Forensic investigation of a failed overburden dump: A case study of an opencast mine site in central India

IF 4.1 3区地球科学 Q2 GEOSCIENCES, MULTIDISCIPLINARY

Physics and Chemistry of the Earth Pub Date : 2025-08-28 DOI:10.1016/j.pce.2025.104091

Rahul Shende , Srinivasan V. , Anjan Patel , Ajay Chhangani , Jagdish Gouda

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Abstract

Instability of external overburden (OB) dumps poses a major geotechnical and operational challenge in opencast coal mines, often leading to deformation, sliding, and loss of dumping capacity. This paper presents a distinctive forensic investigation conducted in central India, focusing on external overburden dump instability. The site exhibited significant signs of failure, including excessive ground heaving near the dump boundary, mass sliding of the OB, and the formation of large peripheral cracks. A detailed subsurface exploration was carried out through borehole investigations across two external OB dumps to assess their stratification. Variations in stratigraphy, combined with comprehensive macro- and micro-scale laboratory analyses, provided critical insights into the mechanisms contributing to dump failure. The study highlights the influence of weak foundation soils and stratigraphic variability on dump performance. Moreover, it proposes an effective remedial approach to mitigate ongoing deformation, stabilize the pre-existing OB dump, and enhance its dumping capacity. The methodology outlined offers a strategic framework for assessing and managing OB dump failures over weak subsoil conditions.

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失效覆岩堆的法医调查：印度中部露天矿场的案例研究

外覆盖层排土场的失稳是露天煤矿的一个重大岩土工程和作业挑战，经常导致排土场变形、滑动和排土场能力丧失。本文介绍了在印度中部进行的一项独特的法医调查，重点是外部覆盖层倾倒不稳定性。该场地表现出明显的破坏迹象，包括排土场边界附近的地面过度隆起，OB的大块滑动，以及周围大裂缝的形成。通过钻孔调查对两个外部OB堆进行了详细的地下勘探，以评估其分层。地层的变化，结合宏观和微观尺度的综合实验室分析，对导致排土场破坏的机制提供了重要的见解。研究强调了软弱地基和地层变异对排土场性能的影响。此外，还提出了一种有效的补救方法，以减轻正在进行的变形，稳定已有的OB排土场，并提高其倾倒能力。所概述的方法为评估和管理弱底土条件下OB倾倒故障提供了一个战略框架。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Physics and Chemistry of the Earth 地学-地球科学综合

CiteScore

5.40

自引率

2.70%

发文量

176

审稿时长

31.6 weeks

期刊介绍： Physics and Chemistry of the Earth is an international interdisciplinary journal for the rapid publication of collections of refereed communications in separate thematic issues, either stemming from scientific meetings, or, especially compiled for the occasion. There is no restriction on the length of articles published in the journal. Physics and Chemistry of the Earth incorporates the separate Parts A, B and C which existed until the end of 2001. Please note: the Editors are unable to consider submissions that are not invited or linked to a thematic issue. Please do not submit unsolicited papers. The journal covers the following subject areas: -Solid Earth and Geodesy: (geology, geochemistry, tectonophysics, seismology, volcanology, palaeomagnetism and rock magnetism, electromagnetism and potential fields, marine and environmental geosciences as well as geodesy). -Hydrology, Oceans and Atmosphere: (hydrology and water resources research, engineering and management, oceanography and oceanic chemistry, shelf, sea, lake and river sciences, meteorology and atmospheric sciences incl. chemistry as well as climatology and glaciology). -Solar-Terrestrial and Planetary Science: (solar, heliospheric and solar-planetary sciences, geology, geophysics and atmospheric sciences of planets, satellites and small bodies as well as cosmochemistry and exobiology).