The problem of ensuring the preservation of natural diamond crystals during the development of kimberlite deposits by explosive method is very relevant.

Large mass explosions and intensification of rock stripping at active quarries, located near buildings and engineering structures, make it necessary to predict the action of shock air waves (SAW), as they can, represent a certain danger.

The study of the regularities of wave propagation excited by explosion in rocks is of great importance in various fields of science and technology. Studies have established that they play a significant role in the general process of hard rock destruction. However, a rigorous theoretical consideration of this issue presents enormous difficulties.This paper presents some qualitative and quantitative results of the experimental study of the patterns of propagation of stress waves in hard rocks caused by the explosion of a charge of spherical shape. On the basis of generalization of experimental data and some theoretical assumptions, approximate empirical dependences are obtained, which allow to calculate their main parameters.