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?
This popular South African social gathering involves friends cooking meat over an open fire, often accompanied by pap and wors.
What is a braai?
This type of risk assessment uses numerical probabilities.
What is quantitative risk assessment?
The typical consistency of tailings slurry when deposited.
What is a mix of water and fine solids?
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?
Meaning "I see you" in isiZulu, this greeting became globally recognized after being featured in the movie Avatar.
What is "Sawubona"?
One of the most catastrophic tailings failures in recent history (2019).
What is Brumadinho, Brazil?
A common method for tailings transport.
What is hydraulic (pipeline) transport?
The portion of the tailings facility that controls seepage.
What is the underdrain or liner system?
Instrument that measures movement along a potential failure plane.
What is an inclinometer?
This late jazz legend, known as "Mama Africa," was exiled during apartheid and sang hits like "Pata Pata" and "The Click Song."
Who is Miriam Makeba?
Failure mode caused by seepage and piping.
What is internal erosion?
This factor determines whether tailings will segregate during deposition.
What is particle size?
The stage of mine life when tailings facility design begins.
What is the planning or prefeasibility stage?
Data from this type of monitoring helps detect pore pressure buildup.
What is geotechnical instrumentation?
This Nobel Prize-winning author wrote "Disgrace" and "Life & Times of Michael K" while living through apartheid and its aftermath.
Who is J.M. Coetzee?
Analytical method used to trace potential failure scenarios.
What is Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA)?
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?
These systems integrate multiple instruments for real-time alerts.
What are remote or automated monitoring systems?
This South African comic has starred in 18 films.
Who is Leon Schuster?
Term for when soil behaves like a liquid during an earthquake.
What is liquefaction?