GeoEngSoft Technologies

Sudbury Basin Rockburst Alert

Deep mining in the Sudbury Basin triggers rockbursts. This page is an information page that alerts the general public of potential rockburst activity in the basin.

Why should the public be aware of rockbursts?

Mining companies do not want you to know that rockbursts occur.
They attempt to misdirect the cause as "natural earthquakes"
Large rockbursts are shear-slip events on existing geological structures such as faults
The geological structures are influenced by near-by mining excavations
Technology exists that can track and highlight potential rockburst prone structures

GEST rule-of-thumb #1: No mining activity - no induced seismicity
GEST rule-of-thumb #2: Mining activity -> stress change and deformation of the rock mass = mining-induced seismicity

Below is a summary of recent and historical Sudbury Basin Rockburst Activity.

Not all mines are currently actively mined, but have been seismically active at some period. Mine property ownership is circa 2010s

ID Mining-Camp Mine Company

1 Sudbury Basin Stobie Vale

2 Sudbury Basin Creighton Vale

3 Sudbury Basin Copper Cliff South Vale

4 Sudbury Basin Copper Cliff North Vale

5 Sudbury Basin Garson Vale

6 Sudbury Basin Totten Vale

7 Sudbury Basin Coleman Vale

8 Sudbury Basin Onaping Glencore Xstrata

9 Sudbury Basin Fraser Glencore Xstrata

10 Sudbury Basin Strathcona Glencore Xstrata

11 Sudbury Basin Craig Glencore Xstrata

12 Sudbury Basin Thayer Lindsley Glencore Xstrata

13 Sudbury Basin Nickel Rim South Glencore Xstrata

14 Sudbury Basin Falconbridge Glencore Xstrata

15 Sudbury Basin McCreedy West FNX/KGHM

16 Sudbury Basin Levack FNX/KGHM

17 Sudbury Basin Podolsky FNX/KGHM

18 Sudbury Basin Lockerby FNI

19 Sudbury Basin Victoria KGHM

Rockburst Alerts

Most recent Rockburst: 13 March, 2020 - afternoon
2020-03-13 19:35:42UTC 3.5 MN at Coleman Mine

CBC Radio Report based on Vale Press Release

Too far to be felt in Sudbury

Most recent FELT rockburst: 8 February, 2019 - early morning
2019-02-08 07:23:37UTC 3.6 MN at Creighton Mine

10 January, 2016: 5:37 pm & 5:49 pm
Two significant seismic events felt in Sudbury.
Estimated 3.5 Nuttli magnitude. Distinct p- and s-wave phases - typical of shear-slip events.
Charactersitic Mining-induced Rockbust type waveforms.

Rockburts Below 2000m Level at Creighton Mine - Confirmed by Vale

2006-01-10 22:37UT (5:37 pm local) 3.2 MN (GSC)

2006-01-10 22:49UT (5:49 pm local) 3.3 MN (GSC)

East of Sudbury Basin - 47 km east of Sudbury
2.8MN - September 29 2015, 9:06 p.m. EDT

Local news (CBC Radio) reported 2.8MN 47 km east of Sudbury (CBC radio interview with GSC Seismologist). However, from experience and an engineering point of view, it is not possible, based on the amount of vibration felt at the GEST Office, that the event is so small or that far from the city (seismic waveform attenuation and geometric spreading principles). Felt like 3.0MN @ 10km distance from Office.

GSC revised the events - Eastern Sudbury Basin sequence;

09:06 p.m. 3.1MN Main Event 0, 8 km E from Sudbury

09:10 p.m. 2.3MN Aftershock 1, 8 km E from Sudbury

09:14 p.m. 2.0MN Aftershock 2, 7 km E from Sudbury

This puts the seismic sequence south of the Garson area of Sudbury.

Creighton Mine 2014-08-05 18:15:31(UT) (2:15:31 p.m. local-DST)

3.8 MN - preliminary from Earthquakes Canada, GSC, Earthquake Search, http://earthquakescanada.nrcan.gc.ca/stndon/NEDB-BNDS/bull-eng.php, Nat. Res. Can., {2014/08/05}.

Felt 15 km away in Sudbury at GEST office - duration about 30-60 seconds. Similar to 4.1 MN felt in November 2006.

Smaller precursor event (~3.3 MN) about 20 minutes before main event can be clearly seen on all station seismographs.

Recent Sudbury Basin Mining Fatalities

Lockerby Mine 2014-05-06 Early morning, Ground fall, two fatalities, 1980 m depth

Coleman Mine, 2012-01-29 Afternoon, Falling rock fatality, 1285 m depth