3432 Advanced Seismic Acquisition Techniques in South African Mines: Insights from the FUTURE Project
Abstract
The FUTURE project aims to enhance seismic surveying in South African mining by integrating advanced acquisition technologies. In this paper, we detail surface and underground seismic surveys at the South Deep gold mine as part of the project. Surface seismic acquisition used WING Digital Field Units, Unite Remote Acquisition Units, and Distributed Acoustic Sensing for improved data quality. While, underground surveys employed cabled systems, nodal sensors, and fibre-optic cables in a GPS-denied environment. Results show the efficacy of these techniques in acquiring high-resolution seismic data, revealing detailed subsurface geological structures and mineralization. Surface data revealed clear seismic reflections corresponding to the Black Reef and Ventersdorp Contact Reef, while underground surveys provided a P-wave velocity model and seismic stack sections with significant reflections observed up to 500 m below the tunnel. We highlight the potential of these technologies to enhance safety, efficiency, and sustainability in mining. This study sets a benchmark for future seismic surveys, paving the way for safer, more efficient mineral exploration and extraction practices.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Moyagabo Kenneth Rapetsoa, Musa Manzi, Ian James, Alireza Malehmir, Raymond Durrheim, Valentina Socco, Jean Lepine, Chiara Colombero, Oleg Valeshin
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