Subaerial deposition of mine tailings by dimensionless particle size

Abstract

An existing theory of subaerial sorting and deposition on mine tailings and co-disposal beaches relies on the assumption that deposition is governed by the dimensionless particle size. This is well established for uniform particles in laboratory flumes and for natural flows with low solids concentrations, but has not been validated for mine waste beaches, where particle size and specific gravity vary significantly and solids concentrations are high. The data presented confirm that the dimensionless particle size governs deposition on a coal mine tailings beach with a moderately high solids concentration, supporting the theory. However, it remains uncertain whether the same applies for very high solids concentrations.

Keywords:

• Coal tailings
• Deposition
• Dimensionless particle size
• Mine tailings
• Particle size
• Specific gravity

Acknowledgement

The author gratefully acknowledges the assistance of the management and staff of Aberdare Colliery in providing access to the mine site and technical data, and in the collection of tailings specimens for laboratory testing.