January 25, 2019, 12:28 PM — a date and time forever etched into mining history. At the Córrego do Feijão iron ore mine in Brumadinho, Brazil, a[…]

When I started out in tailings management in the 1980s, the mining world felt like a different planet. Field offices were barely wired, we were checking piezometers[…]

When I started my career in geotechnical engineering, slope stability analysis was already a central part of the tailings dam design process. People in the generation before[…]

After four decades in tailings management, one thing has become clear to me: the fundamentals of good design rarely change. What does change is the context—larger facilities,[…]

Tailings dam practitioners should be interested in a variety of geophysical methods to assess the safety, stability, and environmental impact of tailings storage facilities. These methods are[…]

Tailings, often a mix of fine silts and clays, are hydraulically deposited, leading to loosely packed, often contractive materials. Their behavior under shear loading can be complex,[…]

From Ladd, 1991, Stability During Staged Construction I saw a recent post about the many benefits of vibrating wire piezometers.  They are wonderful instruments, for sure.  But,[…]

Image generated by ChatGPT Tailings facilities are among the most critical—and riskiest—structures in mining. With the potential for catastrophic failure, monitoring their stability is not just good[…]