Technical Session 3.1B - Mine Waste Characterization 2
Abstract
In tailings management, what may appear as small deviations, too much moisture, inadequate compaction, or poor drainage, can accumulate silently until they disrupt operations or threaten long-term stability. Our experience shows that even modern deposition methods, including filtered and compacted tailings, remain vulnerable to these hidden weaknesses.
The work we will present at Tailings and Mine Waste 2025 in Banff examines tailings deposition not as a routine procedure but as a reliability problem. Using a real-world case study, we applied a probabilistic framework to quantify how each stage of deposition contributes to overall system reliability. The results are striking: the probability of inappropriate deposition ranges between 11% and 49% per year. This wide range reflects uncertainty but also highlights the opportunity to reduce risks through defined thresholds, real-time monitoring, and adaptive decision loops.
By embedding Bayesian updating into the process, deposition management can move away from reactive fixes and become a predictive, data-driven practice. The message is simple: improving reliability in tailings deposition is not about adding complexity, it is about structuring decisions so that risks are visible, measurable, and manageable.
Authors
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