A seismic event that is caused by the mining of underground or surface openings in a high-stress environment. The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) defines a rock burst as "a sudden and violent failure of a large volume of overstressed rock, resulting in the instantaneous release of large amounts of accumulated energy." Underground, a rock burst sounds like a loud blast. On the surface, a rock burst sounds like a sonic boom, while the ground and structures on the surface shake as if a small earthquake had occurred.