The new Technical Bulletin: Application of Dam Safety Guidelines to Mining Dams, complements the Dam Safety Guidelines re-published by CDA in 2013 by providing additional explanation of how the concepts described in the guidelines apply to mining dams. The Bulletin identifies some specific issues that should be considered during the design and safety evaluation of both tailings dams and water retention dams used in the mining industry. Available in hard copy only.
This report discusses general features of tailings dams and impoundments. The report provides an introduction for Federal land managers, permit writers, and the general public to the subject of tailings dams and impoundments, particularly with regard to their engineering features and their ability to mitigate or minimize adverse effects to the environment.
Provides basic background information on mining and TSF development and summary for tailings dam failure causes 1915 - 2016. This Presentation is a summary of the proposed portal and is a beta version of the Global Tailings Portal Tool published by GRID-Arendal (Beta Version 3.0).
Ground motion over mine sites, while an everyday occurrence, may represent hazards that need to be identified and monitored over time. An accurate and regularly updated overview of surface movement over mining operations is therefore critical as part of an ongoing risk assessment program. By having a complete picture of ground stability, movement patterns which represent potential geotechnical hazards to safety and mine operations can be identified and tracked over time. From routine monitoring to highfrequency updates, interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) technology is increasingly being used to identify a wide range of movement patterns which may be of concern to mine operators and geotechnical engineers. Recent advances in radar image processing algorithms, combined with an increase in the number of satellite systems launched into orbit, have resulted in improvements in the ability of this technology to capture complex and rapid displacement. In particular, the ability to characterise rapid and sudden motion (metres of movement) has increased the utility of InSAR from a practical standpoint in characterising geotechnical hazards. Further exploitation of 2D monitoring approaches in capturing vertical and horizontal movement, particularly for producing displacement vectors along cross sections, can also provide additional insights into hazard characterisation. Key differences between the ability of highresolution imagery to capture complex and rapid deformation in comparison to low-resolution (but freely available) Sentinel imagery are also touched upon. This paper will focus on the practical application of InSAR technology to monitor mine sites around the world, illustrating how new processing approaches and data sources are used in the identification of geomechanical risks that are typically of greatest concern from both an operational and safety standpoint. Examples of results over an active mine site will be shared and a particular emphasis will be placed on selecting the right InSAR tool for helping geotechnical engineers best manage risk due to movement.
Tailings related information is found by searching "Tailings" or "Dam".
This Proposed Best Practices guideline provides recommendations from an informed body of geotechnical engineering practitioners for defining the roles and responsibilities of an EoR for a tailings dam or CCR dam to enhance safety, environmental suitability, and social sustainability.
Root Cause Analysis of the December 22, 2008 Failure of the Ash Disposal Cells at the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Kingston Fossil Plant in Roane County, Tennessee. This report summarizes field exploration, laboratory testing, analysis and the evaluation of probable failure modes leading to failure.
The criticality of effective stewardship of tailings facilities has recently gained increasing recognition and triggered much effort on the part of the many mining companies across the world. The world of mining, and in particular the mine waste management practice area, is changing dramatically after the recent tragic events following the tailings dam failure in Brazil in January 2019. Investors, communities, shareholders, nongovernmental organisations, regulators and insurance companies are looking to the tailings storage facilities and their management through a completely different lens; one that focuses on the need for implementing best available practices (BAP), best applicable technologies (BAT), and how the zero repeats commitment of the mining industry will be achieved. This presentation outlines Anglo Americans approach to building a world-class tailings storage facilities practice, which includes a number of key must-have ingredients: A solid and strict governance framework for the oversight of a large portfolio of tailings and water dams in a global environment, where stringent minimum technical standards are implemented with non-negotiable requirements. The need for people with the right set of skills, competencies, and technical knowledge, but also the mindset on safety and the do the right thing approach that needs to be part of their DNA. The critical controls definition and implementation to ensure each facility is planned, built and managed safely to design requirements, minimising the presence of the surprise effect, and in particular the minimisation of the human error element factor. Pushing the boundaries of technology and innovation in tailings production, deposition, and management of such facilities. From minimising the tailings production, to high tech near real-time monitoring instrumentation and surveillance technologies, all are key ingredients in building a global success story. Implementing the Anglo American dam safety management program at a global level does not come without challenges. The presentation will discuss the strategy and share some of the success stories, as well as lessons learned along the Anglo American journey since 2014, when the company transformed its internal technical requirements, raising the bar to a whole new level.