Submit an Article
Become a reviewer
RU
Online First
Review
Geotechnical Engineering and Engineering Geology

Problems of monitoring stored mining waste in cold climatic zones: possibilities of using geophysical methods

Authors:
Nataliya V. Yurkevich1
Lyubov Yu. Eponeshnikova2
Vadim N. Gureev3
Nikolai A. Mazov4
About authors
Date submitted:
2025-03-11
Date accepted:
2025-12-09
Online publication date:
2026-03-06

Abstract

The stored waste from mining, mainly represented by tailings dumps and landfills, needs constant monitoring. On the one hand, they often pose a danger to the environment and people, on the other, with the development of new technologies, they are considered as a source of recycling and extraction of valuable components. In cold climatic zones, waste storage, stable storage facilities, and the organization of a monitoring system have a number of special features. Negative temperatures, freezing and thawing cycles lead both to increased release of potentially toxic substances outside landfills and tailings dumps, and to a violation of the integrity of enclosing structures. The problem is compounded by global warming, which leads to greater mobility of the upper layers due to thawing of frozen ground. The problems of monitoring in cold zones are caused by the high cost of its implementation due to the remoteness of the territories and the difficulties of working during the winter period. In such conditions, geophysical observation methods become promising, since they do not violate the integrity of the studied objects and provide an autonomous energy-saving mode for a long time. The article discusses the possibilities and features of using geophysical technologies for monitoring stored mining waste in cold climatic zones. Examples of study in Russia, Canada, the Nordic countries of Europe and other countries with similar climatic conditions are used.

Problems of monitoring stored mining waste in cold climatic zones: possibilities of using geophysical methods
Область исследования:
Geotechnical Engineering and Engineering Geology
Keywords:
tailings dump monitoring permafrost geoelectrics electrical resistivity tomography ground penetrating radar seismic exploration seismic tomography magnetometric methods X-ray tomography
Online First

Funding

The research was performed according to the State assignment of IGM SB RAS (N 122041400237-8).

References

  1. Du Y.Q., Xie B., Mullarney B., Zhang C. Deposition of fine tailing particles and profile zoning of tailings dams. Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering. 2019. Vol. 56. N 5, p. 359-365. DOI: 10.1007/s11204-019-09615-5
  2. Yulia Mun, Palinkaš S.S., Forwick M. et al. Stability of Cu-Sulfides in Submarine Tailing Disposals: A Case Study from Repparfjorden, Northern Norway. Minerals. 2020. Vol. 10. Iss. 2. N 169. DOI: 10.3390/min10020169
  3. Andersson M., Finne T.E., Jensen L.K., Eggen O.A. Geochemistry of a copper mine tailings deposit in Repparfjorden, northern Norway. Science of The Total Environment. 2018. Vol. 644, p. 1219-1231. DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.06.385
  4. Ramirez-Llodra E., Trannum H.C., Evenset A. et al. Submarine and deep-sea mine tailing placements: A review of current practices, environmental issues, natural analogs and knowledge gaps in Norway and internationally. Marine Pollution Bulletin. 2015. Vol. 97. Iss. 1-2, p. 13-35. DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2015.05.062
  5. Robertson J., Hendry M.J., Kotzer T., Hughes K.A. Geochemistry of uranium mill tailings in the Athabasca Basin, Saskat-chewan, Canada: A review. Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology. 2019. Vol. 49. Iss. 14., p. 1237-1293. DOI: 10.1080/10643389.2019.1571352
  6. Costis S., Coudert L., Mueller K.K. et al. Assessment of the leaching potential of flotation tailings from rare earth mineral extraction in cold climates. Science of The Total Environment. 2020. Vol. 732. N 139225. DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.139225
  7. Osipova P.S., Olenchenko V.V., Kalganov A.S., Chekryzhov A.V. Geoelectric attributes of reclaimed post-mining placer gold deposits. Bulletin of the Tomsk Polytechnic University. Geo Аssets Engineering. 2022. Vol. 333. N 5, p. 158-167 (in Russian). DOI: 10.18799/24131830/2022/5/3504
  8. Legostaeva Ya.B., Gololobova A.G., Popov V.F., Makarov V.S. Geochemical properties and transformation of the microelement composition of soils during the development of primary diamond deposits in Yakutia. Journal of Mining Institute. 2023. Vol. 260, p. 212-225. DOI: 10.31897/PMI.2023.35
  9. Yurkevich N.V., Bortnikova S.B., Olenchenko V.V. et al. Time-Lapse Electrical Resistivity Tomography and Soil-Gas Measurements on Abandoned Mine Tailings Under a Highly Continental Climate, Western Siberia, Russia. Journal of Environmental and Engineering Geophysics. 2021. Vol. 26. N 3, p. 227-237. DOI: 10.32389/JEEG21-004
  10. Zvereva V.P., Frolov K.R., Pyatakov A.D. Modeling Sulfide Oxidation Processes in the Vysokogorsky Tailing Dam in the Temperature Range from –25 to 0 °С (Kavalerovsky District, Primorsky Krai). Russian Journal of General Chemistry. 2018. Vol. 88. N 13, p. 2893-2897. DOI: 10.1134/S1070363218130108
  11. Jouini M., Neculita C.M., Genty T., Benzaazoua M. Freezing/thawing effects on geochemical behavior of residues from acid mine drainage passive treatment systems. Journal of Water Process Engineering. 2020. Vol. 33. N 101087. DOI: 10.1016/j.jwpe.2019.101087
  12. Qureshi A., Bussière B., Benzaazoua M. et al. Geochemical Assessment of Desulphurized Tailings as Cover Material in Cold Climates. Minerals. 2021. Vol. 11. Iss. 3. N 280. DOI: 10.3390/min11030280
  13. Schudel G., Plante B., Bussière B. et al. Sulfide oxidation during the simulated weathering of pyrrhotite-rich tailings: Impacts of freeze-thaw cycles and chloride salinity. Cold Regions Science and Technology. 2019. Vol. 209. N 103802. DOI: 10.1016/j.coldregions.2023.103802
  14. Tulisova K., Olenchenko V., Sigachev N. et al. Engineering and Geophysical Research of the Tailing Dump under the Conditions of Growing Soils of the Base. Applied Sciences. 2023. Vol. 13. Iss. 7. N 4242. DOI: 10.3390/app13074242
  15. Roy T., Plante B., Demers I. et al. Multi-year in situ hydrogeochemical monitoring of hard rock lithium mine tailings in a large-scale experimental pile. Journal of Environmental Management. 2024. Vol. 356. N 120602. DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.120602
  16. Berryman E.J., Cleaver A., Martineau C. et al. Capture and characterization of fugitive mine dust around an open pit gold mine in Québec, Canada. Applied Geochemistry. 2024. Vol. 171. N 106099. DOI: 10.1016/j.apgeochem.2024.106099
  17. Miller C.B., Parsons M.B., Jamieson H.E. et al. Lake-specific controls on the long-term stability of mining-related, legacy arsenic contamination and geochemical baselines in a changing northern environment, Tundra Mine, Northwest Territories, Canada. Applied Geochemistry. 2019. Vol. 109. N 104403. DOI: 10.1016/j.apgeochem.2019.104403
  18. Costis S., Coudert L., Mueller K.K. et al. Impact of freeze-thaw on the behaviour of flotation tailings from a rare earth deposit. Applied Geochemistry. 2021. Vol. 135. N 105106. DOI: 10.1016/j.apgeochem.2021.105106
  19. Yurkevich N., Olenchenko V., Bortnikova S. et al. Cyanides, Arsenic, and Noble Metals in Abandoned Gold Ore Cyanidation Tailings and Surface Waters in a Permafrost Region (Transbaikal Territory, Russia). Mine Water and the Environment. 2021. Vol. 40. Iss. 4, p. 943-955. DOI: 10.1007/s10230-021-00828-5
  20. Myagkaya I.N., Saryg-ool B.Yu. The effect of sub-zero temperatures on the oxidative leaching of elements from high-sulfide tailings. Geosfernye issledovaniya. 2022. N 3, р. 76-92 (in Russian). DOI: 10.17223/25421379/24/5
  21. Farzamian M., Vieira G., Monteiro Santos F.A. et al. Detailed detection of active layer freeze–thaw dynamics using quasi-continuous electrical resistivity tomography (Deception Island, Antarctica). The Cryosphere. 2020. Vol. 14. Iss. 3, p. 1105-1120. DOI: 10.5194/tc-14-1105-2020
  22. Zhongwen Bao, Bain J., Holland S.P. et al. Hydrogeochemical Response of a Variably Saturated Sulfide-Bearing Mine Waste-Rock Pile to Precipitation: A Field-Scale Study in the Discontinuous Permafrost Region of Northern Canada. Water Resources Research. 2022. Vol. 58. Iss. 1. N e2021WR031082. DOI: 10.1029/2021WR031082
  23. Uhlemann S., Dafflon B., Peterson J. et al. Geophysical Monitoring Shows that Spatial Heterogeneity in Thermohydrological Dynamics Reshapes a Transitional Permafrost System. Geophysical Research Letters. 2021. Vol. 48. Iss. 6. N e2020GL091149. DOI: 10.1029/2020GL091149
  24. Desbarats A.J., Percival J.B., Bilot I. et al. Drainage chemistry of mine tailings from a carbonatite-hosted Nb-REE deposit, Oka, Québec, Canada. Applied Geochemistry. 2022. Vol. 138. N 105216. DOI: 10.1016/j.apgeochem.2022.105216
  25. Elghali A., Benzaazoua M., Bussière B. et al. The role of hardpan formation on the reactivity of sulfidic mine tailings: A case study at Joutel mine (Québec). Science of The Total Environment. 2019. Vol. 654, p. 118-128. DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.11.066
  26. Sapkota B., Verbuyst B., Bain J. et al. Geochemical and mineralogical investigation of cemented crusts in the tailings cover at Long Lake Gold Mine, Sudbury, Canada. Journal of Hazardous Materials. 2023. Vol. 451. N 131192. DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.131192
  27. Savage R.J., Pearce S., Mueller S. et al. Methods for assessing acid and metalliferous drainage mitigation and carbon sequestration in mine waste: a case study from Kevitsa mine, Finland. Mine Closure 2019: Proceedings of the 13th International Conference on Mine Closure, 3-5 September 2019, Perth, Australia. Australian Centre for Geomechanics, 2019, p. 1073-1086. DOI: 10.36487/ACG_rep/1915_86_Savage
  28. Gras A., Beaudoin G., Molson J., Plante B. Atmospheric carbon sequestration in ultramafic mining residues and impacts on leachate water chemistry at the Dumont Nickel Project, Quebec, Canada. Chemical Geology. 2020. Vol. 546. N 119661. DOI: 10.1016/j.chemgeo.2020.119661
  29. Kalitina E.G., Kharitonova N.A., Kuzmina T.V. Chemical and Microbiological Composition of Technogenic Waters in the Tailing Dumps of Krasnorechensk Ore-dressing Plant (Primorsky Krai, Russia). IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science. 2019. Vol. 272. Iss. 3. N 032057. DOI: 10.1088/1755-1315/272/3/032057
  30. Rantanen M., Karpechko A.Yu., Lipponen A. et al. The Arctic has warmed nearly four times faster than the globe since 1979. Communications Earth & Environment. 2022. Vol. 3. N 168. DOI: 10.1038/s43247-022-00498-3
  31. Etzelmüller B., Guglielmin M., Hauck C. et al. Twenty years of European mountain permafrost dynamics–the PACE legacy. Environmental Research Letters. 2020. Vol. 15. N 10. N 104070. DOI: 10.1088/1748-9326/abae9d
  32. Farzamian M., Blanchy G., McLachlan P. et al. Advancing Permafrost Monitoring With Autonomous Electrical Resistivity Tomography (A-ERT): Low-Cost Instrumentation and Open-Source Data Processing Tool. Geophysical Research Letters. 2024. Vol. 51. Iss. 6. N e2023GL105770. DOI: 10.1029/2023GL105770
  33. Scandroglio R., Draebing D., Offer M., Krautblatter M. 4D quantification of alpine permafrost degradation in steep rock walls using a laboratory-calibrated electrical resistivity tomography approach. Near Surface Geophysics. 2021. Vol. 19. Iss. 2, p. 241-260. DOI: 10.1002/nsg.12149
  34. Karmanovskaya N.V., Smirnova A.T., Litovchenko V.I., Efa S.G. Automated systems of ecological control in Norilsk. IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering. 2020. Vol. 734. N 012175. DOI: 10.1088/1757-899X/734/1/012175
  35. Blanchy G., Saneiyan S., Boyd J. et al. ResIPy, an intuitive open source software for complex geoelectrical inversion/modeling. Computers & Geosciences. 2020. Vol. 137. N 104423. DOI: 10.1016/j.cageo.2020.104423
  36. Maksimov D.A., Dyakov A.Yu. Monitoring of local permeation abnormalities in mine tailings dams using geophysical and visual observation methods. Mining Informational and Analytical Bulletin. 2021. N 8, p. 154-163 (in Russian). DOI: 10.25018/0236_1493_2021_8_0_154
  37. Sudakova M.S., Brushkov A.V., Velikin S.A. et al. Geophysical methods in permafrost monitoring. Moscow University Bulletin. Series 4. Geology. 2022. N 6, p. 141-151 (in Russian). DOI: 10.33623/0579-9406-2022-6-141-151
  38. Dimech A., LiZhen Cheng, Chouteau M. et al. A Review on Applications of Time-Lapse Electrical Resistivity Tomography Over the Last 30 Years: Perspectives for Mining Waste Monitoring. Surveys in Geophysics. 2022. Vol. 43. Iss. 6, p. 1699-1759. DOI: 10.1007/s10712-022-09731-2
  39. Hilbich C., Hauck C., Mollaret C. et al. Towards accurate quantification of ice content in permafrost of the Central Andes – Part 1: Geophysics-based estimates from three different regions. The Cryosphere. 2022. Vol. 16. Iss. 5, p. 1845-1872. DOI: 10.5194/tc-16-1845-2022
  40. Yurkevich N.V., Abrosimova N.A., Bortnikova S.B. et al. Geophysical investigations for evaluation of environmental pollution in a mine tailings area. Toxicological & Environmental Chemistry. 2017. Vol. 99. Iss. 9-10, p. 1328-1345. DOI: 10.1080/02772248.2017.1371308
  41. Epov M.I., Yurkevich N.V., Bortnikova S.B. et al. Analysis of mine waste by geocheimical and geophysical methods (a case study of the mine tailing dump of the Salair ore-processing plant). Russian Geology and Geophysics. 2017. Vol. 58. Iss. 12, p. 1543-1552. DOI: 10.1016/j.rgg.2017.11.014
  42. Olenchenko V.V., Bortnikova S.B., Devyatova A.Yu. Application of electrical prospecting methods for technogenic bodies (stored wastes of the mining industry) studies: Review. Russian Journal of Geophysical Technologies. 2022. N 4, p. 23-40 (in Russian). DOI: 10.18303/2619-1563-2022-4-23
  43. Mollaret C., Hilbich C., Pellet C. et al. Mountain permafrost degradation documented through a network of permanent electrical resistivity tomography sites. The Cryosphere. 2019. Vol. 13. Iss. 10, p. 2557-2578. DOI: 10.5194/tc-13-2557-2019
  44. Martínez-Pagán P., Gómez-Ortiz D., Martín-Crespo T. et al. Electrical Resistivity Imaging Applied to Tailings Ponds: An Overview. Mine Water and the Environment. 2021. Vol. 40. Iss. 1, p. 285-297. DOI: 10.1007/s10230-020-00741-3
  45. Yurkevich N.V., Saeva O.P., Karin Y.G. Geochemical anomalies in two sulfide-bearing waste disposal areas: Fe, Cu, Zn, Cd, Pb, and As in contaminated waters and snow, Kemerovo and Chelyabinsk regions, Russia. Toxicological & Environmental Chemistry. 2015. Vol. 97. Iss. 1, p. 76-89. DOI: 10.1080/02772248.2015.1041955
  46. Yurkevich N.V. Technogenic ecosystems: development dynamics and resource potential (using the example of mining waste storage facilities in the Kemerovo Region and the Trans-Baikal Territory): Avtoref. dis. ... d-ra geol.-mineral. nauk. Novosibirsk: Institut neftegazovoi geologii i geofiziki im. A.A.Trofimuka SO RAN, 2024, p. 36.
  47. Martin T., Kuhn K., Günther T., Knieß R. Geophysical Exploration of a Historical Stamp Mill Dump for the Volume Estimation of Valuable Residues. Journal of Environmental and Engineering Geophysics. 2020. Vol. 25. Iss. 2, p. 275-286. DOI: 10.2113/JEEG19-080
  48. Izadi Yazdanabadi M., Marciniak A., Oryński S. et al. Time-lapse GPR Measurements for Observing Shallow Cryo-Hydrogeological Borders in Spitsbergen’s Fuglebekken Catchment. EGU General Assembly, 14-19 April 2024, Vienna, Austria. EGU, 2024. N EGU24-10315. DOI: 10.5194/egusphere-egu24-10315
  49. Fedorova L.L., Kulyandin G.A., Poiseeva S.I. Structural investigation of waste piles by radiolocation. Mining Informational and Analytical Bulletin. 2021. № 12-1. P. 243-254 (in Russian). DOI: 10.25018/0236_1493_2021_121_0_243
  50. Tavakoli S., Rasmussen T.M. Geophysical tools to study the near-surface distribution of the tailings in the Smaltjärnen repository, south-central Sweden; a feasibility study. Acta Geophysica. 2022. Vol. 70. Iss. 1, p. 141-159. DOI: 10.1007/s11600-021-00697-0
  51. Saksa P.J. Tailings Pond Outfiltration Monitoring with Electrical Conductivity Surveying. First Break. 2024. Vol. 42. Iss. 8, p. 111-117. DOI: 10.3997/1365-2397.fb2024072
  52. Olenchenko V.V., Osipova P.S., Yurkevich N.V., Bortnikova S.B. Electrical Resistivity Dynamics Beneath the Weathered Mine Tailings in Response to Ambient Temperature. Journal of Environmental and Engineering Geophysics. 2020. Vol. 25. Iss. 1, p. 55-63. DOI: 10.2113/JEEG18-096
  53. Karin Yu.G. An express method for constructing models for estimating the volume of tailings material based on electrical resistivity tomography, electromagnetic survey, and aerial photography: Avtoref. dis. ... kand. tekhn. nauk. Novosibirsk: Institut neftegazovoi geologii i geofiziki im. A.A.Trofimuka SO RAN, 2025, p. 23.
  54. Mollehuara-Canales R., Kozlovskaya E., Lunkka J.P. et al. Non-invasive geophysical imaging and facies analysis in mining tailings. Journal of Applied Geophysics. 2021. Vol. 192. N 104402. DOI: 10.1016/j.jappgeo.2021.104402
  55. Kozhevnikov N.O. On the association between fast induced polarization in frozen rocks and dielectric polarization of ice. Geophysical Prospecting. 2022. Vol. 70. Iss. 8, p. 1380-1387. DOI: 10.1111/1365-2478.13246
  56. Malehmir A., Markovic M., Marsden P. et al. Sparse 3D reflection seismic survey for deep-targeting iron oxide deposits and their host rocks, Ludvika Mines, Sweden. Solid Earth. 2021. Vol. 12. Iss. 2, p. 483-502. DOI: 10.5194/se-12-483-2021
  57. Nolet G. Seismic Tomography. Encyclopedia of Solid Earth Geophysics. Springer, 2019, p. 1-5. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-10475-7_28-1
  58. Chernyshov G.S., Duchkov A.A., Loginov G.N. et al. An approach to constructing a layered near-surface velocity model based on the first break times. Oil Industry. 2022. N 1, p. 26-31 (in Russian). DOI: 10.24887/0028-2448-2022-1-26-31
  59. Halla C., Blöthe J.H., Tapia Baldis C. et al. Ice content and interannual water storage changes of an active rock glacier in the dry Andes of Argentina. The Cryosphere. 2021. Vol. 15. Iss. 2, p. 1187-1213. DOI: 10.5194/tc-15-1187-2021
  60. Ouellet S.M., Dettmer J., Olivier G. et al. Advanced monitoring of tailings dam performance using seismic noise and stress models. Communications Earth & Environment. 2022. Vol. 3. N 301. DOI: 10.1038/s43247-022-00629-w
  61. Afonin N., Kozlovskaya E., Canales R.M. Application of passive seismic interferometry for mapping mining waste storage facilities: A case study of Pyhäsalmi mine in Finland. Journal of Applied Geophysics. 2022. Vol. 202. N 104669. DOI: 10.1016/j.jappgeo.2022.104669
  62. Tschuschke W., Gogolik S., Wróżyńska M. et al. The Application of the Seismic Cone Penetration Test (SCPTU) in Tailings Water Conditions Monitoring. Water. 2020. Vol. 12. Iss. 3. N 737. DOI: 10.3390/w12030737
  63. Pierwoła J., Szuszkiewicz M., Cabala J. et al. Integrated geophysical and geochemical methods applied for recognition of acid waste drainage (AWD) from Zn-Pb post-flotation tailing pile (Olkusz, southern Poland). Environmental Science and Pollution Research. 2020. Vol. 27. Iss. 14, p. 16731-16744. DOI: 10.1007/s11356-020-08195-4
  64. Bowen Shi, Xixi Li, Weiwu Hu et al. Environmental risk of tailings pond leachate pollution: Traceable strategy for leakage channel and influence range of leachate. Journal of Environmental Management. 2023. Vol. 331. N 117341. DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.117341
  65. Shuanggui Hu, Feiyan Wang, Jingtian Tang et al. Feasibility of induced magnetic gradient surveying for seepage detection in earth-filled dams: Insights from synthetic and field studies. Geophysics. 2024. Vol. 89. N 6, p. E229-E239. DOI: 10.1190/geo2024-0037.1
  66. Kiprono N.R., Kawalec A., Klis B. et al. Radiation Techniques for Tracking the Progress of the Hydrometallurgical Leaching Process: A Case Study of Mn and Zn. Metals. 2024. Vol. 14. Iss. 7. N 744. DOI: 10.3390/met14070744
  67. Belskikh Iu.S., Shandala N.K., Titov A.V. et al. Investigation of the radiation situation at the dumps of the mine N 1 of the LPO “Almaz” five years after recultivation. Gigiena i sanitariya. 2022. Vol. 101. N 7, p. 736-740 (in Russian). DOI: 10.47470/0016-9900-2022-101-7-736-740
Access statistics
Abstract Views
46
Full-Text Views
16
Cited
Scopus:
0
Crossref:
0
Article Menu