Associated Events
26–28 November 2024 | The Westin Perth, Western Australia
Monitoring for Safe Closure Workshop
25 November 2024 | Cassia & Karri Rooms, The Westin Perth, Western Australia
About the Workshop
Overview
The Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management (GISTM) devotes a substantial section of the document to issues of monitoring (Principle 7). Requirement 7.2 requires, “Design, implement and operate a comprehensive and integrated engineering monitoring system that is appropriate for verifying design assumptions and for monitoring potential failure modes”. It is not only during the operational phase of a mining operation that monitoring of a tailings storage facility performance is required. Post closure there is a drive to demonstrate ‘safe closure’, where the GISTM considers this to be a state, ‘that does not pose ongoing material risks to people or the environment’.
In most instances, post-operational monitoring will require extensive, if not complete, utilisation of automated and remote monitoring systems, particularly for remote mine sites. Monitoring systems that are commonly utilised during operations may not be appropriate for adequately monitoring the evolution towards a stable landform, and additional, alternative technologies are likely to be required.
Aim
This workshop discusses technologies that can be successfully implemented to assist in demonstrating that safe closure has been achieved. As noted above, it is necessary to confirm that there are not ongoing material risks to people or the environment. Monitoring technologies should be chosen to achieve this. The monitoring technologies and strategies should be matched with potential failure modes. The workshop will discuss the viability of both existing and emerging technologies to provide this match between expected failure modes and chosen monitoring technologies and systems.
Program*
*Program subject to change
Who should attend
Mine managers, regulators, planning professionals, environmental managers, consulting engineers and scientists responsible for planning and implementing a post-operational monitoring system for tailings storage facilities, heap leach pads and rock dumps.
Workshop Facilitator
Professor Andy Fourie
Professor of Civil & Mining Engineering and Program Director – Future Tails
The University of Western Australia
Andy is a professor in the Department of Civil, Environmental and Mining Engineering, and program director – Future Tails, at The University of Western Australia in Perth. He has worked at the University of Queensland and the University of the Witwatersrand. He has been a visiting professor at the University of Alberta, the Catholic University of Valparaiso in Chile and the University of Colorado in Boulder. His research is in the field of mitigating the impact of mining and municipal solid waste disposal. Andy has been involved in many industry-focussed projects with current projects including An Evaluation of Tailings Storage Facilities Monitoring Technologies managed by AMIRA and funded by eight mining companies; Future Tails aimed at training, research and education to improve tailings management funded by BHP and Rio Tinto; and Evaluating Potential Static Liquefaction of Tailings to Prevent Failures, funded by six mining companies as well as the Australian Research Council.
Workshop Presenters
Albert Cabrejo
Global Practice Lead – Geotechnical Advisory
GroundProbe
Albert is a civil engineer with postgraduate studies in geotechnical engineering and over 25 years of experience working in the geotechnical industry. He has supported the expansion of radar technology worldwide for open pits, and more recently new technologies for rock fall detection, tailings dams surface monitoring, underground convergence and construction monitoring, and research and development of new software and geotechnical monitoring solutions. He has presented in numerous international events and several university courses around the world.
Dr Peter Chapman
Technical Director
WSP
Peter has more than 15 years of experience in civil engineering, specialising in tailings and heap leach design. Peter’s main role is lead engineer/project manager on tailings and heap leach projects ranging from scoping studies through to feasibility studies, detailed engineering, supervision and direction of design analyses, supervision of specialist tailings test work programmes, closure planning, cover design analyses, and preparation of detailed reports. He has also carried out numerous project reviews and audit inspections and provides advice to optimise operations.
Tjaart De Wit
Head of Applied Geophysics and Tailings Monitoring
Institute of Mine Seismology
Tjaart is a senior geophysicist leading the applied geophysics group at the Institute of Mine Seismology, specialising in time-lapse seismic monitoring and passive seismic imaging. With a strong foundation in applied mathematics and geophysics, he has been at the forefront of developing innovative time-lapse monitoring techniques utilising seismic interferometry for various industrial applications – particularly tailings storage facilities. Tjaart’s research has focused on leveraging seismic interferometry to detect subtle changes in subsurface properties, providing valuable insights into the stability and behaviour of tailings dams. His work has also extended to the application of ambient noise tomography (ANT) for mineral exploration, demonstrating the versatility of seismic methods in various settings. With over a decade of industry experience, Tjaart combines theoretical knowledge with practical application to deliver impactful solutions for mining and environmental challenges. He is currently pursuing a PhD at the Colorado School of Mines under the guidance of Dr Roel Snieder, further advancing his expertise in seismic interferometry.
Temogo Marble Toteng
PhD Student
The University of Western Australia
Marble is a PhD candidate at The University of Western Australia, supervised by Professor Andy Fourie and Dr Cristina Vulpe. Her current research, part of the Amira project, focuses on enhancing methods for monitoring and assessing the stability of tailings storage facilities. She holds a degree in geophysics from Imperial College London and a qualification in geotechnical engineering from the University of Birmingham, UK where she studied under the Top Achiever Program funded by the Botswana Government to support a knowledge-based economy. Before her PhD, she worked in consultancy, contributing to various mining projects.
Jessica Morgan
Business Development – Oceania
TRE-Altamira Inc
Jessica has more than 13 years of experience as a specialist in the field of InSAR, with roles in technical data analysis, research, project supervision and business development. She has spent the last five years focused on the application of InSAR technology for asset monitoring and risk management within the mining sector, particularly on open pits and tailings storage facilities. She has a master’s degree in remote sensing specialising in the processing and interpretation of satellite data for natural resource monitoring and management. As country manager of Australia for TRE Altamira, Jessica oversees all InSAR projects not only in the mining sector, but also civil engineering, energy and natural hazards.
Greg Street
Director
Loupe Geophysics
Greg has almost 50 years of experience in geoscience across environmental, engineering minerals, groundwater and petroleum. Since the 1980s, he has had a particular interest in the application of geophysics to environmental problems ranging from dryland salinity to mapping of groundwater contaminants. In 1996, his team at World Geoscience Corporation received a National Landcare Award for their pioneering work in applying airborne geophysics to dryland salinity. He was president of the Australian Society of Exploration Geophysicists (ASEG) in 1989–1990 and 2014–2015 and received a number of awards from the ASEG. In 2013, he co-founded Loupe Geophysics to develop a new EM instrument to map electrical conductivity in the near surface to a depth of around 25 m for use in groundwater, environment, engineering and mineral exploration.
Chris Waygood
Principal Mine Closure Specialist
WSP
Chris is a civil engineer with over 35 years of experience mainly in the fields of mining and water-related projects ranging from large river diversions to water management plans. Over the last 11 years Chris has developed expertise in geomorphic landform design for mining overburden, and designing and constructing these landforms on many of the large open cut mines in the Hunter Valley in New South Wales, Australia. In terms of practical experience in Australia and adapting the Geofluv™ technique to meet the needs of the local mining community, Chris is probably the leading exponent in this field.