We present preliminary results from a parameter study investigating the stability of underground structures in response to explosion‐induced strong ground motions. In practice, even the most sophisticated site characterization may lack key details regarding precise joint properties and orientations within the rock mass. Thus, in order to place bounds upon the predicted behavior of a given facility, an extensive series of simulations representing different realizations may be required. The influence of both construction parameters (reinforcement, rock bolts,liners) and geological parameters (joint stiffness, joint spacing and orientation, and tunnel diameter to block size ratio) must be considered. We will discuss the distinct element method (DEM) with particular emphasis on techniques for achieving improved computational efficiency, including the handling of contact detection and approaches to parallelization. We also outline the continuum approaches we employ to obtain boundary conditions for the distinct element simulations. Finally, our DEM code is used to simulate dynamic loading of a generic subterranean facility in hardrock, demonstrating the suitability of the DEM for this application. © 2004 American Institute of Physics