seconds into a large cast shot at the Black Thunder coal mine in Wyoming. Superimposed on the image are traces of the radial (R), transverse (T), and vertical (Z) velocities recorded 5 km from the blast. The vertical bar at the right side of the traces is at 6.3 seconds after the beginning of the shot. The three-component particle velocity is represented in the lower right-hand corner. Figure courtesy of Brian Stump and David Anderson, both at Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas.
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Copyright 1998 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Printed in the United States of America
COMMITTEE ON SEISMIC SIGNALS FROM MINING ACTIVITIES
THOMAS J. O'NEIL, Chair,
Cleveland-Cliffs Inc., Cleveland, Ohio
THOMAS J. AHRENS,
California Institute of Technology, Pasadena
CATHERINE T. AIMONE-MARTIN,
New Mexico Institute of Mining & Technology, Socorro
ROBERT R. BLANDFORD,
Air Force Technical Applications Center, Arlington, Virginia
BLAIR M. GARDNER,
Arch Coal, Inc., St. Louis, Missouri
MICHAEL E. KARMIS,
Virginia Polytechnical Institute and State University, Blacksburg
WILLIAM S. LEITH,
U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia
JEAN-MICHEL M. RENDU,
Newmont Gold Company, Denver, Colorado
JOHN WIEGAND,
Vibronics, Inc., Evansville, Indiana
ZAVIS M. ZAVODNI,
Kennecott Utah Copper Corporation, Salt Lake City
NRC Staff
THOMAS M. USSELMAN, Senior Staff Officer
VERNA J. BOWEN, Administrative Assistant
JUDITH L. ESTEP, Administrative Assistant
BOARD ON EARTH SCIENCES AND RESOURCES
J. FREEMAN GILBERT, Chair,
University of California, San Diego
KENNETH I. DAUGHERTY,
Tracor Information, Fairfax, Virginia
RICHARD S. FISKE,
Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.
JAMES M. FUNK,
Shell Continental Companies, Houston, Texas
WILLIAM L. GRAF,
Arizona State University, Tempe
CHARLES G. GROAT,
University of Texas, El Paso
DONALD C. HANEY,
Kentucky Geological Survey, Lexington
RAYMOND JEANLOZ,
University of California, Berkeley
SUSAN M. KIDWELL,
University of Chicago, Illinois
SUSAN KIEFFER,
Kieffer & Woo, Inc., Palgrave, Ontario
PAMELA LUTTRELL,
Mobil Corporation, Dallas, Texas
J. BERNARD MINSTER,
Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, California
ALEXANDRA NAVROTSKY,
Princeton University, New Jersey
DIANNE R. NIELSON,
Utah Department of Environmental Quality, Salt Lake City
JILL D. PASTERIS,
Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri
EDWARD C. ROY, Jr.,
Trinity University, San Antonio, Texas
EDWARD M. STOLPER,
California Institute of Technology, Pasadena
MILTON H. WARD,
Cyprus Amax Minerals Company, Engelwood, Colorado
NRC Staff
CRAIG M. SCHIFFRIES, Director
THOMAS M. USSELMAN, Associate Director
WILLIAM E. BENSON, Senior Program Officer
ANNE M. LINN, Senior Program Officer
ANTHONY R. DE SOUZA, Senior Program Officer
TAMARA L. DICKINSON, Program Officer
LALLY A. ANDERSON, Staff Associate
VERNA J. BOWEN, Administrative Assistant
JENNIFER T. ESTEP, Administrative Assistant
JUDITH L. ESTEP, Administrative Assistant
COMMISSION ON GEOSCIENCES, ENVIRONMENT, AND RESOURCES
GEORGE M. HORNBERGER, Chair,
University of Virginia, Charlottesville
PATRICK R. ATKINS,
Aluminum Company of America, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
JERRY F. FRANKLIN,
University of Washington, Seattle
B. JOHN GARRICK,
PLG, Inc., Newport Beach, California
THOMAS E. GRAEDEL,
Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
DEBRA KNOPMAN,
Progressive Foundation, Washington, D.C.
KAIN. LEE,
Williams College, Williamstown, Massachusetts
JUDITH E. MCDOWELL,
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Massachusetts
RICHARD A. MESERVE,
Covington & Burling, Washington, D.C.
HUGH C. MORRIS,
Canadian Global Change Program, Delta, British Columbia
RAYMOND A. PRICE,
Queen's University at Kingston, Ontario
H. RONALD PULLIAM,
University of Georgia, Athens
THOMAS C. SCHELLING,
University of Maryland, College Park
VICTORIA J. TSCHINKEL,
Landers and Parsons, Tallahassee, Florida
E-AN ZEN,
University of Maryland, College Park
MARY LOU ZOBACK,
U.S. Geological Survey, Menlo Park, California
NRC Staff
ROBERT M. HAMILTON, Executive Director
GREGORY H. SYMMES, Assistant Executive Director
JEANETTE SPOON, Administrative and Financial Officer
SANDIFITZ PATRICK, Administrative Associate
MARQUITA SMITH, Administrative Assistant/Technology Analyst
The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. Upon the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Bruce Alberts is president of the National Academy of Sciences.
The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. William A. Wulf is president of the National Academy of Engineering.
The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, upon its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Kenneth I. Shine is president of the Institute of Medicine.
The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy's purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Bruce Alberts and Dr. William A. Wulf are chairman and vice-chairman, respectively, of the National Research Council.
This report has been reviewed by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise in accordance with procedures approved by the NRC's Report Review Committee. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the authors and the NRC in making their published report as sound as possible and to ensure that the report meets institutional standards for objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The content of the review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process. We wish to thank the following individuals for their participation in the review of this report:
Michael Barber
Director of Field Technical Operations
Energetic Solutions, Inc.
Dallas, Texas
Thomas Falkie
President
Berwind Natural Resources Corp.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Francis S. Kendorski
Divisional Director
Weir International Mining Consultants
Des Plaines, Illinois
Thorne Lay
Professor
Earth Science Department
University of California
Santa Cruz, California
Paul G. Richards
Professor
Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory
Columbia University
Palisades, New York
Terry C. Wallace, Jr.
Professor
Department of Geosciences
University of Arizona
Tucson, Arizona
Milton H. Ward
Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer
Cyprus Amax Minerals Company
Englewood, Colorado
Mary Lou Zoback
U.S. Geological Survey
Menlo Park, California
While the individuals listed above have provided many constructive comments and suggestions, responsibility for the final content of this report rests solely with the authoring committee and the NRC.
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Preface
In 1996, the Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Non-Proliferation and National Security organized a working group to synthesize the results of a research program that addressed the nature of seismic signals from mining operations and whether such signals might be of concern to monitoring and compliance of the recently negotiated Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). A number of mining-related seismic signals were detectable or visible to the International Monitoring System, which was being developed for the treaty. As such, the DOE Working Group considered measures that could help reduce the visibility of mining-related seismic signals and ways of distinguishing between seismic signals emanating from natural earthquakes, nuclear tests, and legitimate mining operations. The DOE Working Group was co-chaired by François Heuze (Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory) and Brian W. Stump (Los Alamos National Laboratory). In March 1997, the DOE Working Group issued a draft report and recommendations entitled Reducing the Ambiguity and Visibility of Seismic Signals from Mining Activities: Benefits to the Mining Industries and to the Communities Monitoring the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT).
That same month (March 1997), the DOE's Office of Non-Proliferation and National Security requested that the National Research Council (NRC) undertake a study to review the draft report. The request specifically asked the NRC committee to address the following questions in its charge:
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To draw upon the expertise and experience of several relevant NRC units, the scope and nature of the study was discussed by the NRC's Board on Earth Sciences and Resources and three of its committees. The Committee on Seismology recently completed two reports relevant to the CTBT and has been involved in issues of seismic monitoring of nuclear explosions for over 30 years. The Committee on Earth Resources focuses on energy and mineral resource issues and has expertise in mining. And finally, the U.S. National Committee for Rock Mechanics has expertise in geomechanics, blasting, and ground failures. The proposed study also was discussed by the Board on Energy and Environmental Systems. These discussions were useful in informing these committees about the study, obtaining input from leading experts in several key disciplines, and obtaining suggestions for potential committee members.
The Committee on Mine Seismicity and the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty was appointed by the chairman of the NRC in November 1997. In January 1998, the committee met and held open discussions with four of the DOE Working Group members and a representative of DOE's Office of Non-Proliferation and National Security. In February 1998, the committee met again to prepare the report; consensus was readily achieved.