Seismic forecasting remains constrained by surface noise and low spatial resolution, limiting reproducible predictions. Although deep borehole stations and underground laboratories improve conditions, they face high costs, sparse coverage, and narrow disciplinary scope. In this work, the strategic reuse of deep closed mines as seismic forecasting laboratories was evaluated. Closed mines, abundant and deep with extensive tunnels and reusable infrastructure, provide ideal low-noise, near-source environments for scalable observation networks. They can lower construction costs, enable simultaneous monitoring of natural and induced earthquakes, and support comparative studies of source mechanisms and forecasting methods. Key challenges include processing massive data volumes, integrating multi-source information, and ensuring equipment reliability in harsh environments. Future directions emphasize building three-dimensional, multiphysics monitoring networks, advancing interdisciplinary and international collaboration, and developing an integrated “observation–warning–prevention” platform. Repurposing closed mines not only expands underground space utilization but also offers a potential paradigm shift in seismic monitoring, providing a novel pathway to overcome longstanding forecasting bottlenecks. Document Type: Perspective Cited as: Li, P., Tang, C., Li, Y., Zhang, Y., Gorjian, M., Cai, M. Repurposing deep closed mines as seismic forecasting research platforms. Advances in Geo-Energy Research, 2025, 18(1): 1-6. https://doi.org/10.46690/ager.2025.10.01

In the process of deep mining, the prevention and control of rock bursts, mine earthquakes, and other disasters are common problems. The stress of earth tides and its periodic actions should trigger mine earthquakes when the rock masses are in a critical state of rupture. In this study, the Yanbei coal mine was taken as the research background to explore the triggering effect of solid tides on mine earthquakes occurring in the floor. The relationship between the diurnal tidal stress phase and mine earthquakes was studied by statistically analyzing the mine earthquake frequency, and the triggering mechanism was also preliminarily discussed. It was found that the solid tide plays a significant role of trigger action in the occurrence of rock burst of the floor type. For different levels of mine earthquakes, the tidal stress triggering effect is different, but the overall trend is close. Compared with the components of tidal stress, vertical stress, north-south stress, and shear stress, rock burst occurred more at the stage close to 0° and ±180°. For different types of mine earthquakes, the triggered mechanics function of tidal stress is different. Mine earthquakes on the floor mainly include two kinds (the gravity control type and horizontal stress control type). The former easily occurs during the tidal stress vertical component of the maximum, while the latter easily occurs when the two horizontal components of the maximum are combined. The frequency of the former is larger than that of the latter. The results show that the floor seismic activity is correlated with the solid tidal activity of the earth’s crust, which provides a new idea for understanding the mechanism and trigger conditions of mine earthquakes.

To address the stability challenges of surrounding rock in large-span open-off cuts within weakly cemented strata of western China, this study investigated the 1219 open-off cut at the Shila Wusu Coal Mine. An analytical elastic model for rectangular roadway stress was developed using complex variable function theory to examine the influence of the lateral pressure coefficient on stress distribution. Furthermore, numerical simulations were employed to characterize plastic zone evolution and evaluate support effectiveness. The results demonstrate that the lateral pressure coefficient significantly dictates the stress field: circumferential stress at the ribs intensifies with the increasing lateral pressure coefficient, while stress in the roof and floor decreases accordingly. Notably, tensile stresses develop in the roof and floor when the lateral pressure coefficient is less than 1. Stress extremes are concentrated at the roadway shoulders, exhibiting a distribution pattern where the ribs experience higher concentration than the roof and floor. The circumferential stress concentration coefficient exhibits a marked positive correlation with the lateral pressure coefficient. Numerical results indicate that post-support compressive stress at the shoulders reaches 39.24 MPa, with plastic zone widths of 1.64~2.06 m at the ribs, 2.70 m at the roof, and a significant 5.33 m at the floor, highlighting a pronounced risk of floor heave. Field loosening zone measurements of 1.08 m in the roof and 2.49 m in the rib align closely with numerical findings, confirming that the implemented support effectively constrains plastic zone development. By integrating theoretical derivation, numerical modeling, and in situ observations, this study establishes a robust theoretical and technical framework for the support design of large-span roadways in similar geological settings.