Sudden emissions of coal and gas in the Karaganda coal basin

The study presents an analysis of sudden emissions of coal and gas in the Karaganda coal basin. The Karaganda coal basin is the largest industrial center of Kazakhstan. Due to the location of the cities of Karaganda, Saran, Abai, Shakhtinsk and other settlements in the basin, threats of sudden emissions to the population have been identified. The most significant factors causing sudden emissions of coal and gas, such as the amount and pressure of gas, strength, fracturing, porosity, and initial rate of coal gas release, have been identified. On the territory of the coal basin, the central and southern sections of the Sherubai-Nurinsky district are more complex in terms of tectonic relationships. In these areas, the conditional extent of continuous pathologies reaches 2.9 - 3.4 km/km2, that is, several times more than in other areas. Due to the presence of numerous faults in the coal seams of the Sherubai-Nurinsky district, the distribution of the current methane content in coal seams and gas pressure in them are characterized by anomalies. As a result of the study, 66 mine formations from critical depths were found to be dangerous, and 33 were found to be non-dangerous in terms of sudden emissions of coal and gas. The paper proposes to identify hazardous areas in advance during exploration to prevent sudden emissions and take appropriate protective measures.