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1.0 INTRODUCTION
Wolf Minerals (UK) Limited (Wolf Minerals) has requested Coffey Mining (Coffey) undertake collation
of additional data to support their Schedule 5 environmental permit application for the Hemerdon Mine
Waste Facility (MWF). This additional data includes an assessment of nearby open pit blasting
vibration levels likely to be experienced at the MWF.
The proposed Hemerdon Open Pit is located approximately 475m southeast of the proposed final
design location of the MWF, which encompasses a tailings storage facility and waste dump. The
designed open pit targets Tungsten bearing granite, which has intruded as sills and dykes into
Devonian sedimentary rocks comprising slates, shales, siltstones and tuffs.
The objectives of this study are to assess the effect of blasting on the MWF, specifically the:
frequency of blasting and ground vibration levels as the open pit mine develops, and
ground vibration levels due to blasting as compared to the maximum credible earthquake
(MCE) of the Hemerdon region.
This study is focussed on the effect of blasting at the least distance between the open pit and the
MWF during all stages of the project, which is 475m. The ground vibrations experienced at this
distance will be the highest, and as the mine develops, the separation distance between the blast and
the MWF will increase and the ground vibrations will reduce.
2.0 BACKGROUND
Table 2.1_1
475 0.015
2,500 0.040
10,000 0.082
30,000 0.133
The Maximum Credible Earthquake (MCE) for the Hemerdon project is a 1:10,000 year event.
Table 4_1
Predicted PPV (mm/sec) from Hemerdon Open Pit Blasting, experienced at MWF
Legend: Damage Guide PPV (mm/s) (From Hoek & Bray, 2001)
< 51 Limit below which risk of damage, even to old buildings, is very slight (less than 5%)
From Table 4_1, it can be seen that the design blast at the distance of 475m has a PPV of 7.2mm/s,
which is significantly lower than the 51mm/s limit of damage referenced by Hoek and Bray, 2001.
Negligible damage to the MWF is expected at this distance from the blast.
The PGA of different blast durations at varying distances from the blast were calculated by dividing
the PPV from Table 4_2 by the duration of the blast. This value was then divided by the acceleration
due to gravity.
Figure 4_2
The minimum distance from the open pit to the MWF is 475m, where the effect of ground vibrations
will be most significant. As shown in Figure 4_1, at 475m at the typical blast duration scenarios, the
PGA remains under 0.005g, which is below the MCE threshold of 0.082g.
Figure 4_3 is the location map of the Hemerdon mine site, which depicts the proximity of the MWF to
the open pit. As can be seen from this map, initial drilling and blasting of the open pit near the surface
is where the MWF and open pit are in closest proximity. As the pit develops, the distance between
the MWF and open pit blasting increases.
Figure 4_3
Maximum Permissible Level of Vibration due to Air blast Overpressure according to SS460 48 66
Radius from Blast Location (m) Maximum Permissible Vibration Level (mm/s)
475 9.9
500 9.6
600 8.9
700 8.4
800 7.9
900 7.5
1000 7.2
Table 4_1 indicates that the proposed blast design at the closest point of 475m experiences a PPV of
7.2mm/s, which falls under the 9.9mm/s maximum permissible air blast vibration level displayed in
Table 5_1, according to the Swedish standards.
8.0 REFERENCES
1. Australian Standard 2187.2, 2006, Explosives- Storage, Transport and Use App. J.
2. British Geological Survey, 2013, Seismic Hazard Assessment for Hemerdon Mine.
3. Cantab Consulting, 2013, Hemerdon Waste Facility Environmental Permit Application.
4. Coffey, 2011, Stability Analysis of the Hemerdon Waste Dump Design.
5. Coffey, 2011, Mine Waste Dump and Tailings Management Facility Design Report.
6. Hoek, E. and Bray, J.W., 2001, Rock Slope Engineering, Revised third edition.
7. Oriard, L.L., 1982, Influence of Blasting on Slope Stability; State of the Art.
8. Nichols, H.R., Johnson, C.F. and Duvall, W.I., 1979, Blasting Vibration and Their
Effects on Structures, U. S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Mines, Bulletin 656.
9. Stagg, M.S., 1984, Effects of Repeated Blasting on a Wood-Frame House, U.S.
Department of the Interior, Bureau of Mines.
10. Standardiserings-Kommissionen Sverige, 2011, SS 460 48 66- Vibration And Shock -
Guidance Levels For Blasting-Induced Vibration In Buildings.