Seismic events

Seismic events occur when the natural tension in the bedrock changes. The greatest rock stress is horizontal – lateral – rather than vertical, i.e. top-to-bottom as we might expect.

LKAB constantly monitors seismic activity. It does this with hundreds of instruments called geophones that detect shock waves in the bedrock.

When a seismic event has occurred and has been registered by the LKAB seismic system a mining engineer firstly completes a preliminary analysis of the event. Brief information via sms and e-mail is forwarded to the responsible and affected individuals internally within LKAB and externally to for example the municipality and the County Administrative Board.

The Richter Scale is designed to measure natural earth tremors at very great distance. In a mine you want to know more accurately where a vibration has happened, a more precise scale is therefore required.

Here you will find some common questions and answers about seismic activity