The current status and development trends of coalfield seismic exploration technology in China

The transparency of geological condition detection and precise exploration are critical challenges hindering safe and efficient coal mining operations. Coalfield seismic exploration technology plays a vital role as a means to address hidden, potentially hazardous geological issues during the mining process. This technology provides high-precision regional geological structures and coal formation patterns, offering reliable geological basis for coalfield development. The evolution of coalfield seismic exploration technology in China can be divided into three distinct phases: the early stage from the 1950s to the early 1970s marked by technological inception; the digital development era spanning the late 1970s through the 1980s; and the current phase since the 1990s, characterized by extensive promotion and practical application. Over the course of more than seventy years, this technology has made significant advancements in coalfield geological surveys and the precise detection of hidden factors contributing to geological hazards. It stands as an indispensable geological support for ensuring safe and efficient coal development. By integrating in-depth research on coalfield exploration techniques with typical engineering practices, the text systematically outlines its technical features and current status across the stages of data acquisition, processing, and interpretation. In response to the urgent need for transparent and intelligent mine construction, future developments in coalfield exploration technology will focus on advancing dense distributed data acquisition, intelligent data processing and interpretation, and the innovative application and development of multi-attribute integration techniques.