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Application of Microseismic Monitoring in Analysing the Stability of Underground Cavern

  • Research Articles
  • Published:
Journal of the Geological Society of India

Abstract

Long term stability of an underground cavern is significant for construction engineers. For structures constructed in the geologically active regions of the Himalayas, continuous monitoring is required to ward off the sustained threats due to seismic activities and associated local geological hazards. Underground powerhouse of Tapovan Vishnugad Hydropower Power Project (TVHPP), Chamoli, Uttarakhand is one such powerhouse that encountered various types of rockmass failures both during and post construction. The project area is located about 2.0 km north of the Main Central Thrust (MCT) and the rockmass cavern has numerous joints, shear and seam zones and fractures. This pose threat to the long term stability of this underground powerhouse cavern. To analyse the rockmass stability of the powerhouse, real time microseismic monitoring system was installed in this underground cavern. Spatio-temporal variation of the recorded seismic events has been analysed for microseismic events distribution in terms of seismic energy, displacement, cumulative apparent volume and various other contours led to the identification of potentially hazardous zones in the underground rockmass structure.

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Acknowledgement

This study is based on the Microseismic monitoring study conducted at TVHPP. The authors are grateful to the Director, National Institute of Rock Mechanics for the necessary support and approval to publish these findings. The authors are also grateful to the Management (for sponsoring, logistic and access for this study) and staff at TVHPP NTPC Ltd. Special thanks are due to Mr. N. Gopalakrishnan, DGM, NTPC Ltd. for providing the requisite site literature and other logistic support at site during the monitoring period. Help from colleagues of NIRM is also acknowledged. An honest thanks to Dr. Iram Saba Amin for proof-reading.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Institute of Rock Mechanics, Second stage Banashankari, Bengaluru, 560 070, India

    Vikalp Kumar, Prakash Chandra Jha & Sivakumar Cherukuri

  2. Department of Geophysics, Institute of Science, BHU, Varanasi, 221 005, India

    Vikalp Kumar & Nagendra Pratap Singh

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  1. Vikalp Kumar
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  2. Prakash Chandra Jha
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  3. Nagendra Pratap Singh
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  4. Sivakumar Cherukuri
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Correspondence to Vikalp Kumar.

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Kumar, V., Jha, P.C., Singh, N.P. et al. Application of Microseismic Monitoring in Analysing the Stability of Underground Cavern. J Geol Soc India 97, 1379–1386 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12594-021-1876-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12594-021-1876-y

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