Loosening rocks detection at Draa Sfar deep underground mine in Morocco using infrared thermal imaging and image segmentation models

Rockfalls are among the frequent hazards in underground mines worldwide, requiring effective methods for detecting unstable rock blocks to ensure miners' and equipment's safety. This study proposes a novel approach for identifying potential rockfall zones using infrared thermal imaging and image segmentation techniques. Infrared images of rock blocks were captured at the Draa Sfar deep underground mine in Morocco using the FLUKE TI401 PRO thermal camera. Two segmentation methods were applied to locate the potential unstable areas: the classical thresholding and the K-means clustering model. The results show that while thresholding allows a binary distinction between stable and unstable areas, K-means clustering is more accurate, especially when using multiple clusters to show different risk levels. The close match between the clustering masks of unstable blocks and their corresponding visible light images further validated this. The findings confirm that thermal image segmentation can serve as an alternative method for predicting rockfalls and monitoring geotechnical issues in underground mines. Underground operators worldwide can apply this approach to monitor rock mass stability. However, further research is recommended to enhance these results, particularly through deep learning-based segmentation and object detection models.