Rock Engineering and Slope Stability

The geological and geotechnical models are foundations of any mine design. These models could also be the leading sources of technical risks for mining projects. In order to minimise these risks, it is necessary to reduce the uncertainty in understanding the geological context of the deposit. With ever more sophisticated...

Design of deep open pits in structurally complex, weak deformable rock masses is a challenge. Recently, SRK in conjunction with HTA Consulting, engaged in assessing the slope stability for such a proposed pit. Experience has shown that incorporation of the Geotechnical Blockiness Index (GBI) within the 3D geotechnical domain model...

SRK has recently been involved at the feasibility and pre-feasibility level studies on a number of large-scale iron ore projects in west and central Africa and Brazil. Experience across these locations has highlighted a number of similarities that should be considered when generating a geotechnical model in itabirites. In the...

The Kumtor gold project is located in the mountainous terrain of the Tien Shan Mountains in the Kyrgyz Republic, at an altitude of around 4000m. The mean annual temperature is minus 8°C. Locating and designing an exploration decline to access and explore the mineralised horizon below the operating open pit...

The Los Caracoles is a 140m high hydropower water dam, located in San Juan Province, Argentina, in an arid region of high seismic activity. The spillway system consists of two large parallel tunnels while the gateway structure is formed by two twin boxes, each 30m high, excavated in the upstream...

Risk management and risk assessment are important processes, and should be applied to both the development of mining studies and the implementation of designs. SRK has completed a risk assessment as part of the cutback feasibility study and practical design for the Damang pit in Ghana. For operational risk management,...

The Antamina Cu-Zn mine which lies in the high Andes of Peru, 270km north of Lima, is operated by Compañía Minera Antamina S.A., for a consortium of owners including BHP Billiton, Xstrata, Teck Resources, and Mitsubishi Ltd. An expansion of the mine has been recently approved which takes advantage of...

A staged numerical analysis program was conducted for the final pit and proposed underground mining excavations at Ok Tedi Mine in Papua, New Guinea. The analyses were conducted to evaluate the performance of the final east and west pit walls, and the stability of the underground mining excavations beneath these...

The economic success of industrial mineral projects,such as potash, often depends on recovering high tonnages at low cost. These deposits are often tabular and, are subjected to the full weight of the overburden, are of relatively low strength, which makes underground high extraction problematic. Most of the tools and techniques...

The design, development and operation of a shaft system is a critically important element in mining, and needs specialised technical input. Experience has shown that the consequences of damage to shaft systems caused by geotechnical factors are serious and costly. Control of ground conditions is a key factor in the...

SRK has developed an audit procedure for Ground Control Management Plans (GCMP) designed for open pit and underground operations. The audit procedure is based on guidelines provided by the Western Australian Department of Minerals and Petroleum (DMP), published in 1997 and 1999, relating to geotechnical considerations for both open pit...

Despite the widespread availability of software programs using sophisticated numerical methods, the physical principles of slope engineering should not be forgotten. Simple, well considered engineering judgment based on fundamental principles, which identify all potential mechanisms of failure and account for the stability of each mechanism in the design, are critical...

The El Teniente mine complex, owned and operated by the National Copper Corporation of Chile (CODELCO), is located about 80 km south of Santiago, Chile in the Andes Mountains, at 2,500 meters above sea level. The complex includes a series of underground operations that use block caving and panel caving...