Along with the analysis of caving occurrence, it is also important to estimate the cave propagation rates and to define the extent of cave limits. Mining-induced subsidence is an inevitable artifact of underground ore extraction, to the point that proper planning of a cave mining project must assess the impact of ground movements on surface buildings and facilities and determine the necessary stand-off distances for the siting of mine shafts and other infrastructure.

In the case of transition from open pit to cave mining, the subsidence effect can have a destabilizing effect on the existing slopes, which must be taken into account to plan mining method migration or coexistence.

Some of the usual activities involved in this subject are:

• Modeling of cave back evolution, cave propagation, and breakthrough to overlying levels or surface.

• Subsidence prediction and impact assessment for pits, infrastructure, and environmental stakeholders.

• Interaction studies between caves and major underground excavations (shafts, access drives, major pillars).