A series ofphysical and numerical model tests wereperformed to investigate the behaviour of the rock surrounding circular excavations under high confiningpressures. The aim was to provide information on the formation of fractures around deep level mine tunnels under controlled conditions. Solid cubes containing a circular hole were confined to a vertical pressure of 200 MPa with a confinement of 100 MPa in the two horizontal directions. To provide a contrast, a block was made from a series ofplates to simulate the presence of horizontal bedding planes. The resulting fracture patterns are completely different and emphasized that the amount offiacturing would be considerably increased as a result of discontinuities in the rock. Analysis ofacoustic emission dataprovides insights into the response ofthe rock duringloadingand unloading, and assists with the identification of the effect of the discontinuities. A model based on Mohr Coulomb plasticity and rotating smeared-crack concepts has been developed to represent the formation of discrete fracture processes in a continuum under compressive and tensile stress conditions. The model is tmplemented in a discrete element -finite element method and is able to represent the change in fracture patterns between the solid and jointed blocks. This provides confidence for the application of the numerical model to the design of mine tunnels at great depth.