Rock Drain Research Program


Book Description

Rock drains are zones of coarse rockfill capable of transmitting normal streamflows which are commonly constructed in mountain valleys for conveying streams along the bottom of waste rock dumps at mines. This report describes research conducted to evaluate issues related to the long-term performance of rock drains in the mining industry. Field research and monitoring was conducted at the Manalta Coal Line Creek Mine in British Columbia, where the mine's main rock drain began construction in 1989. Baseline data were also collected prior to construction. Other research activities included examination of waste rock properties, streamflow monitoring, flow-through tracer tests, sampling of suspended solids and bed load, rock drain flow-through modelling, water temperature and chemistry monitoring, and sampling of aquatic invertebrates. The report findings are presented for three main areas of study: physical characteristics of rock drains, including drain design and construction, waste rock properties, and geophysical investigation of rock dumps; flow-through characteristics, drain hydrology, water levels, and model results; and environmental effects of rock drains on water temperature, water chemistry, and aquatic invertebrates.




Guidelines for Mine Waste Dump and Stockpile Design


Book Description

Guidelines for Mine Waste Dump and Stockpile Design is a comprehensive, practical guide to the investigation, design, operation and monitoring of mine waste dumps, dragline spoils and major stockpiles associated with large open pit mines. These facilities are some of the largest man-made structures on Earth, and while most have performed very well, there are cases where instabilities have occurred with severe consequences, including loss of life and extensive environmental and economic damage. Developed and written by industry experts with extensive knowledge and experience, this book is an initiative of the Large Open Pit (LOP) Project. It comprises 16 chapters that follow the life cycle of a mine waste dump, dragline spoil or stockpile from site selection to closure and reclamation. It describes the investigation and design process, introduces a comprehensive stability rating and hazard classification system, provides guidance on acceptability criteria, and sets out the key elements of stability and runout analysis. Chapters on site and material characterisation, surface water and groundwater characterisation and management, risk assessment, operations and monitoring, management of ARD, emerging technologies and closure are included. A chapter is also dedicated to the analysis and design of dragline spoils. Guidelines for Mine Waste Dump and Stockpile Design summarises the current state of practice and provides insight and guidance to mine operators, geotechnical engineers, mining engineers, hydrogeologists, geologists and other individuals that are responsible at the mine site level for ensuring the stability and performance of these structures. Readership includes mining engineers, geotechnical engineers, civil engineers, engineering geologists, hydrogeologists, environmental scientists, and other professionals involved in the site selection, investigation, design, permitting, construction, operation, monitoring, closure and reclamation of mine waste dumps and stockpiles.




Investigation and Design of Mine Dumps


Book Description

This report presents the results of a study to review the current practice and develop practical guidelines for geotechnical investigation, analysis and design of mine dumps in B.C. While it is recognized that environmental, land use and related issues must also be addressed, they are not the focus of this document. As part of the study, a survey of dumps at 31 active mines was undertaken and synopses on 83 individual dumps were prepared and are included. Contributions to the guide were solicited from mine operators, regulatory agencies, research and industry groups, and geotechnical consultants.







Acid Mine Drainage, Rock Drainage, and Acid Sulfate Soils


Book Description

Provides the tools needed to analyze and solve acid drainage problems Featuring contributions from leading experts in science and engineering, this book explores the complex biogeochemistry of acid mine drainage, rock drainage, and acid sulfate soils. It describes how to predict, prevent, and remediate the environmental impact of acid drainage and the oxidation of sulfides, offering the latest sampling and analytical methods. Moreover, readers will discover new approaches for recovering valuable resources from acid mine drainage, including bioleaching. Acid Mine Drainage, Rock Drainage, and Acid Sulfate Soils reviews the most current findings in the field, offering new insights into the underlying causes as well as new tools to minimize the harm of acid drainage: Part I: Causes of Acid Mine Drainage, Rock Drainage and Sulfate Soils focuses on the biogeochemistry of acid drainage in different environments. Part II: Assessment of Acid Mine Drainage, Rock Drainage and Sulfate Soils covers stream characterization, aquatic and biological sampling, evaluation of aquatic resources, and some unusual aspects of sulfide oxidation. Part III: Prediction and Prevention of Acid Drainage discusses acid-base accounting, kinetic testing, block modeling, petrology, and mineralogy studies. It also explains relevant policy and regulations. Part IV: Remediation of Acid Drainage, Rock Drainage and Sulfate Soils examines both passive and active cleanup methods to remediate acid drainage. Case studies from a variety of geologic settings highlight various approaches to analyzing and solving acid drainage problems. Replete with helpful appendices and an extensive list of web resources, Acid Mine Drainage, Rock Drainage, and Acid Sulfate Soils is recommended for mining engineers and scientists, regulatory officials, environmental scientists, land developers, and students.




Rock Slope Engineering


Book Description

Rock Slope Engineering covers the investigation, design, excavation and remediation of man-made rock cuts and natural slopes, primarily for civil engineering applications. It presents design information on structural geology, shear strength of rock and ground water, including weathered rock. Slope design methods are discussed for planar, wedge, circular and toppling failures, including seismic design and numerical analysis. Information is also provided on blasting, slope stabilization, movement monitoring and civil engineering applications. This fifth edition has been extensively up-dated, with new chapters on weathered rock, including shear strength in relation to weathering grades, and seismic design of rock slopes for pseudo-static stability and Newmark displacement. It now includes the use of remote sensing techniques such as LiDAR to monitor slope movement and collect structural geology data. The chapter on numerical analysis has been revised with emphasis on civil applications. The book is written for practitioners working in the fields of transportation, energy and industrial development, and undergraduate and graduate level courses in geological engineering.




Abandoned Mine Site Characterization and Cleanup Handbook


Book Description

This Handbook has been developed by the EPA as a resource for project managers working on addressing the environmental concerns posed by inactive mines and mineral processing sites. This is not policy or guidance, but a compendium of info. gained during many years of experience on mine site cleanup projects. Chapters: Overview of Mining and Mineral Processing Operations; Environmental Impacts from Mining; Setting Goals and Measuring Success; Community Involve. at Mining Waste Sites; Scoping Studies of Mining and Mineral Processing Impact Areas; Sampling and Analysis of Impacted Areas; Scoping and Conducting Ecological and Human Health Risk Assessments at Superfund Mind Waste Sites; Site Mgmt. Strategies; and Remediation and Cleanup Options.




Coal


Book Description

Coal will continue to provide a major portion of energy requirements in the United States for at least the next several decades. It is imperative that accurate information describing the amount, location, and quality of the coal resources and reserves be available to fulfill energy needs. It is also important that the United States extract its coal resources efficiently, safely, and in an environmentally responsible manner. A renewed focus on federal support for coal-related research, coordinated across agencies and with the active participation of the states and industrial sector, is a critical element for each of these requirements. Coal focuses on the research and development needs and priorities in the areas of coal resource and reserve assessments, coal mining and processing, transportation of coal and coal products, and coal utilization.




Mechanics of Residual Soils, Second Edition


Book Description

Residual soils are found in many parts of the world and are used extensively as construction materials for roads, embankments and dams, and to support the foundations of buildings, bridges and load-bearing pavements. The characteristics and engineering properties of residual soils can differ significantly from those of the more familiar transported soils. The fact that residual soils occur often in areas with tropical and sub-tropical climates and (extensively) in semi-arid climates, adds another dimension to their engineering performance, that of unsaturation. Although there are many books that deal with the mechanics of soils, these are based mainly on the characteristics and behaviour of saturated transported soils. The first edition of this book was the first book to be written specifically about the mechanics of residual soils. The book was prepared by a panel of authors drawn from the Technical Committee on Tropical and Residual Soils of the International Society for Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering. It was written as a practical professional guide for geotechnical engineers working with residual soils. The second edition has retained the valuable information contained in the first edition. The present editors and authors have extensively revised and augmented the content to bring it completely up to date, adding significantly to the sections on unsaturated soil mechanics and expanding the range and number of instructive case histories. Furthermore, sections on pedocretes, dispersive soils and karst have been added.




The Long Term Stabilization of Uranium Mill Tailings


Book Description

Summarizes the current state of the art of uranium mill tailings disposal and the results from an IAEA Coordinated Research Project (CRP) on technologies and strategies for their long term stabilization. The aim of the CRP was to develop conceptual and technical solutions that render tailings more inert over prolonged time spans.