Test blasting in the vicinity of the Asse mine

Drilling rig for the exploration relating to the planned recovery shaft

With the help of smaller test blasts beginning next Saturday, the Asse-GmbH intends to determine further planning foundations for the construction of the planned recovery shaft. The blasts will consist of tests using small amounts of explosives which will only cause minimum ground motion. The measured data is necessary to examine as to whether and how it will be possible to construct the planned shaft 5 through blasting processes. Furthermore, the measurements will provide data as to how and whether the ground motion will affect the mine. Shaft sinking by conventional blasting enables shorter construction periods and is more flexible with regard to changing ground conditions, compared with other methods. In the case of the Asse mine, however, this safety of the mine must not be impaired by this method. The tests will provide relevant data on this.

The tests will be carried out in parallel to the ongoing exploratory works for shaft 5. Shaft construction can only begin once the exploratory work has been completed and an evaluation on the location’s suitability will be available.

The complete text of this article (in German) is available on the Asse-GmbH website.