Open Pit Research Articles

Century-long recovery of mycorrhizal interactions in European beech forests after mining

Abstract Background and aims Ecological restoration strategies are emerging globally to counteract biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation. However, restored ecosystems may not reach undisturbed biodiversity and functionality. One reason of this limited success may be a focus on short-term recovery of diversity, composition, or isolated functions. These simplified metrics may underestimate the real time ecosystems need to recover. Thus, studies of more complex metrics, like biotic interactions, at larger timescales, are essential to understand ecosystem recovery. Methods Using molecular identification, we assessed the recovery of the interactions between ectomycorrhizal (EcM) fungi and European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) in two opencast iron mines in use since the fourteenth century and abandoned over 107 and 148 years. Results Species richness, species diversity, Basidiomycota/Ascomycota abundance ratio and taxonomic distinctness of EcM fungi recovered to undisturbed values, whereas species composition was still different. Certain fungal functional traits (i.e. exploration and sporocarp types) also reached undisturbed values. Differences in soil pH and NH4+ affected the composition of the EcM communities associated with beech, suggesting that mining caused a long-term impact in soil biogeochemistry, that directly impacted beech-EcM interactions. Conclusion Mycorrhizal interactions require more than 150 years to recover following mining. Contrary to the rapid recovery response provided by simple metrics like species richness, recovery metrics with more ecological information, like the identity of plant-EcM interactions, may be still capturing signals of incomplete recovery.

Heavy Metal-Laden Particulate Dust Alters Transcriptional Regulation in Human Colonoids

Chronic heavy metals exposure in the southwestern United States co-occurs with greater incidences of metabolic and digestive diseases, particularly in the Indigenous and Hispanic populations. There is a need to understand how particulate heavy metals drive this dysbiotic state and propose a molecular explanation as a result of these exposures. Previously, our group demonstrated human colonoids to be a relevant model for investigating the physiological impact of environmental toxicants on the intestinal tract. The objective of this study is to elucidate the mechanism behind the transcriptional and cellular changes present in the intestinal epithelia upon acute exposure to non fissile uranium particulate dust. We hypothesize that non-fissile uranium exposure biases the differentiation of progenitor cells in the crypt to secretory roles through miRNA regulation. Colonoids were exposed (18 hours) to non-fissile uranium dust obtained from the Jackpile uranium mine, one of the largest open pit uranium mines, located on the Laguna Pueblo in New Mexico. Control and dust-exposed colonoids (n=3 unique donors) were digested into single cells and processed for droplet-based single cell sequencing (scRNAseq). Upon exposure, enteroendocrine cells (EEC) expanded >4 fold, along with increases in serotonin and PYY, as well as goblet cells (>3 fold) which indicates changes to the secretory lineage. Downstream pathway analysis found microRNAs miR-625-3p, miR-320a, miR-29b-3p to be differentially expressed. These results suggest that acute uranium dust exposure induces changes in differentiation pathways which are modulated by regulatory miRNAs. We would like to expand these findings by performing miRNA sequencing and comparing miRNA expression profiles between UBD exposed and control samples. Our results also provide an improved understanding of uranium dust’s impact on the gastrointestinal system, which may inform other physiological studies on the health of individuals exposed to heavy metals. This study was funded by K01DK106323, R56ES034400, P42ES025589, P20GM121176, P20GM130422, and AGA SURF. This is the full abstract presented at the American Physiology Summit 2024 meeting and is only available in HTML format. There are no additional versions or additional content available for this abstract. Physiology was not involved in the peer review process.

Stability Analysis of Jointed Rock Slopes Based on the Universal Elliptical Disc Model

A discrete fracture network (DFN) represents the random distribution of fractures within rock masses in three dimensions and has been widely used in the stability analysis of jointed rock slopes. This study introduces a novel method for constructing three-dimensional DFN models to address the limitations of traditional circular or polygon-based models. This method employs the universal elliptical disc (UED) model, combined with the discrete element method (DEM) in 3DEC, for the probabilistic analysis of jointed rock slope stability. The paper begins with an explanation of the fundamental principles of the UED model, and continues to detail the procedures for creating a three-dimensional DFN using the UED model and for analyzing slope stability using the DEM. An open-pit mine rock slope in the USA serves as a case study to illustrate the application of the proposed method. This approach facilitates the integration of the UED model into 3DEC and offers a more realistic depiction of the three-dimensional DFN, which enhances both the accuracy and efficiency of stability analysis in jointed rock slopes.

Application of remote sensing techniques for estimation and mapping of iron oxides and iron-containing minerals in open pits of the Kryvyi Rih iron ore basin

The purpose of this study is to use remote sensing data to map the deposits of the Kryvyi Rih iron ore basin. Several methods for estimating iron oxide content have been applied and tested. Using image processing techniques, color composites, band ratios and supervised classification, a map of rocks with different iron oxide contents in the Inhulets and Skeliuvats-Magnetite deposits was create. The proposed method uses six Landsat 9 bands to map iron-bearing minerals and rocks (spectra 1, 3, 4 and 5) and hydroxyl (spectra 1, 5 and 7), which are easily visible in the pictures of the operation land images. The final identification of iron deposition was based on the difference in reflectivity of iron oxide content. The Kryvyi Rih iron ore basin is an excellent environment for remote sensing experiments for iron ore identification. Quite large-scale outcrops of ore bodies with pronounced reflection spectra are observe at the deposits. The large extent of development of ferruginous horizons makes them easy to diagnose using Landsat series satellites.

Parametric evolutions of explosive fracture zones in the explosion of series of blasthole charges with a complex structure

The purpose of the paper is to specify calculations of a rock mass fracture zone in the explosion of series of blasthole charges with a complex structure under mathematical modelling of their interaction if parts of the blasting agent are spaced along the well length by means of an inert material. The parts are blasted sequentially. Therefore, dynamic load of exploded rock mass has been analyzed depending upon a blasting order of the charges and their parts. Originality is to define more exactly the regularities of interaction between explosive energy of blasthole charges with the specific design and rock mass enclosing them. The developed methods help identify usability of the explosives, designed by the authors, and simplify calculations of drilling-and-blasting description. It has been proved that selection of charge mass with different ratios of their parts in the sequential wells, and variation in lag intervals between the explosions make it possible to control a process of rock mass loading depending upon the specific mining and geological conditions if features of a force field are known. The findings expand methodological basis as for design of open pits while favouring implementation of explosive charges which structure is proposed by the authors.

GEOMONITORING OF THE OPEN-PIT MINE SLOPES DURING SUBSOIL DEVELOPMENT

The concept of geomonitoring and its role in developing the mining industry as a case study of the development of copper and zinc deposits in central Kazakhstan ("East Saryoba" mine) has been considered. As a crucial element of the geomonitoring concept, the control of the open-pit mine's slope stability has been examined. Geomonitoring is being treated as a combination of geodetic monitoring data and geomechanical properties of the surrounding rocks to analyze the possible slopes' collapses. The refined approach of geomonitoring has been developed to provide appropriate reliability and accuracy. The technology is based on complex knowledge about the geological structure of the object of monitoring and applying state-of-the-art geodetic methods. Research on the geomechanical properties of the open-pit mine has been carried out. The results of these studies have been used to determine the collapse zones of the slopes of the open-pit mine. The limit values for the slopes' collapse zone and inclination angle for the prospective excavation regions in the open-pit mine have been calculated using the equilibrium state equation. Those values, namely, the size of the collapse zone and the slope's inclination angle, were used for the geodetic target setup. As a case study, the displacements of these targets were measured using robotic total stations placed on the control points over the geodetic network. For the installation of both geodetic equipment during the geomonitoring design and accomplishment, the authors developed the permanent measuring station construction, which provides fast and accurate centering. The first results showed that the problem of the geomonitoring design could be solved based on geomechanical rock properties accounting and their combination with the results of geodetic measurements.

Pre-feasibility Assessment Based on Engineering Design of a Limestone Open Pit Mine

Pre-feasibility Assessment Based on Engineering Design of a Limestone Open Pit Mine

Container technology for transporting rock masses in quarries

Container technology for transporting rock masses in quarries

Spatiotemporal change characteristics of vegetation coverage in Shangwan Mine of China's Shendong Mining Area.

The coal mining might cause the disturbance to the vegetation and the disturbance impacts might exist the differences for different areas, and few literatures compared and analyzed different disturbed areas based on the location of the mining face, and paid attention to the post mining self-healing effects of vegetation. Here, this paper selected the GaoFen multispectral images during 2017-2021 to study different areas of Shangwan Mine which includes the old mining area more than 5 years after mining, the new working face underground mined in 2018 and 2019, the natural growth control area and the open-pit mining affected area. The spatiotemporal changes of the surface fraction vegetation coverage (FVC) were analyzed in each area and the correlation between vegetation coverage and climatic factors was studied. The results showed that: (1) The overall vegetation coverage showed a moderate decrease trend in fluctuation from 2017 to 2021. The Open-pit mining affected areas showed the largest decline, reaching 68.3%. The FVC in the underground mining areas had a downward trend, but self-healing effect after mining was also observed. (2) The overall FVC in the study area was positively correlated with the number of precipitation days. (3) There were differences in the sensitivity to mining disturbance for different landform in the underground mining areas. (4) Although the FVC in the Old mining areas had recovered to the level of Natural growth control area, but the annual fluctuation was larger, which might mean lower ecological stability.

Pelaksanaan Reklamasi Lahan Pasca Tambang PT Rekasindo Guriang Tandang di Bengkulu

Coal mining in Indonesia is generally carried out using open pit mining methods, thereby disrupting and destroying the ecosystem and natural balance, causing negative impacts that result in environmental damage. Therefore, sustainable development with an environmental perspective is important for every nation and country that wants to protect its natural resources. The main cause of damage to the ecosystem or environment is humans. This research was conducted using a qualitative approach method. According to Williams (1988), the qualitative method is an approach that in the research proposal, process, hypothesis, going into the field, data analysis and data conclusions up to writing uses aspects of trends, non-numerical calculations, situational descriptive, interviews, in-depth analysis, deep. contents, snowballs and stories. The research findings regarding the study of the implementation of ex-mining land reclamation at PT Rekasindo Guriang Tandang's Coal Mining Business License in North Bengkulu Regency, Bengkulu Province are regarding community knowledge and participation in reclamation activities, land preparation, implementation of activities, equipment, costs, and commitment of directors or managers. The implementation of reclamation activities at PT Rekasindo Guriang Tandang did not go well because the plant growth success rate was low and plant growth was less than optimal. So the government and Mining Business License (IUP) managers need to take policies to involve the community more to play a more active role in reclamation activities carried out in areas around their environment.

Using isotope-geochemical criteria for Olympiadinskoye gold deposit gas system genesis diagnosis

The authors studied modern gas manifestations spatially associated with the ore deposits in the Kaitbinskaya lithological-facies zone of the Yenisei Ridge. The purpose of the research is to obtain scientifically based data on the genesis of gaseous and vaporous fluids in various sampling environments of the Vostochny open-pit mine of the Olympiadinskoye gold deposit: rocks, natural waters, free-flowing gases from blastholes and air of the surface atmosphere. It has been conducted a complex of field and analytical works including degassing, gas chromatography, pyrolysis of the organic substance of lithified and metamorphosed deposits, analysis of carbon isotopic composition in carbon dioxide and methane in fluidal systems. In order to study normal gas-geochemical field (natural background) of the work area an atmospheric geochemical survey was carried out at the reference site – an “environmentally friendly” site with the minimal influence of technogenic factors. It has been determined that the surface atmosphere of the site had been formed due to the landscape and geomorphological conditions of the Kaitbinskaya lithological-facies zone as well as fluidal systems of deep horizons. The latter, due to the presence of an extensive network of disruptive disturbances and diffusion-filtration processes of mass transfer reached the zone of exploratory geochemical sounding. The conducted pyrolytic studies of rocks have proved that within the open section of the Vostochny open-pit mine the organic substance of the Kordinskaya series of the lower Riphean deposits has implemented its oil and gas generation potential and cannot serve the formation source of abnormal gas fields of the Olympiadinskoye gold deposit. The studied gas systems are polygenic in nature and, being allochthonous to the host sediments, are formed without the participation of gases from the upper generating (bio) zone. According to isotope-geochemical criteria, these are mainly endogenous and naphthidogenic fluids identical to the gas condensate accumulations of the Yurubcheno-Tokhomskaya oil and gas accumulation zone.

A stacked deep multi-kernel learning framework for blast induced flyrock prediction

Blasting operations are widely and frequently used for rock excavation in Civil and Mining constructions. Flyrock is one of the most important issues induced by blasting operations in open pit mines, and therefore needs to be well predicted in order to identify the safety zone to prevent the potential injuries. For this purpose, 234 sets of blasting data were collected from Sungun Copper Mine site, and a stacked deep multi-kernel learning (SD-MKL) framework was proposed to estimate the blast induced flyrock with confidence accuracy. The proposed model uses the stacking-based representation learning framework (S-RL) to achieve deep learning on small-scale training sets. A multi-kernel learning model (MKL) is used as the base module of S-RL framework, which uses a multi-feature fusion strategy to generate multiple kernels with different kernel length in order to reduce the effort in tuning hyperparameters. In addition, this study further enhanced the predictive capability of SD-MKL by introducing the boosting method into the S-RL framework and hence proposed a boosted SD-MKL model. For comparison purpose, several existing machine learning models were implemented, i.e., kernel ridge regression (KRR), support vector machine (SVM), random forest (RF), gradient boosting decision tree (GBDT), ensemble deep random vector functional link (edRVFL), SD-KRR and SD-SVM. Our experimental results showed that the proposed boosted SD-MKL achieved the best overall performance, with the lowest RMSE of 0.21/1.73, MAE of 0.08/0.78, and the highest VAF of 99.98/99.24.

Surface Elevation Change Monitoring Based on ICESat-2 Satellite Altimetry Data

The ICESat-2 (Ice, Cloud and Land Elevation Satellite-2), launched by NASA on September 18, 2018, offers higher precision in surface elevation monitoring. This study aims to investigate the surface elevation changes over different time periods in the Delong and Bulianta open-pit mines in Wulanmuren Township, Ordos City, using ICESat-2 laser data. The study utilizes the spatial distribution information of each photon from ATL03 (terrain elevation data) and the classification information of each photon from ATL08 (vegetation canopy height and surface elevation data) to extract surface photon elevation data for different periods in the same area. The precision of ICESat-2 satellite elevation data is validated using the on-board radar data from Henan Polytechnic University's Feima unmanned aerial vehicle D2000 in Jiaozuo City, Henan Province.Results indicate that in the No.1 area of the Delong open-pit mine, the surface subsided by approximately 16.3 meters between November 14, 2019, and November 10, 2021, due to soil removal operations. In the No.2 and No.3 areas of the Bulianta open-pit mine, the surface was uplifted by 3.1 meters and 13.6 meters, respectively, between May 16, 2019, and August 13, 2020, due to backfilling after mining. Additionally, the No.4 area was uplifted by about 10.5 meters between November 14, 2019, and November 10, 2021.Furthermore, the accuracy assessment yielded the following results: R2=0.956, RMSE=0.324, and MAE=0.105 meters, indicating that ICESat-2 data can be used as scientific data for inverting surface elevation changes.

Does diet quality moderate the long-term effects of discrete but extreme PM2.5 exposure on respiratory symptoms? A study of the Hazelwood coalmine fire

In 2014, a fire at an open cut coalmine in regional Victoria, Australia burned for 6 weeks. Residents of the nearby town of Morwell were exposed to smoke, which included high levels of fine particulate matter (PM2.5). We investigated whether the long-term effects of PM2.5 on respiratory health were moderated by diet quality. A cross-sectional analysis was conducted of data collected 8.5 years after the mine fire from 282 residents of Morwell and 166 residents from the nearby unexposed town of Sale. Primary outcomes were respiratory symptoms. Exposure was coalmine fire-related PM2.5 and diet quality was assessed as Australian Recommended Food Score (ARFS) derived using the Australian Eating Survey (AES). The moderating effect of diet quality on respiratory outcomes associated with PM2.5 was assessed using logistic regression models, adjusting for potential confounders. Diet quality was poor in this sample, with 60% in the lowest category of overall diet quality. Overall diet quality and fruit and vegetable quality significantly attenuated the association between PM2.5 and prevalence of chronic cough and phlegm. Sauce/condiment intake was associated with a greater effect of PM2.5 on COPD prevalence. No other moderating effects were significant. The moderating effects of overall diet quality and vegetable and fruit intake aligned with a priori hypotheses, suggesting potential protective benefits. While more evidence is needed to confirm these findings, improving diets, especially fruit and vegetable intake, may provide some protection against the effects of smoke exposure from fire events.

Research on chlorine salt antifreeze road dust suppressants for open-pit coal mines

In addressing the significant challenge of trucking road dust emanating from open-cast coal mines, the prevalent method of conventional water sprinkling for dust removal on transport roads has proven suboptimal. This inadequacy is attributed to the pronounced mobility of truck transport roads, substantial dust loads, and extensive open dust sources. Particularly in cold mining regions, the use of water in winter exacerbates the issue by causing icy road surfaces, thereby increasing the risk of truck skidding and overturning, posing a severe hazard to both mine safety and the well-being of truck drivers. A pragmatic imperative exists to devise a solution that effectively addresses both anti-freezing and dust suppression in open-pit coal mine roads, while minimizing corrosive impact. Against the backdrop of Hebei Open-pit Coal Mine in Huolin, Inner Mongolia, this study focuses on the development of a chloride salt antifreeze-type road dust inhibitor tailored for open-pit transportation roads. The proprietary anti-freezing dust suppressant achieves a freezing point as low as −36.4 °C, exhibiting corrosion efficiency merely at 56.5% of that of water. Notably, the effective dust suppression duration surpasses that of water by a factor of 150, resulting in a 53% reduction in dust suppression costs. This innovation is specifically applicable to high-cold and arid surface coal mines in northern regions and similar mining contexts. It offers technical support for the establishment of environmentally sustainable practices in surface coal mines, representing a pivotal step toward the realization of green mining initiatives.

Deployment to Military Bases With Open Burn Pits and Respiratory and Cardiovascular Disease

Many veterans who served in Afghanistan and Iraq during Operations Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) were deployed to military bases with open burn pits and exposed to their emissions, with limited understanding of the long-term health consequences. To determine the association between deployment to military bases where open burn pits were used for waste disposal and the subsequent risk of developing respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. This retrospective observational cohort study used Veterans Health Administration medical records and declassified deployment records from the Department of Defense to assess Army and Air Force veterans who were deployed between 2001 and 2011 and subsequently received health care from the Veterans Health Administration, with follow-up through December 2020. Data were analyzed from January 2023 through February 2024. Duration of deployment to military bases with open burn pits. Diagnosis of asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, interstitial lung disease, hypertension, myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure, ischemic stroke, and hemorrhagic stroke. The study population included 459 381 OEF and OIF veterans (mean [SD] age, 31.6 [8.7] years; 399 754 [87.0%] male). Median (IQR) follow-up from end of deployment was 10.9 (9.4-12.7) years. For every 100 days of deployment to bases with burn pits, veterans experienced increased adjusted odds for asthma (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.01; 95% CI, 1.01-1.02), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (aOR, 1.04; 95% CI, 1.02-1.07), hypertension (aOR, 1.02; 95% CI, 1.02-1.03), and ischemic stroke (aOR, 1.06; 95% CI, 0.97-1.14). Odds of interstitial lung disease, myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure, or hemorrhagic stroke were not increased. Results based on tertiles of duration of burn pit exposures were consistent with those from the continuous exposure measures. In this cohort study, prolonged deployment to military bases with open burn pits was associated with increased risk of developing asthma, COPD, and hypertension. The results also point to a possible increased risk in ischemic stroke. The novel ability to use integrated data on deployment and health outcomes provides a model for additional studies of the health impact of environmental exposures during military service.

Enhancing rock fragmentation assessment in mine blasting through machine learning algorithms: a practical approach

The optimization of blasting operations greatly benefits from the prediction of rock fragmentation. The main factors that affect fragmentation are rock mass characteristics, blast geometry, and explosive properties. This paper is a step towards the implementation of machine learning and deep learning algorithms for predicting the extent of fragmentation (in percentage) in open pit mining. While various parameters can affect rock fragmentation, this study considers ten among them (i.e., spacing, drill hole diameter, burden, average bench height, powder factor, number of holes, charge per delay, uniaxial compressive strength, specific drilling, and stemming) to train and test the models. However, due to a weak correlation with rock fragmentation, drill diameter, average bench height, compressive strength, stemming, and charge per delay are eliminated to reduce model complexity. A total of 219 data sets having five input features including the number of holes, spacing, burden, specific drilling, and powder factor are used to develop the models. Machine learning models (random forest regression, support vector regression, and XG boost), as well as a deep learning model (neural network regression), are applied to develop a practical way that can optimize the prediction of fragmentation. This study employs performance measures such as R-squared, RMSE, MSE, MAPE, and MAE. The optimization of the model revealed promising results, indicating that the architecture 5-64-32-16-1 exhibits strong performance. Specifically, the model achieved mean squared error (MSE) values of 41.32 and 28.59 on the training and test datasets, respectively. The R2 value for both training and test is 0.83. RFR is also performing well compared to SVR and XG boost with MSE values of 12.37 and 9.89 on training and testing data, respectively.in both sets, the R2 value is 94%. Based on permutation importance and shapely plot values, it is observed that the powder factor has the highest impact, while the burden has the lowest impact on fragmentation.

Development of a finite element groundwater flow model to test drainage management strategies for the expansion of the Dareh-Zar open pit mine, Iran

A finite-element groundwater flow model was developed for the expanding Dareh-Zar open pit mine in southern Iran, to simulate groundwater inflow into the excavation and mine wall pore pressure dynamics. The model was used to test the effectiveness of implementing different drainage management strategies to reduce groundwater inflow rates and mine wall pore pressures, including abstraction wells and horizontal drains. Model predictions suggest the implementation of abstraction wells will reduce groundwater inflow rates by 75% during the first 12 years of mining and 50% during the subsequent 5 years relative to a ‘no drainage’ management scenario, with further reductions in groundwater inflow achieved through horizontal drain installation. Furthermore, the installation of horizontal drains was found to be necessary to reduce mine-wall pore pressures from destabilizing the mine walls. Groundwater management of the decommissioned pit mine was also evaluated, with simulation results suggesting that backfilling the excavation would restore the groundwater level within the open pit mine region to ~2,442 m above sea level, representing a net restoration of ~204 m relative to the water table prior to mine closure.

Hydraulic breakthrough of clay smears due to technical and natural actions

We outlined earlier in this journal by means of finite element simulations how patterns of normal faults arise by a synsedimentary tectonic extension, and how clay smears evolve therein. In the present paper, we show how hydraulic breakthroughs of clay smears can arise so that water, gas and mud rise in faults. Mechanical properties of sand and clay are introduced first for the stable range and then for rupture and internal erosion. Our numerical simulations for the evolution of normal faults and clay smears are discussed in light of critical phenomena. Water assembled in an open-cast mine about 20 years ago as the critical hydraulic gradient in a clay smear dropped to the actual one due to the rapid excavation-induced deformation. The latter led to a critical point under an excavation the slope of which was parallel to a nearby normal fault. Clay smears can also break by earthquakes so that the critical hydraulic gradient drops to the actual one caused by methane with an excess pressure. This can lead to hydraulic breakthroughs and cold eruptions at outcrops of faults.

Numerical Investigation of Stratified Slope Failure Containing Rough Non-Persistent Joints Based on Distinct Element Method

To address the critical issue of slope stability in jointed rock masses with complex and rough structural planes, a rough joint network model using the Fourier transform was proposed and applied to the Shilu open pit mine. The on-site structural plane survey results were combined with MATLAB and PFC2D to establish numerical models for slope stability analysis considering both linear-jointed and rough-jointed rock slopes. By comparing the slip body and fracture distribution, it was found that the rough-jointed slope was stabler than the linear-jointed slope. In addition, the fracture patterns and slip displacement were significantly influenced by the inclination and undulation of the bedding planes. Slip failure patterns occurred when the angle of inclination was set at 60°. The joints played a crucial role in inducing the shear strength of slope rock masses, and the slide area was mainly observed in the shallow slope surface for inclination angles of 0° and 45°, and in the middle deep area for 60° and 90°. These results demonstrated the importance of considering rough non-persistent fractures when developing a new numerical model for slope failure modes.