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Deeper excavations have been carried out in both mining and civil engineering projects during the last decades. With the increase of depth, rocks may overstress and rock failures can occur during the excavation. When competent rock strata are encountered under high stress conditions, these failures can vary from superficial spalling to explosive rockburst. Intense rockbursts may cause fatal injuries to workers and significant loss of equipment and time. The occurrence of rockbursts is always difficult to predict and special steps and measures must be taken to control them. First, burst-prone zones must be predicted by an early exhaustive geological study and by the assessment of in situ stress level and orientation. Second, basic design parameters, e.g., shape, size, and excavation method, should be modified and adapted to the expected conditions to minimize rockburst risk. Third, in situ preconditioning methods, e.g., destress blasting, can be applied to decrease the capacity of the rock mass to store energy. Finally, special rock support and reinforcement systems, i.e., yielding systems, must be installated after excavation to ensure the total stability of the opening. The present paper reviews the geological and geomechanical factors which provoke and influence rockbursts in overstressed rock masses and the engineering measures taken to control them.

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