Microseismic Precursors of Coal Mine Water Inrush Characterized by Different Waveforms Manifest as Dry to Wet Fracturing

Microseismic monitoring systems have been widely installed to monitor potential water hazards in limestone of the coal floor. The temporal and spatial distribution of rock fracture-induced microseismic events can be used as early warning indicators of potential water inrush from the coal floor. We established a microseismic monitoring system in the working face of Wangjialing coal mine. Besides traditional fluid-independent rock fracture-induced microseismic waveforms, fluid-dependent hybrid-frequency microseismic waveforms also play important roles in determining the microseismic precursors of water inrush. Hybrid-frequency microseismic waveforms have a sharp P wave and no obvious S wave phase. We infer that the first high-frequency signal is caused by the brittleness of the rock in the floor under the influence of the water pressure. The second low-frequency signal is caused by the water oscillations in the fractures. These hybrid-frequency waveforms represent the development of fracturing. In addition, the lifting height of the complete aquiclude above the confined water is very limited, and the water inrush from the floor is often closely related to these hidden faults. Therefore, the activation signal of hidden faults in the working face of coal mining can be monitored to effectively warn about the water inrush from the coal seam floor caused by faults. By analyzing different microseismic events, the monitoring and early warning of water disaster in the coal mine floor can be improved. This will help in taking measures in advance within the mine to ensure personnel safety and to reduce property losses.