Predictive regression models of monthly seismic energy emissions induced by longwall mining

Abstract

This article presents the development and validation of predictive regression models of longwall mining-induced seismicity, based on observations in 63 longwalls, in 12 seams, in the Bielszowice colliery in the Upper Silesian Coal Basin, which took place between 1992 and 2012. A predicted variable is the logarithm of the monthly sum of seismic energy induced in a longwall area. The set of predictors include seven quantitative and qualitative variables describing some mining and geological conditions and earlier seismicity in longwalls. Two machine learning methods have been used to develop the models: boosted regression trees and neural networks. Two types of model validation have been applied: on a random validation sample and on a time-based validation sample. The set of a few selected variables enabled nonlinear regression models to be built which gave relatively small prediction errors, taking the complex and strongly stochastic nature of the phenomenon into account. The article presents both the models of periodic forecasting for the following month as well as long-term forecasting.