Document Type: Research Paper
Sarcheshmeh copper mine, with the final reserves of 828 million tons of sulfur ore and average grade of 0.74%, is known to be the largest open pit of Iran and most probably the second largest copper mine in the world. This mine is located in the seismotectonic zone of Central-Iran, and 23 Km away from the 150 Km long Rafsanjan active fault.In this study the vulnerability of the west wall of the mine, which is more susceptible to sliding, is determined. First, the seismic hazard probability was calculated by defining seismic sources and determination of seismicity parameters. Then the most effective source in seismic hazard is determined by seismic hazard deaggregation. The Newmark displacement of the west wall is calculated by the critical acceleration and Arias intensity. Finally, the mine vulnerability and seismic risk for this site, along with the probable earthquakes, is calculated. The seismic risk of this site is estimated to be 0.07 of the overall value of the mine.