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Preliminary study of crack formation in a mining tailing dam to evaluate the

transport of contaminants

Conference Paper · April 1999

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Proc. of the European Geophysical Society XXIV General Assembly. The Hague, The Netherlands, 19-23 April 1999

PRELIMINARY STUDY OF CRACK FORMATION IN A MINING

TAILING DAM TO EVALUATE THE TRANSPORT OF CONTAMINANTS

(1,2) Rodríguez, R.L., (2) Candela, L. (2) Lloret, A, and (2) Ledesma, A.
1-Instituto Superior Minero Metalúrgico. Las Coloradas, s/n. Moa. Holguín. Cuba. CP.
83320
2-Department of Geotechnical Engineering & Geosciences. School of Civil
Engineering - UPC -. Gran Capitán s/n, Edif. D2. Barcelona 08034, Spain.

Abstract

A study of the physical properties conditioning crack formation of a mining tailing

material has been carried out under saturated and unsaturated conditions in the

laboratory to evaluate preferential flow. Selected material comes from residual wastes

produced to extract Ni and Co from a Cuban mining area. The material has a silty grain

size, is composed by heavy metals (Fe, Ni, Mn, Cr and Co) and presents a non plastic

behaviour. Shrinkage, wetting and swelling and crack filling of waste material does not

eliminate the presence of discontinuities generated by desiccation cracks and hydraulic

conductivity increases more than one order of magnitude compared to the continuous

porous media.

Key words: mine tailing, unsaturated zone, shrinkage, swelling, cracks

1. Introduction.

Elevated concentrations of trace metals in groundwater have been typically found in

mining areas as a consequence of leachate infiltration through the vadose zone to

aquifers from tailings and other wastes. As in groundwater, major solute transport

mechanisms in the vadose zone are advection and hydrodynamic dispersion, although

there is a growing evidence that preferential flow contributes to field scale chemical

transport and is not adequately described by conventional advection-dispersion

equations. Preferential flow can be caused by macropores in soil domain (cracks and

plant roots), or by unstable wetting fronts in unstructured soils that originated from soil

layering, air atrapment and water repellence (Root, 1973, Ritsema et al., 1993, Van

Dam et al., 1996). Kinetics of solute reactions further complicate the transport

dynamics.

In general, the evaluation of water flow and transport of different contaminants through

the unsaturated zone is based on the assumption of a porous media, Darcy-Richards´

equation and kinetics of contaminant reactions. However, some factors complicate the

application of this equation: 1) the non linearity of the relation between soil water

pressure head and volumetric water content, 2) the water retention function, which is

not unique but shows hysteresis (Van Dam, et al., 1996, Van Genuchten, 1978), 3)

preferential flow which causes soil water to bypass parts of the soil domain, 4) swelling,

drying and shrinking processes.

Desiccation cracks have an important role in mine tailing operation. Waste materials

initially saturated at a high water content are desiccated by the combined action of high

temperatures, the wind and the low air relative humidity (Blight, 1997 and Morris et al.,

1992). The desiccation process induces volume and stress changes in the waste that

generates vertical fissures. The effect of fissures leads to a change on the water

infiltration regime, and consequently to the increase of pollutant transport. (Morris et

al., 1992, Swarbrick and Fell, 1992, Abu-Hejleh and Znidarcic, 1995, Konrad and Ayad,

1997 and Drumm et al., 1997).

2
Desiccation cracks of soft soils have been targeted by a number of studies under both

theoretical and experimental perspectives. In general, these studies have been carried

out with cohesive and plastic soils and according to the literature (Abu-Hejleh and

Znidarcic, 1995, Aubertin et al., 1994. Drumm, et al., 1997, Konrad and Ayad, 1997,

Morris et al., 1992, Bligt, 1971, 1997) the shrinkage results in surface cracking and

subsequent wetting and swelling should cause the cracks to close again.

No information has been obtained on desiccation cracks formation studies on mine

tailing residues with no plastic behaviour. The aim of this paper is doublefold: 1) to

characterise the mineralogical and chemical composition of a specific waste 2) to

determine physical and hydromechanical properties that influence the flow and

desiccation cracks development in saturated and unsaturated conditions by means

laboratory experiments.

2. Site description.

Laboratory tests have been carried out on waste samples from a tailing dam located in

the mining area of Holguín (Cuba). As a result of the nickel and cobalt exploitation in

the area, a great volume of water-borne slurries (20 to 40 % of solid material and 60 to

80 % of liquid) are produced and deposited in tailing dams. After slurry sedimentation

and drying, macro cracks with depths of 20 - 80 cm and more than 5 cm wide are

produced.

One of the most important consequences of this mining process is the presence of Ni,

Mn, Cr and Fe at high concentrations in the alluvial aquifer of the Moa river (ref---).

3
3. Methodology.

A series of tests to characterise the hydromechanical behaviour of the mining waste

were carried out in the laboratory at atmospheric conditions, (controlled temperature

(22ºC) and 60% of relative humidity) or at prescribed air relative humidities in

hermetically closed containers. Specimens for the different tests were prepared at field

bulk density and at saturation conditions. Determination of waste properties were based

on samples collected in the Moa tailing dam during the April 1996 campaign.

Mineralogical identification of wastes was carried out by XR diffraction, waste

chemical composition through atomic absorption and inductively coupled argon plasma

emission spectrometry (ICP-AES). Total dissolved salts of the residue were performed

with HPLC and pH was determined in 0.01 M CaCl2 (soil/solution ratio 1:10). Grain

size distribution was obtained by sedimentation and laser method with the Malvern

Mastersizer/E (range 0.5 - 600 µm) equipment.

Unsaturated hydraulic conductivity was obtained in a suction and stress controlled

oedometer cell (Escario and Saez, 1973) at initial water content of 43%, 0.63 of porosity

and constant vertical stress of 0.03 MPa .

For suction values between 0.1 and 10 MPa, the water retention curve was obtained by

measuring suction in samples with controlled density and water content using a

psychrometer technique (Dimos, 1991). A suction controlled oedometer cell was used

for values between 0.01 and 1 MPa. Matrix suction was imposed by controlling air and

water pressures and water content was obtained by measuring the volume of infiltrated

water in the sample when changing suction.

4
A desiccation test on waste samples procedure was set up to evaluate the effect of

changes in suction, thickness and volumetric water content on shrinkage and crack

development. The test was performed on wastes (water content 50%) deposited on 3

circular plates (225 mm of diameter and 4, 8 and 16 mm of thickness). Three sets of

plates were used and stored in hermetic containers and one set remained at laboratory

open air conditions. Circular plates were provided with grooves (1.5 mm depth) in order

to assure better fixing of soil. Salt and sulphuric acid solutions were use for the air

relative humidity control in closed containers.

To analyse the desiccation cracks effect on hydraulic conductivity two columns were

made in the laboratory (diameter 130 mm and 110 mm height) and simulation of the

waste sedimentation as it happens in real conditions was made. For the first column, the

slurry was poured in different layers of 11mm thick. Only when the previous layer was

cracked and consolidated, the following layer was placed. In the second column the

waste in slurry state was poured all at one. Saturated hydraulic conductivity in vertical

direction for the two columns was obtained in a triaxial cell. To avoid preferential flow

through the walls, the columns were covered by a rubber membrane. Also, to reproduce

the natural consolidation process in the tailing dam, different confining pressures were

applied. In each test, porosity and permeability variations due to the increase of

confining pressure were controlled.

4. Results and discussion

A summary of the most important identification and characterisation tests is shown in

Table 1. According to the grain size, the waste can be classified as a silt composed by

5
heavy metals (Ni, Mn, Cr and Co) and iron. Clay minerals have not been identified.

According to the Plasticity Index (PI between 3 and 4) and physico-mechanical

properties, the waste is a silt with low liquid limit (ML) in the Unified Soil

Classification.

The results of saturated and unsaturated hydraulic conductivity tests are shown in figure

1. Unsaturated hydraulic conductivity is highly dependent on porosity and saturation

degree (figure 1A), while saturated hydraulic conductivity depends on porosity. Under

regular mine tailing conditions (unsaturated), the permeability of the waste is considered

low and depending on the initial waste conditions, changes of several orders of

magnitude are expected.

In figure 2, the van Genuchten, (1978) expression at drying and wetting conditions and

the analytical curves obtained by fitting experimental data are included. Figure 2b

shows a detailed image of the suction-saturation curve obtained in a suction controlled

oedometer tests, where the effect of hysteresis due to drying-wetting cycles can be

clearly observed. The initial drying induces important and irreversible strains in the

waste material and in subsequent cycles of wetting and drying, volume changes are

small and reversible (see Figure 3).

Characteristics of the crack pattern is an important phenomenon in the evaluation of

geotechnical properties of soil-water system. In figure 4 for the desiccation test, the

shrinkage limit appears when water content lies between 32-34 %.

6
In figure 5 photographs of different cracked surfaces are shown to illustrate the effect of

sample thickness for a specific relative humidity on the sample. Results of desiccation

tests are summarized in figure 6 and Table 2. According to the desiccation tests of

compacted waste, desiccation cracks occur for water content higher than 30 %. Cracks

are formed in the waste at saturated or quasi saturated conditions independently of the

relative humidity prescribed in the hermetic container. This result is in accordance to the

presence of fissured cracks to those existing in the Holguin mining area, where average

relative humidity is 85% (fig 6b). Distance between cracks linearly increases with the

thickness of the samples (fig 6a). Time to crack formation depends on sample thickness

and suction (Fig 6c).

The result of the permeability tests performed for the stratified and non stratified

samples is shown in figure 7. According to the results, hydraulic conductivity of layered

sample is one order of magnitude greater than the non stratified material. The non

swelling behaviour and low plasticity of the waste does not eliminate the presence of

discontinuities generated by desiccation cracks formation. This effect is more evident

when the confining pressures are low and the cracks are open, for high confining

stresses hydraulic conductivity of layered and cracked samples decrease more than in

continuous samples and the differences between both hydraulic conductivities tends to

be small.

5. Conclusions.

According to the laboratory results, the studied mine tailing material may be

geotechnically classified as a silt with low liquid limit (ML) and according to the

hydraulic conductivity the material should behave as an aquitard. The waste

7
permeability is not sufficient to explain the presence of heavy metals in the aquifer,

unless flow trough preferential paths is produced.

Mechanical behaviour of mine tailings material affects the transport of pollutants in two

ways. First, volume changes, due to suction or stress increase, induce important

decrease in the hydraulic conductivity value. Second, stress changes induced by

desiccation processes may produce tensions that originate vertical cracks, which may

cause preferential flow and mass transport.

Desiccation cracks appear at water content higher than 30% and air relative humidity

effect is very low. For this type of non plastic material, the assumption that shrinkage

results in surface cracking and subsequent wetting and swelling causes the cracks to

close again does not apply. The effect of layering and cracks formation increases

hydraulic conductivity more than one order of magnitude compared to the continuous

porous media values.

Acknowledgements.

First author is granted by the Generalitat de Catalunya “Comisionat per Universitats i

Recerca”. This work is part of the project AMB97- 0859 - CO2 and PB94-1024A

funded by CICYT and DGICYT.

8
References

Abu-Hejleh A.N. and Znidarcic D. (1995). Desiccation theory for soft cohesive soils. J.
Geotech. Engrg. ASCE, 121(6):493-502.
Aubertin, M., Chapuis, Aachib, M., Ricard, J. F. and Tremblay, L. (1994). Cover
technology for acidic tailings: hydrogeological properties of milling wastes used as
capillary barrier. First International Congress on Environmental Geotechnics.
Edmonton. Canada. pp 427-432.
Annual book of ASTM standards (1992). Section 4. Construction. Volume 04.08. Soil
and rock. Dimension stone; geosynthetics. 1296 p.
Blight, G. E. (1994). Environmentally acceptable tailings dams. First International
Congress on Environmental Geotechnics. Edmonton. Canada. pp 417-12
Blight, G. E. (1997). Interactions between the atmosphere and the Earth. Géotechnique
47(4): 715- 767.
Dimos, A. (1991). Measurement of soil suction using transistor psychrometer. VIC
ROADS, Internal report No IR/91-3.
Drumm, E.C., Boles, D.R. and Wilson, G. V. (1997). Desiccation cracks result in
preferential flow. Geotechnical News. June 1997. pp 22-25.
Escario, V. and Saez, J. (1973). Medida de las propiedades de los suelos expansivos y
colapsables bajo succión controlada. Boletín de la Soc. Esp. Mec. de Suelos y
Ciment. 6:1-8.
Raats, P. A. C. (1973). Unstable wetting fronts in uniform and nouniform soils. Soil Sci.
Soc. Am. J.., 37 :681-685.
Ritsema, C. J., Dekker, L. W., hendrickx, J. M. H. and Hamminga, W., (1993).
Preferential flow mechanism in a water repellent sandy soil.Water Resources Res.,
29: 2183-2193.
Van Dam, J.C., Wosten,J:H:M: & Nemens, A.(1996).Unsaturated soil water movemen
in hysteretic and water repellent fiel soils. Journal of Hydrology. 184, pp 153-173.
Van Genuchten, R. (1978). Calculating the unsaturated hydraulic conductivity with a
new closed-from analytical model. Research report 78-WR-08. Water Resources
Program, Dep, of Civil Engng Princeton Univ. Princeton, N.J. 63 p.

9
 1.E-10 1.E-06
n=0.63
A B

1.E-11
1.E-07
k(m/s)

k (m/s)
1.E-12

1.E-08
n=0.61
1.E-13
Drying
Wetting
Drying
1.E-14 1.E-09
0.4 0.6 0.8 1 0.60 0.65 0.70 0.75 0.80
Degree of saturation Porosity

Figure 1. A) Relationship between degree of saturation and unsaturated hydraulic

conductivity for porosity (n) values between 0.61 and 0.63. B) Relationship between
saturated hydraulic conductivity and waste porosity.

100 1
B
A
10 Drying
Suction (MPa)
Suction (MPa)

1 0.1
Wetting
0.1 Drying
Psychrometric test Wetting
Suction controlled oedometer Drying
0.01 0.01
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 0.5 0.75 1
Saturation degree Saturation degree

Figure 2. A) Water retention curves. For a porosity (n) of 0.63, parameters in Van
Genuchten expression are: for drying λ = 0.392 and Po =0.274 MPa and for wetting λ
= 0.398 and Po = 0.134 MPa. B) Water retention curve obtained in suction controlled
oedometer tests. Vertical load was maintained constant at 0.03 MPa.

10
 1.72
D rying
1.68 W etting
D rying

Void ratio
1.64

1.60

1.56

1.52
0.01 0.1 1
Suction (M Pa)

Figure 3. Volume changes measured in suction controlled oedometer cell.

A
2
Vertical strain (%)

C
6

B
8
0.15 0.25 0.35 0.45
Water content

Figure 4. Vertical strain vs. water content relationship measured in different types of
test. A) Desiccation of cylindrical sample (76 mm high, 38 mm diameter) in laboratory
atmosphere condition (relative humidity 60% and temperature 22ºC), B) desiccation in
cylindrical plate (40 mm high 225 mm diameter) in laboratory atmosphere, and C)
suction controlled oedometer test (10 mm high 50 mm diameter).

11
(a) (b) (c)

Figure 5. Appearance after the drying experiment on circular plates for different
material thickness and air relative humidity of 75%. When the soil suction reached the
value imposed in the container environment, the crack pattern was photographed. (a:
thickness 4 mm; b: thickness =8 mm; c: thickness =16 mm).Diameter of plates,225 mm.

80 100
A B C
Water content at crack initiation (%)
Distance between cracks (mm)

Time to crack initiation (day)

41
60
10

40 36 h=4mm
h=8 mm
h=16 mm
1
20 31
Laboratory
h=4mm atmospher
h=8 mm condition
h=16 mm
0 26 0.1
0 10 20 0 100 200 300 1 10 100 100
Thickness (mm) Prescribed suction (MPa) Prescribed suction (MPa)

Figure 6. A) Distance between cracks vs thickness of waste. B) Water content at crack

initiation vs prescribed suction and C) Time to crack initiation vs prescribed suction.

12
 1.E-06 1.E-06
Layered sample Layered sample
Continuous sample Continuous sample

1.E-07 1.E-07

k (m/s
k (m/s)

1.E-08 1.E-08

B
A
1.E-09 1.E-09
0.60 0.62 0.64 0.66 1 10 100 1000
Porosity Confining pressure (KPa)

Figure 7. Relationship between saturated hydraulic conductivity and material porosity

(A), and confining pressure (B), for both continuous and layered samples.

Table 1. Characteristics of the mine tailings material

Parameters Range Parameters Range
% Sand 10 Bulk density (g/cm3) 2.38-2.23
% Silt 70 Dry density (g/cm3) 1.83-1.64
% Clay 20 Soil particle density (g/cm3) 3.8-4.04
Grain size d50 (µm) 10 Water content (%) 35-25
Cohesion (MPa) 0.01 Liquid limit (%) 44-40
Friction angle (φ) 36º Plastic limit (%) 40-36
Plasticity index PI 3-4

Table 2. Desiccation tests in controlled atmosphere and temperature.

Atmos- Imposed Prescribed Soil Time to Water Final Distance Final
pheric relative Suction thickness crack content (%) crack between vertical
condition humidity (MPa) (mm) initiation at crack opening cracks strain
(%) (days) initiation (mm) (mm) (%)
Hermetic 4 22 41.9 0.4 17 1.25
containers 97.8 3 8 35 43.5 0.8 37 1.50
16 58 43.7 1.2 117 1.67
Hermetic 4 9 42.6 0.1-0.5 14 3.00
containers 75.0 38 8 15 43.8 0.1-0.6 39 3.12
16 26 45.9 0.1-0.8 55 2.50
Hermetic 4 6 41.9 0.1-0.5 14 5.20
containers 60 58.9 8 12.6 43.5 0.05-0.6 30 6.40
16 19.5 43.13 0-1.3 66 5.70
Hermetic 4 3 29.6 0.05-0.1 14 8.00
containers 15.6 251 8 10 30.1 0.05-.5 36 7.50
16 14 30.5 0-1.2 70 6.25
Laboratory 4 0.169 41.9 0.05-0.1 13 8
atmosphere 60 58.9 8 0.45 43.5 0.1-0.5 28 8.2
condition 16 1.07 43.6 0.1-2 66 8.7

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