Similarities between strong rock bursts with fault-slip mechanism and induced earthquakes

Abstract

Common features within manifestation of strong rockbursts with fault-slip mechanism and induced earthquakes that are studied in this paper are: correlations between the direction of the major fault wall displacement caused by geodynamic events and the regional stress field; typical correlations between the size of the focal zone and the hypocentre depth; locations of seismic hypocentres deeper than the depth of mining activity, and at distance from mining districts. Consideration is given to the direction of the major fault wall shifting in relation to strong tectonic shocks and induced earthquakes; the size of focal zones and their correlation with the size of geodynamically active crustal blocks; the location of the geodynamic event hypocenters relative to zones of anthropogenic impact. The similarity in manifestation of strong rockbursts and induced earthquakes is explained by the interaction of local and regional (global) geodynamic processes. The critically stressed state of the Earth’s upper crust, which has a block-hierarchical structure, is assumed to be the fundamental premise for such causality interaction.