Patent ID: 8031555

Claim:
A method of creating a permanent seismic monitoring system above an underground mine to locate trapped miners, the method comprising: forming an array of seismic sensors proximate to a surface of the earth above the underground mine, the array comprising: a central computer having data processing and data storage; and a plurality of surface seismic sensors, wherein at least one of the plurality of surface seismic sensors is separated from an adjacent sensor by an array spacing distance, and wherein the at least one surface seismic sensor includes a communications link to the computer; constructing a plurality of base stations within the underground mine, wherein at least one of the plurality of base stations is separated from an adjacent base station by a base station spacing distance, and wherein the at least one base station includes a seismic generator; and recording a plurality of reference seismic signatures for the plurality of base stations where at least one reference seismic signature is recorded for each of the plurality of base stations by: producing a seismic emission from at least one of the plurality of base stations by actuating the seismic generator; sensing the seismic emission with the plurality of surface seismic sensors to form a plurality of seismic signals; communicating the plurality of seismic signals to the computer; and processing the plurality of seismic signals with the computer into at least one seismic reference signature for the at least one base station.