Long-term research on amelioration of wind and water erosion of mine tailings storages in Southern Africa

ABSTRACT

Over the past 50 years, the general public and environmental regulatory authorities throughout the world have become increasingly concerned at the large scale pollution caused by mining activities. Health problems, physical discomfort and crop damage have reportedly been caused in South Africa by water and wind erosion from fine-grained tailings and other storages of metalliferous mine waste. A brief history of the evolution of research into ways of mitigating erosion from tailings storages is given. Thereafter, analyses of the processes and effects of water and wind erosion are discussed and geotechnical methods of permanently reducing rates of erosion, with evidence of their efficacy, are presented. It is shown that although erosion cannot be eliminated, its effects can be limited using rational design to be no larger than those affecting undisturbed natural landscapes.

Keywords:

• air pollution
• dust generation
• water and wind erosion
• palliative and preventive measures