Pre-blast prediction of ground vibration in surface mining using rock acoustic impedance and wave attenuation calibrated with in-situ measurements

= 0.82) between specimen length and particle displacement, supporting the theoretical strain-kinematic relationship, while wave propagation behaviour was analysed using power-law relationships to describe geometric spreading and material attenuation. The derived attenuation coefficient of 0.675 is lower than the empirical decay exponent of 1.46 (derived from the USBM model), indicating a relatively conservative representation of vibration attenuation. Model performance was evaluated using statistical metrics, showing comparable predictive capability to the USBM model in terms of R², RMSE, and MAE, with improved representation of material-specific attenuation behaviour. The proposed framework integrates geomechanical principles with mathematical modelling to develop a physically informed alternative to purely empirical approaches. This hybrid BIGV prediction method can be applied at the pre-blast planning stage, thereby improving prediction reliability and supporting safer, more efficient mining operations.