Regional Distribution and Causes of Global Mine Tailings Dam Failures

Abstract

Tailings ponds are one of the three major production facilities in metal mines. The volume of tailings increases year by year, but the storage capacity of existing tailings ponds is limited. Therefore, tailings dams must become more fine-grained and larger. The potential hazard they represent should not be underestimated. This paper reveals the causes and regional distribution patterns of 342 tailings dam failures globally from 1915 to 2021 through statistical analysis. It was found that tailings pond failures occur almost every year, with an average of 4.4 accidents/year (1947–2021). The frequency has been gradually increasing in recent years, and most tailings pond failures are directly related to heavy rainfall or earthquakes. The frequency of tailings pond failures was significantly higher in Asia (21.3%) and the Americas (57.9%), especially in China (n = 43) and the United States (n = 107). Causes of tailings pond failures differed among regions. Most tailings pond failures in Asia and Europe were related to hydroclimate, while those in South America were mainly triggered by earthquakes. This study will provide theoretical data for the pre-design as well as the safe and stable operation of global tailings ponds, which will help to prevent global tailings pond failures.

Socio-Environmental Risks Linked with Mine Tailings Chemical Composition: Promoting Responsible and Safe Mine Tailings Management Considering Copper and Gold Mining Experiences from Chile and Peru

“…In a mine tailings storage facility, there are potential risks related to superficial water and hydrogeological water [ 75 , 76 , 77 ]. This type of risk can give rise to different negative effects on the environment, such as dragging of waste and residues produced by rain, acidification of water due to the effects of tailings, metal solubilization (dissolution of heavy metals in water), sediment entrainment, groundwater pollution, dam overflow in storms, and erosion of the dam base by flow [ 78 , 79 , 80 ]. These all impact the environment differently.…”

Past, Present, and Future of Copper Mine Tailings Governance in Chile (1905–2022): A Review in One of the Leading Mining Countries in the World

“…However, the risk associated with TSFs is very large, considering that a potential dam failure could easily damage the environment and people with pollution or other adverse impacts [ 36 ]. Accidents or failures at these facilities are always associated with social, environmental, or public safety issues, some more catastrophic than others [ 37 ]. This contributed to a reduction in the rate of TSF failures in recent decades.…”

The influence of normal distribution dispersion of fracture size on blockiness and REV of fractured rock masses

“…The study of blockiness level is of great significance to avoid geological disasters such as rockfalls and tailings pond failures (Wang et al, 2019;Wang et al, 2021;Wang et al, 2022a;Lin et al, 2022;Ma and Liu, 2022). Blockiness is defined as the percentage of the volume of isolated blocks formed by fractures to the total volume of the rock (Xia et al, 2016).…”