Plot test in a 50-year abandoned mine tailings dam

Autor: Libardi Lucas Garino, Oldecop Luciano Agustín
Jazyk: English<br />French
Rok vydání: 2021
Předmět:
Zdroj: MATEC Web of Conferences, Vol 337, p 04012 (2021)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 2261-236X
DOI: 10.1051/matecconf/202133704012
Popis: Knowing the evolution of water content in a tailings dam is essential when analysing its stability. The case study is a small tailings dam abandoned more than 50 years ago, located in the Andes region of San Juan province, Argentina, where the climate is arid. This paper presents the results obtained in a plot test to study the interaction of tailings with the atmosphere, and to explain the reasons that generate internal zones in the dams with surprisingly high degrees of saturation, despite the strong water deficit of the site. The plot was hydraulically isolated on the four lateral faces where ten capacitive sensors were installed at different depths (volumetric moisture, matrix suction and temperature). At the beginning of the test, a major rainfall event was simulated with a sprinkler irrigation system. The plot was then allowed to interact freely with the atmosphere for an additional period of one and a half years. The records obtained suggest that the stratigraphy of the hydraulically deposited tailings has a preponderant influence on the interaction with the atmosphere. Heterogeneous flow phenomena and multiple capillary barriers during the infiltration and evaporation processes, respectively, appear to control the long-term moisture state of the tailings dam.
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