Geophysical experiments to image the shallow internal structure and the moisture distribution of a mine waste rock pile

Poisson, Jérôme; Chouteau, Michel; Aubertin, Michel; Campos, Daniel

doi:10.1016/j.jappgeo.2008.10.011

Cited by 67 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…Geophysical methods have increasingly demonstrated their potential to: delineate areas contaminated with potentially harmful elements and compounds and acidic seepage at industrial landfills and mine waste sites; define petrophysical properties and the internal structure of tailings impoundments and waste rock piles (Ebraheem et al 1990;Yuval and Oldenburg 1996;Campbell et al 1998;Campbell and Fitterman 2000;Painter et al 2000;Campbell and Horton 2001;Smith et al 2001;Buselli and Lu 2001;Vanhala and Lahti 2001;Shemang et al 2003;Guérin et al 2004;Chouteau et al 2005;Sjödahl et al 2005;Vanhala et al 2005;Martínez-Pagán et al 2009;Martín-Crespo et al 2010;Rucker et al 2009;Poisson et al 2009). Because the electrical properties of soils change as a function of mineral and porewater composition, grain-size variation and moisture content, electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) is a highly promising tool for investigating the internal structure of mine wastes that are controlled by water and oxygen fluxes responsible for sulfide oxidation and possible generation of acid mine drainage (AMD) (Chouteau et al 2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Integrated geophysical and geochemical study on AMD generation at the Haveri Au–Cu mine tailings, SW Finland

Placencia-Gómez¹,

Parviainen

Hokkanen³

et al. 2010

Environ Earth Sci

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The Haveri tailings area contains 1.5 Mt of sulfide-bearing waste from the Au-Cu mine that operated during [1942][1943][1944][1945][1946][1947][1948][1949][1950][1951][1952][1953][1954][1955][1956][1957][1958][1959][1960][1961]. Geophysical and geochemical methods were used to evaluate and characterize the generation of acid mine drainage (AMD). Correlations were examined among the electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) data, the total sulfide content and concentrations of sulfide-bound metals (Cu, Co, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn) of tailings samples, and the resistivity and geochemistry of surface water. The resulting geophysical-geochemical model defines an area in the vadose tailings, where a low resistivity anomaly (\10 Ohm m) is correlated with the highest sulfide content, extensive sulfide oxidation and low pH (average 3.1). The physical and geochemical conditions, resulting from the oxidation of the sulfide minerals, suggest that the low resistivity anomaly is associated with acidic and metal-rich porewater (i.e., AMD). The lower resistivity values in the saturated zone of the central impoundment suggest the formation of a plume of AMD. The natural subsoil layer (silt and clay) and the bedrock surface below the tailings area were well mapped from the ERT data. The detected fracture zones of the bedrock that could work as leakage pathways for AMD were consistent with previous geological studies. The integrated methodology of the study offers a promising approach to fast and reliable monitoring of areas of potential AMD generation and its subsurface movement over large areas (ca. 9 ha). This methodology could be helpful in planning drill core sampling locations for geochemical and mineralogical analysis, groundwater sampling, and choosing and monitoring remedial programs.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Integrated geophysical and geochemical study on AMD generation at the Haveri Au–Cu mine tailings, SW Finland

Placencia-Gómez¹,

Parviainen

Hokkanen³

et al. 2010

Environ Earth Sci

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“…A number of geophysical methods have been applied in the studies of mine tailings and acid mine drainage including electromagnetic and electrical methods, magnetic methods, and remote sensing methods (e.g., Benson and Addams, 1998;Buselli et al, 1998;Campbell and Fitterman, 2000;Kolaj and Smith, 2013;Poisson et al, 2009;Shang et al, 2001;Yuval and Oldenburg, 1996;Zarroca et al, 2015). At some tailings the electromagnetic and electrical methods have successfully mapped enhanced salinity associated with the production of acid mine drainage.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Geophysical delineation of acidity and salinity in the Central Manitoba gold mine tailings pile, Manitoba, Canada

Tycholiz

Ferguson

Sherriff

et al. 2016

Journal of Applied Geophysics

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“…Electrical resistivity imaging, ground penetrating radar and induced polarisation methods have been widely employed in studies of leachate transport from landfills (Nobes et al 2000;Abu-Zeid et al 2004;Porsani et al 2004;Dahlin et al 2010). They have also been used in mining environmental studies, in order to image AMD plumes (Buselli and Lu 2001;Rucker et al 2009), tailings ponds (PlacienciaGómez et al 2010; or waste rock piles (Van Dam et al 2005;Poisson et al 2009;Anterrieu et al 2010;Mele et al 2013). This study uses ground penetrating radar (GPR) and geoelectrical multiplegradient array surveying to examine the effectiveness of the backfilling and sealing of mine waste at a small openpit copper mine in northern Sweden.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of the effectiveness of backfilling and sealing at an open-pit mine using ground penetrating radar and geoelectrical surveys, Kimheden, northern Sweden

et al. 2014

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At Kimheden, a small copper mine in northern Sweden, reclamation of the two open pits was investigated using ground penetrating radar and geoelectrical multiplegradient array measurements. The pits had been backfilled with waste rock, with a dry cover being applied on top in 1996 in order to reduce the influx of oxygen to the sulphidic mine waste and the subsequent production of acid mine drainage. The dry cover consists of a sealing layer of clayey till and a protective layer of unsorted till. As geochemical sampling in the drainage from the pits had previously revealed the continued release of contaminating oxidation products, the purpose of the geophysical survey undertaken in 2010 was to identify deficiencies in the cover or other pathways for oxygen to reach the waste rock. The radar images did not reveal any damage in the sealing layer but risks of deterioration of the cover in the long term were identified with both the radar and geoelectrical data. The radar localised regions of thinner protective layer where the sealing layer could be exposed to frost action. The geoelectrical measurements indicated the existence of seepage through the dry cover that presented a risk of erosion of the sealing layer. 2-D inversion of geoelectrical data also imaged some pathways of groundwater around the main pit. The results from the geophysical investigations were used together with other site data in order to show that both deficiencies in the cover and superficial fractures in the pit walls may explain an ongoing influx of oxygen to the mine waste.

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Geophysical experiments to image the shallow internal structure and the moisture distribution of a mine waste rock pile

Cited by 67 publications

References 14 publications

Integrated geophysical and geochemical study on AMD generation at the Haveri Au–Cu mine tailings, SW Finland

Integrated geophysical and geochemical study on AMD generation at the Haveri Au–Cu mine tailings, SW Finland

Geophysical delineation of acidity and salinity in the Central Manitoba gold mine tailings pile, Manitoba, Canada

Evaluation of the effectiveness of backfilling and sealing at an open-pit mine using ground penetrating radar and geoelectrical surveys, Kimheden, northern Sweden

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