Mining Institute, Kola Science Center, Russian Academy of Sciences, Apatity, Russia:

A. A. Kozyrev, Head of Rock Mechanics Department, Professor, Doctor of Engineering Sciences
V. I. Panin, Leading Researcher, Candidate of Engineering Sciences
I. E. Semenova, Leading Researcher, Candidate of Engineering Sciences, innas@goi.kolasc.net.ru
V. V. Rybin, Leading Researcher, Doctor of Engineering Sciences

The article presents the results and issues of geomechanical support of mining operations at the deposits of the Kola Peninsula, which is an edge part of the Baltic shield and exposed to impact of high subhorizontal stresses. The authors discuss ambiguity of the effect of tectonic compression on the rock mass of deposits under mining and the approaches to solving the actual problem of managing geodynamic risks in the development of rockburst-hazardous deposits. According to the results of stress measurements in the deposits of the Murmansk Region, the trends of their changes with depth and the direction of action are revealed. The data obtained on the stress field, main fault structures, surface topography, parameters of ore bodies and geometry of stoping excavations have allowed the design of large-scale geomechanical models of the Khibiny and Kovdor massifs, as well as the Zhdanovskoe copper–nickel deposit. Varying the volumes of mined-out and displaced reserves made it possible to consider sequential development of contiguous deposits, obtaining patterns of stress–strain state change, and optimizing sequence and direction of mining operations in rockburst-hazardous conditions. Designed to meet the needs of the mining industry, Sigma GT software and a set of deposit models are used to predict geomechanical situation, evaluate mining plans, and get recommendations on supporting mine excavations directly in mines. Regional and local measures are proposed to ensure the safety of mining operations in the particular conditions of specific deposits. The developed principles of geomechanical support of mining operations allow minimizing geodynamic risks when developing reserves in tectonically stressed rock masses of the Kola Peninsula.

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