Tailings Dam Failure Modes; Recognitions and Preventions

Over the last decades, the failure of tailings dams has become a significant concern for public and engineers. Failure of tailings dams are often followed by releasing a large amount of tailings, which leads to loss of lives, irreversible environmental damages, and large economic losses. Despite the improved techniques for designing, construction and operation, failure of tailings dams still occurs. Therefore, there might be apparent deficiencies that are repeated. This study provided an overview of failure modes associated with tailings dams, up-to-date monitoring and prevention techniques, and recent tailings dam failures. The frequency, severity, key factors, and recent examples of each failure mode is statically discussed

Keywords:

Tailings Dam , Failure Modes , Monitoring , Tailings Dam Safety , Failure Factors