Tailings Fundamentals
The material left over after the extraction of valuable minerals from ore.
What are tailings?
The three main types of tailings dam construction methods.
What are upstream, downstream, and centerline?
A sensor that measures subsurface water pressure.
What is a piezometer?
Australia’s longest river, though relatively low in flow compared to global rivers, runs through New South Wales and Victoria.
What is the Murray River?
This type of risk assessment uses numerical probabilities.
What is quantitative risk assessment?
This dimensionless number compares resisting forces to driving forces in slope stability analysis.
What is the factor of safety?
This analysis helps determine dam stability under static and seismic conditions.
What is slope stability analysis?
Satellite-based technique for detecting surface deformation.
What is InSAR?
Although Australia's highest mountain is Mount Kosciuszko, this neighboring peak is the country's most difficult to climb and has claimed numerous lives.
What is Mount Townsend?
One of the most catastrophic tailings failures in recent history (2019).
What is Brumadinho, Brazil?
The common method for tailings transport.
What is hydraulic (pipeline) transport?
This surface water feature often forms atop fine tailings and must be carefully managed.
What is a decant or supernatant pond?
Instrument that measures movement along a potential failure plane.
What is an inclinometer?
This island, located off Western Australia, is famous for smiling quokkas and once served as a prison for Aboriginal Australians.
What is Rottnest Island?
This is the most common contributing factor identified in major tailings dam failures worldwide.
What is water?
This international standard, updated after several major failures, governs best practices for tailings management worldwide.
What is the Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management (GISTM)?
This process describes the gradual expulsion of pore water from tailings under load.
What is consolidation?
Data from this type of monitoring device helps detect pore pressure buildup.
What is a piezometer?
The only successful armed overthrow of an Australian government is known by this name.
What is the Rum Rebellion?
These four letters describe the predefined operational responses that must occur when monitoring thresholds are exceeded.
What is a TARP (Trigger Action Response Plan)?
This structure retains tailings and can be raised over time.
What is a tailings dam or embankment?
The minimum static factor of safety target commonly used in tailings dam design.
What is 1.3 to 1.5?
This type of piezometer uses a vibrating wire to transmit pressure changes as frequency shifts.
What is a vibrating wire piezometer?
This Australian state has no natural lakes.
What is Tasmania?
Term for when soil behaves like a liquid during an earthquake.
What is liquefaction?