Frequency–Magnitude Distribution of −3.7 ≤ M W  ≤ 1 Mining-Induced Earthquakes Around a Mining Front and b Value Invariance with Post-Blast Time     

Makoto Naoi  Masao Nakatani  Shigeki Horiuchi  Yasuo Yabe  Joachim Philipp  Thabang Kgarume  Gilbert Morema  Sifiso Khambule  Thabang Masakale  Luiz Ribeiro  Koji Miyakawa  Atsushi Watanabe  Kenshiro Otsuki  Hirokazu Moriya  Osamu Murakami  Hironori Kawakata  Nana Yoshimitsu  Anthony Ward  Ray Durrheim  Hiroshi Ogasawara 《Pure and Applied Geophysics》2014,171(10):2665-2684

We investigated frequency-magnitude distribution (FMD) of acoustic emissions (AE) occurring near an active mining front in a South African gold mine, using a catalog developed from an AE network, which is capable of detecting AEs down to M _W  ?5. When records of blasts were removed, FMDs of AEs obeyed a Gutenberg?Richter law with similar b values, not depending on post-blasting time from the initial 1-min interval through more than 30 h. This result denies a suggestion in a previous study (Richardson and Jordan Bull Seismol Soc Am, 92:1766–1782, 2002) that new fractures generated by blasting disturb the size distribution of background events, which they interpreted as slip events on existing weak planes. Our AE catalog showed that the GR law with b ～ 1.2 was valid between M _W  ?3.7 and 0 for AEs around the mining front. Further, using the mine’s seismic catalog, which covers a longer time period of the same area, we could extend the validity range of the GR law with the same b value up to M _W 1.  相似文献   

Statistical Properties of Mine Tremor Aftershocks     

T. E. Kgarume  S. M. Spottiswoode  R. J. Durrheim 《Pure and Applied Geophysics》2010,167(1-2):107-117

Mine tremors and their aftershocks pose a risk to mine workers in the deep gold mines of South Africa. The statistical properties of mine-tremor aftershocks were investigated as part of an endeavour to assess the hazard and manage the risk. Data from two gold mines in the Carletonville mining district were used in the analysis. Main shocks were aligned in space and time and the aftershock sequences stacked and analysed. The aftershocks were found to satisfy Gutenberg–Richter scaling, with a b value close to 1. Aftershock activity diminished with time in accordance with the modified Omori law, with p values close to 1. However, the relationship between the main shock and its biggest aftershock violated Båths law, with ΔM _L ≈ 1.9 for main shocks with M _L < 3 and increasing for main shocks with M _L > 3. The aftershock density was found to fall-off with distance as r ^?1.3, suggesting triggering by dynamic stress.  相似文献   

Letšeng diamond mine,Lesotho: a variant of Kimberley-type pyroclastic kimberlite emplacement     

Hetman  Casey M.  Scott Smith  Barbara  Robey  Jock  Nkotsi  Teboho  Mohapi  Mohapi  Mohapi  Thabang 《Mineralogy and Petrology》2018,112(2):365-382

The Letšeng Diamond Mine comprises two ~91 Ma kimberlite pipes. An update of the geology is presented based on the 2012–2017 detailed investigation of open pit exposures and all available drillcores which included mapping, logging and petrography. Each of the steep-sided volcanic pipes comprises a number of phases of kimberlite with contrasting diamond contents which were formed by the emplacement of at least four batches of mantle-derived magma. The resulting range of textures includes resedimented volcaniclastic kimberlite (RVK), Kimberley-type pyroclastic kimberlite (KPK), coherent kimberlite (CK) and minor amounts of hypabyssal kimberlite (HK). The pipes are compared with KPK occurrences from southern Africa and worldwide. Many features of the Letšeng pipes are similar to KPK infilled pipes particularly those of the widespread Cretaceous kimberlite province of southern Africa. The differences displayed at Letšeng compared to other large KPK pipe infills described from around the world are attributed to the marginal or melnoitic nature of the magma and the upper diatreme to crater setting of the Letšeng pipes, where processes become extrusive. It is concluded that the pipes comprise a variant of Kimberley-type pyroclastic kimberlite emplacement. The classification of many of the Letšeng rocks as KPK is important for developing the internal geology of the pipes as well as for predicting the distribution of diamonds within the bodies.

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Primary petrology,mineralogy and age of the Letšeng-la-Terae kimberlite (Lesotho,Southern Africa) and parental magmas of Group-I kimberlites     

Natalia?StammEmail authorView author&#;s OrcID profile  Max?W.?Schmidt  Dawid?Szymanowski  Albrecht?von?Quadt  Thabang?Mohapi  Andre?Fourie 《Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology》2018,173(9):76

The Let?eng-la-Terae kimberlite (Lesotho), famous for its large high-value diamonds, has five distinct phases that are mined in a Main and a Satellite pipe. These diatreme phases are heavily altered but parts of a directly adjacent kimberlite blow are exceptionally fresh. The blow groundmass consists of preserved primary olivine with Fo_86?88, chromite, magnesio-ulvöspinel and magnetite, perovskite, monticellite, occasional Sr-rich carbonate, phlogopite, apatite, calcite and serpentine. The bulk composition of the groundmass, extracted by micro-drilling, yields 24–26 wt% SiO₂, 20–21 wt% MgO, 16–19 wt% CaO and 1.9–2.1 wt% K₂O, the latter being retained in phlogopite. Without a proper mineral host, groundmass Na₂O is only 0.09–0.16 wt%. However, Na-rich K-richterite observed in orthopyroxene coronae allows to reconstruct a parent melt Na₂O content of 3.5–5 wt%, an amount similar to that of highly undersaturated primitive ocean island basanites. The groundmass contains 10–12 wt% CO₂, H₂O is estimated to 4–5 wt%, but volatiles and alkalis were considerably reduced by degassing. Mg# of 77.9 and 530 ppm Ni are in equilibrium with olivine phenocrysts, characterize the parent melt and are not due to olivine fractionation. ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr_(i)?=?0.703602–0.703656, ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd_(i)?=?0.512660 and ¹⁷⁶Hf/¹⁷⁷Hf_(i)?=?0.282677–0.282679 indicate that the Let?eng kimberlite originates from the convective upper mantle. U–Pb dating of groundmass perovskite reveals an emplacement age of 85.5?±?0.3 (2σ) Ma, which is significantly younger than previously proposed for the Let?eng kimberlite.  相似文献