![Fosterville and its gold mine. Picture by Google Earth Fosterville and its gold mine. Picture by Google Earth](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/Tom.OCallaghan/3e15c184-dba3-46ba-a1ba-04887f30b845.JPG/r0_0_2267_1249_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
If you live near the Fosterville Gold Mine, you may have felt the earth shaking on Thursday morning.
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According to Agnico Eagle, the mine registered a 2.2-magnitude seismic event at 6.37am during level firing at its Phoenix zone.
The location of the event was approximately 1.2 kilometres below the surface and 12 metres west of the underground mine workings, the mine company said.
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The Bendigo Advertiser understands effects from the event could be felt in Axedale, about 14 kilometres from the Fosterville Gold Mine, and as far as Knowsley.
According to Fosterville Gold Mine parent company Agnico Eagle, mine-induced seismicity was a "common phenomenon experienced across the underground mining industry and is caused by the redistribution of rock stress underground".
The gold mine has an underground seismic monitoring system which helped record when and where events occur underground, and their magnitude.
According to a Agnico Eagle fact sheet, events have occurred due to underground mining changing the pressure and distribution of stress applied to a rock being mined, reducing and increasing pressure in different areas.
Extractions could lead to rock fracturing resulting in ground vibration.
IN OTHER NEWS:
On May 29, some restrictions to mining noise were removed at Fosterville Gold Mine.
Restrictions to fan speed between midnight and 6am were in place at Fosterville's southern surface ventilation system fans.
According to Agnico Eagle, the gold mine had completed modifications to minimise the risk of low frequency noise from the system so far as reasonably practicable, so the restrictions were not necessary.
Agnico Eagle said Fosterville would engage with the workforce to plan the transition to resume normal underground operations.
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