Empirical methods for assessment of seismic system sensitivity

Abstract

One of the basic performance characteristics of the seismic system is its sensitivity. An appreciation of the spatial variation of m_min is important for the correct interpretation of seismic data and the planning of future expansion of the seismic system. This paper will discuss the empirical evaluation of the system sensitivity applied to the data from two Australian mines. The method discussed here is reliant on enough seismic data being available and is per se not applicable to greenfields sites. A gridless method for the evaluation of m_min with respect to the distance to sensors is proposed as a stable and relatively easy first order approach to the evaluation of the system sensitivity that overcomes some of the problems of the other methods. This method is easy to understand and facilitate the conceptualisation of the influence of the sensor locations on the system sensitivity.