Mechanism of “seesaw‐type” rock burst in coal seam mining beneath mountainous areas

Rock bursts in complex topographic settings remain a critical challenge in deep underground engineering. This study investigates overburden fracture behavior and rock burst mechanisms during coal seam mining in mountainous areas, employing laboratory experiments, numerical simulations, and theoretical analysis. The results reveal that mountain topography induces nonuniform overburden fracture, and as the coal face advances beneath the mountain, the shifting pivot point of the deflected overburden causes a seesaw‐type rotational motion (backward first, then mutual, and finally forward), driving fractures to undergo an “open‐close‐reopen” cycle. During mining through mountainous zones, the cyclic, seesaw‐like subsidence releases accumulated elastic strain energy and gravitational potential energy. The coupled action of these energy sources at the coal face induces forward‐tilting and back‐rotating rock bursts, exhibiting distinct major‐minor cycle phenomena. The study clarifies the mechanism of seesaw‐type overburden motion and its role in triggering rock bursts, thereby providing a theoretical foundation for precise monitoring, early warning, and prevention of rock bursts in mountainous mining settings.