Academician Melnikov Research Institute for Comprehensive Exploitation of Mineral Resources, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia:

K. N. Trubetskoy, Chief Researcher, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences
V. N. Zakharov, Head of Institute, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Yu. P. Galchenko, Leading Researcher, Professor, Doctor of Engineering Sciences, schtrek33@mail.ru

In diamond mining in Yakutia, the current geotechnology paradigm is incapable to make the applied geotechnology an effective basis for the advancement in underground mining of kimberlites due to the deterrent effect of a number of negative factors. Recent events in the Mir pipe development are not only an integral aftereffect of these factors, but they also indicate the urgent need to adjust the kimberlite pipe geotechnology paradigm as a whole. The scientific basis of the promising geotechnology paradigm for the natural and engineering systems in diamond mining represents an adaptation of the theory of a new scientific school on environmentally sound nature-like mining technologies as complex systems of clusters such that their internal structure is determined by mining and geological conditions of mineral deposits while interaction is based on homeostatic conversion of the laws of substance and energy circulation in natural biological systems into technosphere. Application of such geotechnologies continuously reproduces stable dynamic structures that do not generate fundamental changes in the state of the lithosphere elements, including fluid-bearing horizons. A set of geotechnological studies was carried out to implement the main provisions of the proposed paradigm. As a result, a fundamentally new geotechnology of underground ore mining o was created based on the active methods of control over secondary stress state of rock mass by means of separating time spans of actual mineral mining and overcoming the geomechanical perturbation consequences in the adjacent areas of the lithosphere. For operation in thick fluid-bearing horizons, a geotechnology of underground vertical slicing with backfill is proposed. The stoping method uses blasting. In general, advancement in underground mining of kimberlite pipes within the proposed provisions will solve the problems connected with: safety—by preventive elimination of the causes of negative effects due some geofactors and by creation of conditions for people evacuation from face areas; economic efficiency—by guaranteed possibility of using high-performance room-and-pillar systems with ore drawing by gravity and varied methods of ore breakage; ecological safety—by conditioning implementation of the biogenic principle of closed circulation of matter in the naturaland-technical system.
This study was supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research, Project No. 18-05-70019.

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