Open Pit Research Articles

A comparative slope stability analyses of heavily jointed open-pit slopes using 3D limit equilibrium and finite element methods: a case study from Bingöl, Türkiye

ABSTRACT This study investigates the slope stability of Bingöl open-pit iron mine slopes using 3D limit equilibrium and finite element methods. The pit benches are 3 m wide and 6 m high, with an overall slope angle of 38°. The geological composition comprises slightly to moderately weathered and heavily jointed phyllite, micaschist, and gneiss. Shear strength parameters were determined through back analyses of already failed sections using the Hoek-Brown failure criterion and Geological Strength Index (GSI). Factor of safety values for static and dynamic conditions were calculated using 3D limit equilibrium and 2D finite element analyses. Results show good agreement between the two methods, with benches in the northern section exhibiting a significant decrease in safety factor under dynamic conditions, indicating near-limit equilibrium slopes.

Physico-mechanical parameters of rock materials used in open pit reclamation – a case study of CTL Maczki-Bór S.A. mine in Poland

The aim of the research was to assess the variability of selected physical and mechanical properties of Carboniferous barren rocks in the Upper Silesian Coal Basin and to analyze the impact of time and increasing vertical pressure on the mechanical parameters of the mixture of these rocks used in the reclamation of the open pit. Both type of tests were conducted in a strength press. For lithologically and stratigraphically differentiated rock samples, strength parameters in various states of humidity (air-dried and capillary saturation state) were determined, including compressive strength, cohesion and the angle of internal friction. It was found that the strength of all types of rock increases with geological age, however saturation of these rocks with water causes their structural weakening, which is especially noticeable in the case of sandstone and claystone. In the case of mudstone, due to their structure, the reduction of strength after saturation with water is not so significantly noticeable. In the second part of the laboratory tests, 5 samples of Carboniferous post-mining waste with different storage times in the open pit were subjected to the assessment of changes in density and compressibility in relation to increasing values of vertical pressure. It was found that the long-term depositing of waste in the excavation is conducive to the intensive development of hypergenic processes. This contributes to the disintegration of sedimentary rocks, which causes changes in their physical and mechanical parameters. This phenomenon is additionally intensified by the increasing vertical pressure with thickness of waste layers.

Research on Monitoring and Application of Ecological Restoration Engineering in Open Pit Backfilling Mines Based on Satellite Remote Sensing Data

Abstract. The restoration and management of mining ecological environment is an important component of China's ecological civilization construction. The implementation of restoration projects is to avoid the serious impact caused by the continuous deterioration of mining ecological structure, and is a key way to maintain regional ecological security and energy and mineral security. Therefore, efficient and rapid monitoring and evaluation of the effectiveness of mining ecological restoration is an essential and important link. With the rapid development of remote sensing technology, remote sensing monitoring has become an important means to objectively, quickly, and accurately obtaining changes in the mining environment. It can provide timely and long-term monitoring of mining and backfilling conditions in mining areas. This article uses the multi temporal stereo images of the Resource 3 satellite over four years to monitor the mining and backfilling situation of the Zhungeer open-pit coal mine area in Inner Mongolia. By reconstructing the Digital Surface Model (DSM) of the open-pit mining area, the changes and thresholds of the multi temporal DSM data are statistically analyzed to extract the mining and backfilling areas, and the earthwork volume is calculated. The results showed that from 2013 to 2016, the main large-scale mining faces in the study area of Zhungeer open-pit mining area had a total mining operation of about 563.5 million cubic meters, and a total backfilling operation of about 604.29 million cubic meters; During the period from 2016 to 2018, the main large-scale mining faces in the region had a total of approximately 721.71 million cubic meters of mining operations and a total of approximately 805.42 million cubic meters of backfilling operations. The overall operational intensity increased from 2016 to 2018. The research results show that based on satellite image data, it is convenient and efficient to obtain DSM and corresponding changes of multiple time periods in mining areas. Monitoring results can provide important support for regional environmental governance and protection, as well as safety production in mining areas.

Utilizing InSAR for Surface Stability Monitoring in Mining Sites: A Case Study of Sukari Gold Mine in Egypt

Abstract. The monitoring of mining sites is crucial as a result of the safety and environmental issues linked to mining activities. Traditional surveying and monitoring tools exhibit limitations in terms of spatial coverage and are associated with various concerns regarding time and cost efficiency. Hence, the mining industry has shown increased interest in the time-series analysis of interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR). This is primarily due to its precision and wide spatial coverage advantages. This study employed an InSAR technology, persistent scatterer interferometry (PSI), to identify potential geohazards within the Sukari gold mine (SGM), located in Egypt. A total of 23 images were collected from the ascending orbit of Sentinel-1 sensor between January 7, 2022, and November 3, 2022, for the SGM mining location. Results revealed relatively stable measurements in non-mining areas of the site, with a surface displacement within ±10mm per year in the line-of-sight (LOS) direction. However, several active mining operation areas showed significant surface motion. Various sections of the open pit of the SGM exhibited displacement, including the southwestern edge (-16.8mm) and the northeastern edge (35.7mm), and the highest velocity was detected at a section of the western edge, which demonstrated an annual displacement of -64mm in the LOS. Additionally, notable surface motion was observed in some parts of the two tailings storage facilities at the site. The results of this study illustrate the importance of InSAR techniques in mining site-wide coverage stability monitoring.

An efficient method for modeling and evaluating the bench terrain of open-pit mines

In order to quantitatively analyze the roughness of the bench floor during open-pit mine blasting, this study proposes a real-time measuring method for the three-dimensional terrain of the bench floor during the excavation process. Real-time monitoring is conducted at the boundary and discrete internal points of the workbench floor during electric shovel operation, utilizing real-time kinematic global navigation satellite system (RTK-GNSS) positioning technology. An improved convex hull algorithm is introduced to automatically extract the optimal boundary of discrete point clouds based on their spatial distribution characteristics. This study establishes a digital elevation model (DEM) using five interpolation algorithms for 3D terrain visualization simulation. Through cross-validation, a comparative analysis of the DEM accuracy, the simulation results of the ordinary kriging interpolation algorithm were found to be optimized. The optimized interpolation algorithm is applied to simulate the 3D terrain in the Dexing open-pit copper mine, and the relevant terrain parameters were calculated. This dataset can serve as a precise foundation for the real-time path planning of elevation blasting design and ground leveling operations.

Physical and mechanical characteristics deterioration and crack evolution of sandy mudstone in an open-pit mine under multiple freeze–thaw cycles

In open-pit mines located in cold regions north of the 38°N latitude, there are significant freeze–thaw phenomena in slope rocks. This study conducted freeze–thaw cycle tests, considering the number of freeze–thaw cycles and the freezing temperature, on sandy mudstone commonly found in the slopes of open-pit mines. The investigation focused on the effects of freeze–thaw cycles on the physical and mechanical properties and acoustic emission (AE) characteristics of sandy mudstone. The results show that, with an increase in the number of freeze–thaw cycles and a decrease in freezing temperature, the sandy mudstone specimens exhibit nonlinear exponential changes in mass loss rate, P-wave velocity loss rate, peak strain, uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) and elastic modulus, and the amplitude of these changes gradually decreases. The stress–strain curves of specimens shift gradually from apparently brittle to plastic. Simultaneously, the microstructure changes from dense to loose, the micro surface transitions from flat to rough, and cracks and pore defects gradually develop. The peak AE ringing counts, cumulative AE ringing counts, crack initiation stress, and crack damage stress of the specimens all decrease with an increase in the number of freeze–thaw cycles and a decrease in freezing temperature. This suggests a shift from brittle failure to ductile failure. However, the ratio of crack initiation stress and crack damage stress to peak stress does not vary significantly with the number of freeze–thaw cycles and freezing temperature.

A Multilayer Dig-Limit Approach for Reducing Ore and Profit Losses in an Open-Pit Mine Having Complex Orebody

A Multilayer Dig-Limit Approach for Reducing Ore and Profit Losses in an Open-Pit Mine Having Complex Orebody

An assessment of environmental impacts in mining areas of Paschim Bardhhaman district, West Bengal, India

Mining is the most significant economic action in the Paschim Bardhaman district of West Bengal, India. Simultaneously, it has an enormous figure of negative influences on the natural, environmental, ecological, and social environment. The land use and land cover (LULC) alteration, coal mining effect (open-cast) on the LULC, and the local environmental influences are deliberated. The Paschim Bardhhaman’s LULC area is examined for the period of 30 years i.e., since the year like 1991 to 2021. Furthermore, alteration examination and spatial–temporal dynamics of LULC quantification are also deliberated. Analysis discloses that the water body marginally increased from 0.64% in 1991 to 0.96% in 2021. Mining area increased from 0.00% (1991) to 8.97% (2021) respectively. Instead, vegetation has decreased from 40.17% (1991) to 31.20% (2021) continuously. Similarly, settlement increased from 5.02% to 13.77% in the year 1991 to 2021 respectively. Agricultural land progressively decreased from 44.47% (1991) to 39.73% (2021) respectively. Raniganj Coalfield area, Eastern Coalfield Limited (ECL), and Coal India Limited (CIL) are the triggers for open cast mining. Land surface temperature (LST) increased by 7.96 ˚C (summer) and 10.24 ˚C (winter) between 30 years. The LST, LULC, and vegetation limitations are substantial factors in the universally changing climate investigations. Thermal infrared remote sensing demonstrated its competence for observing temperature and moving micro-climate in urban regions. The outcomes indicate that the outside temperature influences self-heating surfaces (hotspots) regions. The examination likewise shows that the outside temperature influences the self-heating surfaces (hotspots) regions.

Scheduling of Container Transportation Vehicles in Surface Coal Mines Based on the GA–GWO Hybrid Algorithm

The coal loading operation of the coal preparation plant of an open pit coal mine causes chaos in coal mine vehicle scheduling due to the unreasonable arrival times of outgoing and container transportation vehicles. To further reduce the length of time that vehicle transportation equipment waits for each other and to reduce the total cost of container transportation, the optimisation model of container transportation vehicle scheduling in an open pit coal mine is constructed to minimise the minimum sum of the shortest time of container reversal and the lowest cost of container transportation. To accurately measure the total cost of container backward transportation, waiting time and unit waiting time cost parameters are introduced, and the total cost of container transportation is measured using the transportation cost and the waiting time cost transformation method. An improved grey wolf algorithm is proposed to speed up the convergence of the algorithm and improve the quality of the solution. When employing the genetic algorithm (GA) and grey wolf optimisation algorithm (GWO) for optimising the scheduling of container transport vehicles in coal mines, it is noted that while the GA can achieve the global optimum, its convergence speed is relatively slow. Conversely, the GWO converges more quickly, but it tends to be trapped in local optima. To accelerate the convergence speed of the algorithm and improve the solution quality, a hybrid GA−GWO algorithm is proposed, which introduces three genetic operations of selection, crossover, and mutation of GA into the GWO algorithm to prevent the algorithm from falling into the local optimum due to the fall; at the same time, it introduces hunting and attacking operations into the elite retention strategy of GA, which improves the stability of the algorithm’s global convergence. Analysis indicates that, compared to SA, GWO, and GA, the hybrid algorithm enhances optimisation speed by 43.1%, 46.2%, and 43.7%, increases optimisation accuracy by 4.12%, 6.1%, and 3.2%, respectively, and reduces the total container reversal time by 35.46, 22, and 31 h. The total cost of container transportation is reduced by 2437 RMB, 3512 RMB, and 1334 RMB, respectively.

Scalable Compositional Digital Twin-Based Monitoring System for Production Management: Design and Development in an Experimental Open-Pit Mine

While digital twins (DTs) have recently gained prominence as a viable option for creating reliable asset representations, many existing frameworks and architectures in the literature involve the integration of different technologies and paradigms, including the Internet of Things (IoTs), data modeling, and machine learning (ML). This complexity requires the orchestration of these different technologies, often resulting in subsystems and composition frameworks that are difficult to seamlessly align. In this paper, we present a scalable compositional framework designed for the development of a DT-based production management system (PMS) with advanced production monitoring capabilities. The conducted approach used to design the compositional framework utilizes the Factory Design and Improvement (FDI) methodology. Furthermore, the validation of our proposed framework is illustrated through a case study conducted in a phosphate screening station within the context of the mining industry.

A Highly Homogeneous Airborne Fungal Community around a Copper Open Pit Mine Reveals the Poor Contribution Made by the Local Aerosolization of Particles

Fungi are ubiquitous and metabolically versatile. Their dispersion has important scientific, environmental, health, and economic implications. They can be dispersed through the air by the aerosolization of near surfaces or transported from distant sources. Here, we tested the contribution of local (scale of meters) versus regional (kilometers) sources by analyzing an airborne fungal community by ITS sequencing around a copper mine in the North of Chile. The mine was the regional source, whereas the soil and vegetal detritus were the local sources at each point. The airborne community was highly homogeneous at ca. 2000 km2, impeding the detection of regional or local contributions. Ascomycota was the dominant phylum in the three communities. Soil and vegetal detritus communities had lower alpha diversity, but some taxa had abundance patterns related to the distance from the mine and altitude. On the contrary, the air was compositionally even and unrelated to environmental or spatial factors, except for altitude. The presence of plant pathogens in the air suggests that other distant sources contribute to this region’s airborne fungal community and reinforces the complexity of tracking the sources of air microbial communities in a real world where several natural and human activities coexist.

Effects of Different Reclamation Years and Modes on Soil Moisture Transport Pathways and Permeability Characteristics in an Open-Pit Mining Area in Guangxi

Effects of Different Reclamation Years and Modes on Soil Moisture Transport Pathways and Permeability Characteristics in an Open-Pit Mining Area in Guangxi

Research on the method of determining the block size for an open-pit mine integrating mining parameters and shovel-truck’s operation efficiency

The production plan of an open-pit mine depends on the block model, so it's crucial to determine the appropriate method and size for partitioning it. This study proposes a new method based on a closed shell three-dimensional geological model for determining block model size in open-pit mines. Instead of using regular block models, the shell model is directly cut, and the discrete geological body is referred to as the "mining model." Mining parameters and the shovel-truck's performance are integrated into the method. Bench height determines the Z-axis size, bench slope angle determines the inclination angle, and shovel width determines the X-axis size of the block model. The operation efficiency of the shovel-truck considers the probability distribution of simultaneous operations, allowing the determination of the Y-axis size of block models for different types of shovels. The developed "Mining Model" module in the software "Life Cycle Mining System" is used for practical implementation. By comparing the results with traditional block models, the superiority of the proposed method is demonstrated. This study provides a more accurate model for optimizing the production plan of open-pit mines throughout their life cycle.

Visualising Daily PM10 Pollution in an Open-Cut Mining Valley of New South Wales, Australia—Part I: Identification of Spatial and Temporal Variation Patterns

The Upper Hunter Valley is a major coal mining area containing approximately 40% of the currently identified total coal reserves in New South Wales (NSW), Australia. Due to the ongoing increase in mining activities, PM10 (airborne particles with an aerodynamic diameter of less than 10 micrometres) pollution has become a major air quality concern in local communities. This paper summarises the spatial and temporal variability modes of PM10 pollution in the region, based on long-term multi-site monitoring data and the application of the rotated principal component analysis (RPCA) and wavelet analysis techniques. RPCA identified two distinct air quality clusters/subregions in the valley: one in the west/northwest and the other in the southeast. Wavelet analysis revealed the annual cycle to be the most persistent temporal mode of PM10 variability in both subregions, with intermittent signals also observed at time scales of around 120, 30~90, and under 30 days. How these variation modes are related to the effects of local PM10 emissions and the influence of meteorology at different time scales deserves further attention in future work. The findings will be used in air quality reporting and forecasting in NSW. The methodology and results can also be useful for air quality research in similar regions elsewhere.

Development of an Economic Cost Model for Gold and Associated Minerals Using Economic Analysis and Artificial Intelligence Approach

Limited accuracy due to complex geological processes, insufficient data granularity, and challenges in predicting market dynamics impact mineral forecast models. In order to develop a cost-based model for gold and related minerals in Birnin Gwari (Kaduna State) and Kagara (Niger State), this study is being carried out in Nigeria. The created concept aims to increase the profitability and economic viability of open-pit mines operated by craftsmen and mining investors. By maximizing mine life cycles and preventing the early closure of mining sites, this was intended to encourage the best recovery rates. This study used economic and artificial neural network (ANN) modeling methods to create a cost-based model for ten gold-associated minerals. The coefficient of correlation (R2), root mean square error (RSME), and variance accounting factor (VAF) were used to assess the created model's correctness. The model evaluator demonstrates that the proposed cost-based models are economically viable and the quantitative results are as presented in Equations (14-23). The cost-benefit connection between gold and the ten related minerals was also determined using a least-squares regression analysis. According to geochemical results, the average values of gold and related minerals in the study region range from 4.87 g/t of gold (Au), 1.501 g/t of copper (Cu), and 187.13 g/t of iron (Fe) in Birni Gwari to 2.29 g/t of gold (Au), 1.358 g/t of copper (Cu), and 173.75 g/t of iron (Fe) in Kagara. In Birnin Gwari, the equivalent financial estimations are N876,600 for Au, N60,040,000 for Cu, and N1,129,375 for Fe, and N5,780,000 for Au, N49,500 for Cu, and N363,060,000 for Fe in Kagara. The model's scope demonstrates that running a single mineral can result in low recovery rates and a loss of profit margin; thus, the model's application to all open pit mines is relevant as a reference for profit margin cash flow.

Palaeodepositional environment, implications of Glossopteris flora, and organic matter characteristics from the Lower Permian, Karo Open Cast Mine, East Bokaro Coalfield, Damodar Basin, India

The present study deals with the Early Permian floral diversity, palaeoenvironment, palaeoclimate and depositional setting using a multiproxy approach that includes morphotaxonomy, palynology, and organic geochemistry of Karo OCM (Open Cast Mine), East Bokaro Coalfield, Damodar Gondwana Basin, India. The Permian sediments of Peninsular India are widely regarded as fluvial, along with some marine incursions. The macroplant fossil assemblage exhibits the presence of Glossopteridales, comprising Glossopteris, Gangamopteris, and Vertebraria, as well as Coniferales, which includes Noeggerathiopsis. The palynological assemblage encompasses the dominance of the striate bisaccate pollen Faunipollenites sp. and the sub-dominance of the non-striate bisaccate pollen Scheuringipollenites sp. with glossopterid affinities. The megafloral and palynofloral assemblage confirms the biostratigraphical age to be Late Barakar palynoflora of Kungurian affinity. The studied morphological characteristics, including small to large Glossopteris leaves exhibiting a lanceolate shape, acute apices, and acute cuneate or tapering bases, as well as entire margins with narrower lamina and narrow meshes, suggest the existence of a dense forest with the prevalence of a warm and humid climate during their deposition. The organic geochemical characterization based on functional group and biomarker analyses reveals the diagenetic effects on organic matter. Aliphatic symmetric (∼2865–2855 cm-1) and asymmetric stretching (∼2930–2910 cm-1) peaks are identifiable in coal samples, whereas they are absent in carbonaceous shale. The A-factor vs. C-factor plot suggests that the kerogen type is type III, which can generate mainly gaseous kerogen. The vitrinite reflectance studies (Rr av. 1.1%) show increased maturity of the samples, which is supported by the n-alkane distribution pattern and the absence of hopane terpenoids. The Indian floral assemblages in contemporary of southern Gondwana continents reveal a stronger inclination/affinity with the flora of Africa than that of South America, thereby supporting the age to be of Artinskian–Kungurian.

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.

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