Influence of tailings pond water content on hydrogeomechanical condition of embankment at concentrating plant: 3D modeling

Subject of research is a tailings pond at a concentrating plant of a mining enterprise as a complex hydraulic structure with its environmental and industrial safety greatly governed by the volume and condition of tailings, as well as by their water content. Water in tailings ponds should be within design levels, with formation of sufficiently long embankment beaches. In the meanwhile, because of the factors of nature (rainfalls, floods) and technology (industrial effluents), water saturation of tailings ponds can reach and even exceed the maximal design value. For this reason, the aim of this study is to reveal regular influence exerted by the degree of water saturation of a tailings pond at a concentrating plant on hydrogeomechanics, seepage and deformation of an embankment. The research method was 3D modeling of a part of a tailings pond as a case-study of a mining enterprise in the Kola Region, and computer modeling of induced seepage and deformation processes at different values of water in the tailings pond. The research results are the calculated values which characterize the resultant hydrogeomechanical condition of the embankment as function of the water content of the tailings pond. An approach is proposed to constructing a research framework for problem solving on industrial safety of tailings pond at concentrating plants in case that their water content is greatly dependent on natural and induced factors.

Kalashnik N. A. Influence of tailings pond water content on hydrogeomechanical condition of embankment at concentrating plant: 3D modeling. MIAB. Mining Inf. Anal. Bull. 2025;(5):144-155. [In Russ]. DOI: 10.25018/0236_1493_2025_5_0_144.

N.A. Kalashnik, Researcher, Mining Institute, Kola Scientific Centre of Russian Academy of Sciences, 184209, Apatity, Russia, e-mail: n.kalashnik@ksc.ru, ORCID ID: 0000-0001-7651-6562.

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