Mining in a Landslide—Is It Possible? Geotechnical Investigation and Analysis

Steiakakis, Chrysanthos; Zacharias, Agioutantis; Apostolou, Evangelia; Papavgeri, Georgia

doi:10.1061/9780784480458.026

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 5 publications

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“…A large crack was generated due to quarrying practices 600 meters behind the slope face, and continued to increase in both length and width. This crack caused continuous horizontal displacements reaching a deformation rate as high as 40-50 mm/day when precipitation occurs, and yet mining activities continued under surveillance on top of the moving mass (Chrysanthos et al, 2017). Quarries, therefore, even when properly designed and monitored, are still failing and causing substantial damages worldwide.…”

Section: Quarried Slopes Worldwidementioning

confidence: 99%

Landslide Hazard and Risk Level Assessment of Quarried Slopes in Lebanon using Drone Imagery. (c2020)

Kaafarani¹

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Human activities are continuously altering the geometry and steepness of natural slopes. When left exposed and unprotected, these slopes become susceptible to slide due to natural triggering factors like earthquakes and rainfall. Quarrying activities, in particular, contribute largely to slope failures worldwide, especially when unorganized and chaotic. In Lebanon, quarries are scattered randomly across the country and lack proper urban planning and management. Regional scale maps have been recently generated in a Geographic Information System (GIS) platform to identify hazard and risk areas for co-seismic and rainfall induced landslides; however, their applicability to altered “quarried” slopes has not been tested. In this research, we present a thorough methodology to assess, at a site-specific level, the hazard and risk levels of quarried slopes under three conditions: dry condition, heavy rainfall condition, and seismic condition. The aim is to ascertain the degree of accuracy of the regional scale maps in predicting landslides in quarried areas. A jointed limestone quarry in Bafliye, South of Lebanon, was mapped with a DJI Phantom 4 V2.0 drone, recreated as a 3D scene, assessed kinematically, and then analyzed using limit equilibrium and numerical modelling techniques. At failure, the maximum runout distance and the corresponding angle of reach were determined. The studied slope showed signs of failure under seismic events having a 10% chance of exceedance in 50 years, and under rainfall events having a 10-year return period with a relatively small runout distance of 7.76 m, yielding a low risk failure. The output of safety factors matched between the site specific and the regional scale analyses, while the failing mass volume and the corresponding risk levels did not. This indicated that the wedge failure analysis used in the regional scale analysis is adequate in predicting only hazard levels at quarried sites.

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Section: Quarried Slopes Worldwidementioning

confidence: 99%

Landslide Hazard and Risk Level Assessment of Quarried Slopes in Lebanon using Drone Imagery. (c2020)

Kaafarani¹

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Numerical analysis of rainfall effects on the slope stability of open pit coal mines

2023

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As the world transitions away from coal, vast areas of closed coal mines and waste dumps must be appropriately reclaimed. One critical element for these areas’ safety is slope stability, given the massive slopes of these mines and dumps. This work examines the effect of extreme rainfall on coal mines’ slopestability by incorporating unsaturated soil mechanics principles in a practical way. Past extreme rainfall events recorded for a Greek lignite mining area were used, and climate projections concluded that this intensity is not expected to change. Then, rainfall infiltration was simulated using the Finite Element Method; a typical slope was employed concerning a lignite mining excavation of 200m height and 14° inclination on fine-grained soils. Finally, the stability was calculated using the Limit Equilibrium Method. Rainfall infiltration caused the Safety Factor to decrease, leading to failure. The groundwater rose at theslope’s face from the slope’s toe upwards and led to the development of a smaller and more local than the initial (before rainfall) sliding surface with a lower Safety Factor. Although this is a smaller surface than the initial one, it is still more than 50m high, proposing a significant hazard with severe consequences for the area.

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Mining in a Landslide—Is It Possible? Geotechnical Investigation and Analysis

Cited by 2 publications

References 5 publications

Landslide Hazard and Risk Level Assessment of Quarried Slopes in Lebanon using Drone Imagery. (c2020)

Landslide Hazard and Risk Level Assessment of Quarried Slopes in Lebanon using Drone Imagery. (c2020)

Numerical analysis of rainfall effects on the slope stability of open pit coal mines

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