Collapse of the roof during mining is a constant threat to the lives of miners and equipment performance. To predict it, different numerical and physical approaches are used. Physical modeling of the massif region from -951 m to -841 m using equivalent materials were undertaken in this investigation. Various options for mining the Vorkuta coal deposit were considered: mining only the upper industrial seam, mining the lower coal seam as a protective layer to the upper one, and assessing the

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... t on the collapse zone of the complex structure of the upper coal seam roof while maintaining an upward order of mining. The main results were as follows: calculated collapse zone is approximately 30% larger than theoretical; collapse zone decreased when using mining with lower protective coal seam; the largest collapse zone was observed when pinching the rocks in upward mining order. Therefore, the research has shown the need to adjust the project for a larger methane yield. Further large-scale modeling is needed for understanding the characteristics of the collapse zone. Citation info: Zuev, B.Y., Istomin, R.S., Kovshov, S.V., Kitsis, V. M. 2020. Physical modeling the formation of roof collapse zones in Vorkuta coal mines.